Malaysians should be encouraged to travel domestically since it can help the economy of the nation recover while also saving money.
As part of its efforts to promote domestic travel, the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) (Perak Chapter) president, Law Weng Sum, stated that the organization is actively collaborating with the Perak state government to develop plans for Visit Perak Year 2024.
Our itineraries feature cuisine trails around the state in addition to tourist attractions. We've also suggested starting a tour company that is only concerned with looking for the different kinds of food that the nation has to offer.
"Apart from promoting local eateries, the initiative helps attract tourists from Asian countries like China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong who are mostly foodies and have keen tastebuds," he stated to Bernama today.
Law further asked that a temporary price cap be placed by the government on tickets for domestic flights to keep prices from skyrocketing during holidays like the approaching Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
"On the other hand, the government could partially subsidize the price of tickets and the public do not need to pay a high price, subsequently encouraging them to go on domestic tours, which in turn poses an advantage to the economy," he stated.
The government should take into account promoting low-cost local hotels as part of affordable low-range tour packages for locals, while high-end packages featuring four or five-star hotels for foreign tourists, according to Dr. Sri Ganesh Michiel, secretary-general of the Malaysian Tourism Federation (MTF).
As the national president of the Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA), Sri Ganesh cited Thailand as an example. He claimed that one of the reasons Thailand's tourism industry was flourishing was the government's aggressive promotion of low-cost hotels, which offer amenities and designs that are nearly identical to those of five-star hotels but at a significantly lower cost.
"The average cost each night is less than 3,020 baht or about RM400. This is significantly cheaper than the cost of a five-star hotel, which can reach thousands of ringgit per night.
"In Malaysia's context, perhaps the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry's (MOTAC) and various agencies could help in the matter of promoting low-range tour packages which play an equally important role in ensuring continuity of the domestic tourism sector," he stated.
According to Sri Ganesh, Malaysia must also address the challenges posed to the low-cost hotel sector, which include online travel agencies (OTAs) like Agoda and Traveloka and short-term rental services like Airbnb.
According to him, the lack of applicable rules has left these platforms unregulated, making them more likely to include unauthorized properties that are made available for public viewing. This has a detrimental effect on the tourism sector as a whole.
"They can do anything (without knowing the limitations of the law), including selling illegal premises." For instance, they are offering apartments for sale that are not authorized for rental use. This is a real problem, but no one is aware of it because buyers who see these listings on online classified ads are only interested in the low prices, not the dangers that come with breaking the law," the speaker continued.
Sri Ganesh states that any legislation addressing the matter should address three points: the commission rate provided by the relevant OTA; the outlawing of unlicensed apartment listings; and the requirement that local authorities, like attorneys, handle the legal aspect of the matter.