Regulations Of OTAs & STRAs Not Under MTCP
KUCHING: Regulations of the online travel agencies (OTAs) and short-term residential accommodations (STRAs) do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP).
Its Minister, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said, issuance of licenses of STRAs falls under the purview of the Local Government whereas OTAs are regulated by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC).
Nevertheless, he said that he has spoken to the relevant authorities to look into the severity of the matters in view of the concerns raised by the Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA).
“But we will look into this, if the matter is really serious. We did discuss about it, it’s for the Local Government to look into this matter.
“As far as my ministry is concerned, we will try to make sure that, in terms of the hospitality and tourism industry, the numbers of visitors are increasing and those coming into Sarawak are interested with what we are offering,” he said in a press conference held here, on Monday.
MyBHA President, Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel in a statement on Sunday said that the hikes in hotel rates will occur if threats faced by the hotel industry, including the issue of unregulated OTAs and STRAs, are failed to be resolved by the relevant authorities, thus, contributing to the decrease in income or an increase in operating costs of budget hotels.
Therefore, Dato Sri Abdul Karim urged MyBHA to look at the ‘bigger picture’ and not to focus on short term gains by hiking their rates to capitalise on the increasing tourist arrivals.
He reiterated that the indiscriminate hikes of hotel rates will have detrimental impacts on the tourism industry.
He further stressed that MTCP and MOTAC are continuously working towards empowering the tourism industry with events that can attract more visitors into the country.
“Even without the (hotel’s) marketing, the industry is thriving. When visitors come in, there are some who are high end and will stay in 5-star hotels. But many are in the lower end.
“So, do not increase the rates (indiscriminately) with the increasing number of tourist arrivals. It will disturb the equilibrium in some ways.
“The committee must be far-sighted and not try to gain fast income, knowing that so many people are coming in now,” he said. -UKASnews
