By V. Sivaji
Members of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Kedah/Perlis Chapter, recently held a business-to-business (B2B) session with key tourism industry stakeholders in Medan, Indonesia.
The initiative aimed to explore potential collaborations and open new markets in preparation for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
The session was held at the Grandhika Hotel in Medan and was led by MAH Kedah/Perlis Chairman, Eugene Dass, along with his committee members.
Welcoming the delegation was Pak Surya Salim, Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel (North Sumatera Region), accompanied by his committee.
Also present were general managers from several prominent resorts in Langkawi, including Hafiz Hashim (Rebak Resort and Tanjung Rhu Resort Langkawi), Prateep Nair Sinnasamy (Wings by Croske Resort Langkawi), and Ben Irwan (DASH Resort Langkawi).
They were joined by sales teams from a total of 10 hotels based in Alor Setar and Langkawi.
In his opening remarks, Eugene Dass expressed gratitude to their Indonesian counterparts for the opportunity to engage and build stronger tourism ties.
“This is the first time such a B2B session has been held involving hotels from Kedah. We believe this destination may not yet be well-known among the people of Medan,” said Dass.
“Langkawi, in particular, offers not just breathtaking scenery across 99 islands, but also a duty-free shopping experience that is highly attractive.” he added.
He encouraged attendees to take full advantage of the networking opportunity and thanked Ms. Joe Mei Jie, President and Director of PT Maju IKA Jaya Travel and Tours, for her instrumental role in making the session possible.
Echoing similar sentiments, Pak Surya noted that such engagements pave the way for stronger collaborations and meet the growing travel interest from the Medan market.
Approximately 25 travel agents from Medan, including senior managers, managing directors, and agency owners, actively participated in the session.
Participating hotels from Kedah included StarCity Hotel, Fuller Hotel, The Bayou Langkawi, Riyaz Hotels Langkawi, BellaVista Langkawi, ParkRoyal Resort Langkawi, Tanjung Rhu Resort Langkawi, Holiday Villa Langkawi, Dayang Bay Langkawi and Wings by Croske Resort Langkawi.
The session concluded with a hi-tea and a lucky draw, where hotel stay vouchers were given away.