MALAYSIA'S inaugural B2B international trade show, Asia International Tourism Expo, kicked off today at Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

The marketplace is intended for Asian sellers to meet international buyers, but foreign seller participation is lacking, represented only by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

There are 148 hosted buyers, where 80 are also participants of the tourism ministry's mega familiarisation programme, held in conjunction with the Colours and Flavours of Malaysia event, which will be launched tomorrow at Putrajaya. The rest are sourced from the database of the ministry and from world travel markets.

There are 33 buyers from India and China, 63 from Asean, 16 from the Middle East, and 16 from Europe.

Tourism Malaysia director-general, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, said whether the trade show would be held annually (as was intended) would depend on the outcome and feedback for this inaugural event.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president, Mr Ngiam Foon, said this event, held after the contracting period in April, was relevant for good deals and short contracting periods of three to six months.

He added: "It also helps the small- and medium-sized Malaysian sellers who cannot afford to participate at international travel shows."

The show is jointly organised by MATTA, the Malaysian Indian Tour & Travel Association, BUMITRA Malaysia, and Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association. The Ministry of Tourism is a partner and the main sponsors are Malaysia Airlines, Abacus International, and Langkawi Development Authority.