On 04-03-2011 MATTA president, Yg Bhg Datuk Khalid Harun told the Star that “consumers can purchase tickets at the MATTA fair without any worry of falling prey to any fly-by-night scams“, in HERE. I believed that he was responding to my posting of 28-02-2011, in HERE. He also said that all participants at the MATTA fair are vetted. During last September MATTA fair there was an unlicenced agent participated. If what Datuk Khalid said was true, why MATTA did not detect the unlicenced travel agent during the travel fair last year. This fact was a clear proof that MATTA did not scrutinise the legal or financial status of the participants in the travel fair.
Datuk Kahlid was also quoted to have said that “It is also compulsory for all members to have travel insurance so customers could be compensated if the agents are not able to give them the special offers.” Datuk Khalid’s statements in the Star have created more doubts than assurance.
As far as I know, travel insurance scheme is optional for traveller to buy for out bound tours only. Datuk Khalid should give an assurance that all flight tickets and tours purchased during the MATTA travel fair are protected by compulsory insurance scheme against the “fly-by-night” agents and costs of the insurance scheme are borne by the tour agents. Datuk Khalid said statement was neither here nor there.
I do not think that MATTA is capable of taking such steps to protect members of the public from being cheated during the travel fair. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism must take stock of previous experiences and to immediately put in place regulations that will make MATTA liable to pay compensation to those who have been cheated during MATTA travel fair.
