KUALA LUMPUR, 15 October 2024: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has issued a rebuttal to what it describes as an incorrect article published by Suara NTB on 10 September 2024.
According to MATTA, the article ‘MATTA Targets 1 Million Malaysian Tourists to Visit Lombok-Sumbawa’ contained several factually incorrect statements that MATTA does not endorse and has not communicated during the relevant period.
The news article referred to a meeting between MATTA President Nigel Wong and several members of the Executive Council of MATTA with Sahlan M Saleh, Chairman of the NTB Province Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD) and his delegation, at the MATTA Fair from 6 to 8 September 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, allegedly to discuss potential collaboration between the two organisations.
In a widely circulated press statement, MATTA said it would like to “clarify that no formal discussions or meetings took place during the recent MATTA Fair. It was merely a courtesy visit by Mr Sahlan with the MATTA President, and no commitments or guarantees were made regarding the issues mentioned in the article.”
No commitment to bring 1 Million Malaysian tourists to Lombok in 2025
“MATTA has neither made nor assured any commitment to bring 1 million Malaysian tourists to Lombok or Sumbawa in 2025. The article stating ‘Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) menargetkan sebanyak 1 juta wisatawan Malaysia akan berkunjung ke Lombok dan Sumbawa pada tahun 2025 nanti,’ is deliberately incorrect and misleading. During the courtesy visit, MATTA did not make such a statement or commitment to the BPPD.”
No agreement to participate in the 2024 Mandalika MotoGP event
“Similarly, MATTA did not confirm any participation at the 2024 Mandalika MotoGP event. Furthermore, no current plans exist to attend, promote, or invite the Ambassador of Malaysia in Indonesia and members to participate in the said event. The claims suggesting otherwise are baseless and incorrect.”
No pledge to organise a special event in Lombok
“The article also wrongly reported that MATTA pledged to organise a special event in Lombok, either in support of airlines or other parties. However, no such commitments were made.
“On 25 September 2024, MATTA formally sent a letter to the editor of Suara NTB, asking for an immediate retraction of the article in question. Despite ample time, no corrective action has been taken by the editor of Suara NTB. MATTA has also reached out to Mr Sahlan M. Saleh to clarify the statements attributed to him…there has been no response from him thus far.
“Additionally, we have formally contacted the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr H Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, seeking his support in resolving this matter and disputing the article’s inaccuracies.
“MATTA strongly feels that these incorrect and misleading statements have the potential to harm the positive relationship we have with BPPD and other tourism stakeholders in Indonesia. We urge all parties involved to take the necessary action to correct these misrepresentations and preserve our positive collaboration between all parties.”
