Decision on Airbnb next year, says Tourism D-G

Decision on Airbnb next year, says Tourism D-G



Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said to address the problem, the committee would continue to discuss the issue to find suitable solution. -BERNAMA

The task force on short-term residential accommodation, Airbnb will announce its decision by early next year, Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said today.

He said the task force was set up to regulate Airbnb accommodations nationwide and would take note of examples from other countries such as France, Singapore and Japan.

“We will look into the issue. What we have implemented throu\gh the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and the agency under the Housing and Local Government Ministry, is that we already set up a task force to look at what other countries have implemented in terms of Airbnb-type rentals.

“We expect to announce the decision early next year and it needs to be regulated. For example, in some locations, Airbnb accommodations are allowed but not in the big cities where there are hotels available,” he told reporters after launching the Visit Malaysia (VMY) 2020 Kick Off conference here today.

He said this in response to complaints made by hoteliers who claimed of experiencing a decline in occupancy rate despite the high number of tourists arriving in the country as most of them were choosing Airbnb.

Musa said to address the problem, the committee would continue to discuss the issue to find suitable solution.

“The concept of Airbnb in Europe and the US are different than it is in Asia. The Airbnb accommodations that I used to stay at, either in Europe or in the US, the guests stayed with the hosts, and we already have this concept here for the past 30 years and we call it homestay.

Homestay is more for the experiences while Airbnb is more of an accommodation. Only in Malaysia, the visitors are not staying with the owner and this will be regulated,” he said.

He said the matter would be looked at as a whole as there were several joint management bodies had disallowed Airbnb to operate in the condominium building as it was viewed as disruption.

Meanwhile, commenting on the conference, he said it was launched to further promote the promotional activities of the VMY 2020 campaign in the northern states. -- Bernama

RM10 tourism tax to be maintained

RM10 tourism tax to be maintained

THE flat rate of RM10 per room per night on foreign tourists will be maintained, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Mohamaddin Ketapi.

“Under the new government, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has reviewed implementation of the tourism tax.

“From the review, the implementation of the tax by countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore and Thailand, proved that the tax has brought positive growth to the tourism sector in the long term,” he said in a written reply to Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah (PH-Port Dickson).

Mohamaddin noted that Japan and Saudi Arabia had recently implemented the tourism tax.

He said the tax is expected to bring positive impact to the tourism industry through the financing of infrastructure, arts and culture. It is only applicable to foreign tourists.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Tourism Tax 旅游税

DPM: Tourism tax will be imposed

DPM: Tourism tax will be imposed

The Government is going ahead with its tourism tax to be imposed from July 1.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who disclosed this yesterday, said more funds were needed to support tourism promotion activities.

“At present, some states receive little (funds), some get more,” he said. Under the new tax, hotel guests will be charged between RM2.50 and RM20 for every night’s stay, depending on the classification of the hotel.

Dr Ahmad Zahid disclosed that the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday directed that the tourism tax spat involving Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and the Sarawak and Sabah governments be put to an end.

“The Prime Minister chaired the Cabinet meeting and I have personally met with the Chief Ministers of Sarawak and Sabah.

“So the chapter is closed,’’ he told reporters after closing an Islamic education workshop here yesterday.

Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah had called on the Government to defer the implementation of the tourism tax in Sarawak and Sabah. This invited criticism from Nazri.

Dr Ahmad Zahid also said RM10mil will be given to the Advisory Board for the Coordination of Islamic Education for the enhancement of Islamic educational institutions.

The workshop approved several resolutions, including one on a special mechanism to strengthen Federal-state cooperation in Islamic educational development.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Matta supports tourism tax

Matta supports tourism tax, but ...



The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (Matta) is urging the Government to delay the rollout of the impending Tourism Tax (TTx), or at least parts of it.

While saying the association is behind the tax, its president Datuk Hamzah Rahmat said the Aug 1 implementation date may not be an ideal time.

The TTx will not only affect domestic tourists, but also Malaysians who have to travel for other purposes such as studies, medical treatments or family obligations.

"Those people who have to travel will have to travel, and they will be forced to pay for it. It doesn’t just affect tourists," he said on Wednesday.

Hamzah suggests the TTx be imposed on 4-star and 5-star hotels first, but be deferred on lower-rated hotels, hostels and accommodation premises to a later date.

“I’m not saying that this tax shouldn't be imposed at all, but now is not the time for it,” he said.

Hamzah added that domestic travel is currently picking up due to the high cost of overseas travel, and he was concerned that an additional tax would deter Malaysians from travelling domestically.

The Penang, Langkawi and Malacca state governments are already charging RM2 to RM9 depending on the type of hotel the guest is staying in.

