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Humble Beginnings
of Malaysia Tourism Centre
O
ne
of the biggest
contributors to Malay-
sia’s socio-economic
growth is tourism.
Thousands visit this
beautiful country and
enjoy every minute
of it. The glistening sun, lush greenery,
cultural richness all muddled with tech-
nological advancements and modern
amenities. Malaysia, simply put, has the
best of both worlds. It’s old school with
modern marvels.
With the influx of tourists visiting
Malaysia, it has pushed the country to
become more advanced in numerous
aspects. Transportation systems have been
upgraded, safety has been heightened
and there are plenty more perks to keep
everyone happy. But of course, the addi-
tion of the iconic building MaTiC makes
it a lot easier.
Its doors were opened on Sept 5, 1990,
and since then information has been
spewing about the cultural heritage and
artistic abilities of Malaysia. A one-stop
tourist centre, MaTiC, is driven by the
vision to make Malaysia a go-to location
for holidaymakers globally. The centre
Malaysia TourismCentre (MaTiC) stands proudly as the
beacon of tourism in the country.
offers services like an information centre,
police counter, a theatre, ATM machines
and anything else an adventurous tourist
needs to get started on his Malaysian
journey.
After Malaysia achieved its indepen-
dence, a couple of government organ-
isations were headquartered in MaTiC
using it as an Arts Centre and even as
a National Archives. When renovations
took place, the essence of the building
was not tampered with. Various historical
graphics can be seen about the location as
this building once housed the Japanese
and British soldiers during times of war.
Another nice little tidbit about this
building is that it was formerly a place of
residence to a rubber plantation magnate.
It was first built in 1935, then in 1989, it
was taken over by the founding father of
Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. He kept
the building as it was, seeing as it had a
architectural uniqueness to it. It was a
standout building that was iconic to Kuala
Lumpur at that time.
MaTiC, functions as a building set
on promoting tourism. Having an af-
filiation with the Malaysian government,
numerous tourism-related activities are
constantly organised here. The ministry,
as well as other agencies have played host
to galas and performances. The centre
also functions as an entity that plans and
implements programmes through coor-
dination of shows with various parties.
A lot of planning goes into maintaining
the traditional persona Malaysia wishes
to upkeep. MaTiC is a force that is pas-
sionate about providing a space for both
Malaysians and tourists to either learn or
participate in activities.
Every Monday to Saturday, from 3pm-
3.45pm, be sure to check out cultural
dance performances led by catchy beats
and powerful movements at MaTiC. So,
next time you’re in Malaysia, head to
MaTiC immediately! For more information
visit:
matic.gov.my
Painting by
Stanley Goh
depicting
the beauty
of MaTiC.
The official launching of the first
parliament at MaTiC by the late Tuanku
Abdul Rahman on Sept 11, 1959.