MATA is the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, an industry body. Joining it is a choice an agency makes, while holding a MOTAC licence is what allows an agency to sell tours at all. Treat the licence as the must-have and the membership as a helpful extra.
If you are buying a first China tour, or arranging one for your parents, the two logos can look equally official. Here is how to tell them apart.
What is the difference between a licence and a membership?
A licence comes from the government. MOTAC licenses travel agencies and tour operators in Malaysia under the Tourism Industry Act 1992[1]. Without it, the business should not be selling tours.
A membership comes from an association. It is voluntary and shows the agency chose to join a trade body, which may bring an expected standard of conduct and a place to take a dispute. Ask the association what its members are held to.
| MOTAC licence | MATA membership | |
|---|---|---|
| Who grants it | The ministry | An industry association |
| Is it required to sell tours | Yes | No |
| What it tells you | The business is allowed to operate | The business joined a trade body |
| What to do | Check it on the MOTAC website | Confirm it with MATA directly |
What should you check first?
Check the licence first, every time. Consumers are advised to verify an agency on the MOTAC website before paying and to report suspicious operators through MOTAC channels[2].
Our guide to checking an agency’s MOTAC licence takes you through it in five short steps. Only after that is it worth asking about membership.
How do you ask about membership politely?
You can say it plainly and kindly. For example: “Could you share your MOTAC licence number and your MATA membership number? I would like to note them down with the quotation.”
A confident agency will answer quickly. If the reply is vague, or the name on the badge differs from the name on the quotation, ask again in writing and wait for a clear answer before you pay.
What can a membership not do for you?
It cannot tell you that the itinerary is realistic, that the hotels match the quotation or that the price has no add-ons. It also does not mean a refund is certain if something goes wrong.
Those answers come from the quotation itself. Read what a quotation should include, and run two or three offers through the package comparator.
Where do you complain if something goes wrong?
Start with the agency, in writing, with your receipts and the quotation attached. If that does not settle it, ask MOTAC and the association about their routes. We explain the order in complaining about a travel agency in Malaysia.
Keeping a clean paper trail from the first deposit is the most useful thing you can do. The booking topic page lists the rest of the habits that make this easy.