Passed as part of the Tourism Tax Bill 2017, TTx will see local and international tourists paying a levy to the operators of accommodation premises.

The tax rate is fixed and charged on a per-room, per-night basis.

The rates are RM20 for five-star accommodations, RM10 for four-star accommodations, RM5 for one- to three-star accommodations, and RM2.50 for non-rated accommodations, including budget hotels.

Engineer Lim Chze Hong, 33, who travels twice a month for work, said the TTx would be an unnecessary burden for Malaysians and should only be imposed on foreign tourists.

"It is an extra burden on top of the funds we need to spend to travel outstation for work, regardless if the rooms are paid for by the company or not.

“If this is a ‘tourism tax’, then they should not impose the tax on anyone who books a room using their MyKad,” he said.

Meanwhile, 41-year-old writer Vivan Chong said that she wouldn't mind paying the tax if the revenue was used to develop the local tourism industry.

She however asked if there are solid plans in place regarding the funding.

"The rates are not a burden money-wise, but I think the real question is, who is this supposed to benefit in the first place and why are we being taxed for already contributing to the economy by travelling locally," she added.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had said that the tax revenue would be spent mainly on tourism and infrastructure development throughout the country.

He said the tax was necessary because the Government needed to mitigate uncertainties in the oil-and-gas industry, adding that the Government was expected to collect about RM800mil annually through the new tax.

~News courtesy of The Star~

市会依星级收1至9令吉 住交怡酒店要给税

市会依星级收1至9令吉 住交怡酒店要给税

下月开始，浮罗交怡市议会将以酒店星级区分，按日向游客征收1令吉至9令吉不等的“浮罗交怡旅游促进税”(Langkawi Tourism Promotion Levy)。

吉打州宗教、旅游及文物事务委员会主席拿督莫哈末拉威说，浮罗交怡市议会将依据酒店的星级征收费用，而收费以每日每房为计。

“1星和2星酒店，每晚须缴付1令吉、3星和4星则是3令吉、5星为5令吉、6星为7令吉及7星酒店为9令吉。”

或扩大至其他地区

莫哈末拉威昨日在热水湖选区，出席颁发斋戒月物资活动时，向“马新社”这么说。

他指出，类似的税务在国内并非新课题，槟城、马六甲和吉隆坡都已向游客征收上述税务，作为推广旅游业用途。

他透露，该税收也有可能进一步扩大至州内其他地区。

莫哈末拉威指出，有关税务率是最低收费，也在游客的负担能力范围。

他说，目前，吉打州仍主要依赖中央政府的拨款，以推广州内旅游。

他希望透过征收上述税务，有助提高州旅游局的财政能力，并在浮罗交怡推行更多旅游相关活动，让游客得以受惠。

~以上新闻转自中国报~

Premier getaway resort will put Langkawi Island on world map

Premier getaway resort will put Langkawi Island on world map, says PM



Graceful architecture: Sodakh (right) giving Najib a tour of the St Regis resort compound during an excursion to Langkawi.

The opening of The St Regis Langkawi, a joint-venture project between the Government and private sector, is part of a bigger strategy to put Langkawi on the world map, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said more was still needed to be done to boost the island’s reputation among premier tourists.

“When we are able to bring upmarket tourists to Langkawi, we can generate more revenue and provide more high-paying jobs, especially for the locals.

“We will also get demand for handicrafts and local produce, and luxury car rentals, and others.

“There will be a lot of multiplier effects that can be obtained, including our wish that Langkawi’s connectivity with the world can be implemented.

“Currently, there is only one direct flight from Guangzhou to Langkawi.

“I hope this strategy will bring results in the coming years,” he told reporters after a tour around the hotel here yesterday.

Among those present to accompany Najib during the tour included Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and Rajawali Group chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Peter Sondakh.

The opening was graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah.

The resort, which is nestled on the jewel of Kedah’s southern tip, is owned by Integrated Nautical Resort Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture between Rajawali Group and the Finance Ministry.

“Langkawi also has a convention centre where international and regional-level conferences can be held. This is due to the facilities that we have brought to a higher level, based on the masterplan that I launched five years ago,” he added.

He said Sondakh was already an investor in Malaysia and had a good relationship with the Government.

“When he saw that Langkawi has the potential to develop a hotel like St Regis, as he is the owner of The St Regis Bali that is so famous, he said that he can build a hotel which is equally as great in Langkawi.

“So I accepted his suggestion and we had a discussion with the Ministry of Finance, and the result was that this project was completed in 19 months – a record where the private sector and the government venture into a project of international standard that can be successfully accomplished,” the Prime Minister said.

~News courtesy of The Star~