KUANTAN: It’s all smiles for homestay operators nationwide as they are seeing a boom in business for the 14th General Election (GE14).
Political parties and government agencies have taken to reserving these premises to station their workers and supporters throughout the campaign until polling day on May 9.
Since many hotels are fully booked, many have chosen to opt for homestays as the charges are much lower topped with additional incentives offered by some of the owners.
Some of these premises have been turned into operations centres for political parties where the party workers hold meetings and prepare campaign materials as they work until the wee hours of the morning.
Homestay Malaysia Association president Datuk Shariman Hamdan said business has been thriving for homestay operators during GE14 and a majority of the premises have been fully booked till May 10.
“The general election is certainly good news for the homestay operators. It is important that the homestay operators have a proper agreement with those renting their premises and do not get involved in any political controversy.
“There are some who offer additional services including catering meals and arranging for transportation but that depends on the respective operator,” he said when contacted today.
Shariman reminded homestay operators to always adhere to the standard operating procedures including ensuring cleanliness of the premises, and that electrical appliances are in good working condition.
“Those renting the homestay should also be informed about the dos and don’ts as we do not want the neighbours to complain about loud noises late in night or any other problems. However, as far as I am concern, homestay operators registered with the Tourism Ministry will always adhere to the rules and regulations,” he said, adding there are some 270 homestay operators registered with the ministry.
Aside from these registered operators, Shariman said there are also homestays registered with the local council.
A homestay operator in Bentong, who has rented out his premises for RM4,200 for 14 days till May 10, said calls started pouring in as soon as the Election Commission announced the polling day and there were some operators who struck deals with political parties since last year.
“Homestay are in demand as it is much easier to coordinate the party workers movements rather than staying in hotels. The occupants are also allowed to use the washing machine and do some simple cooking,” he said, adding the documentation process to secure the units was simple.