KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism industry players have called for the government to take swift action in regulating short-term rental accommodation (STRA).
The Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) national president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel emphasised the urgency of implementing STRA to restore tourists' trust in our tourism industry expeditiously.
"As the government failed to take stern action against all these kinds of unregulated businesses, it has tarnished the tourism image of the country," said Sri Ganesh.
He was commenting on the recent incident where a Chinese couple questioned if Malaysia is a safe destination for travellers after finding a hidden camera placed within a power socket in their Airbnb.
Sri Ganesh disclosed that the tourism industry has been patiently awaiting the implementation of STRA regulation for nearly seven years, yet this prolonged wait has not concluded on a positive note.
Instead, it has been marked by a series of unfortunate events involving foreign tourists, including the recent hidden camera incidents and a dispute in Genting Highlands where the host has accused tenants of leaving the place dirty and messy.
"When issues arose with short-term rental accommodations, the entire tourism industry was forced to bear the brunt of the disastrous consequences, resulting in the besmirching of our tourism industry's reputation.
"Our government is not taking any action in regulating these kinds of businesses, nor to curb the circulation of bad images of our tourism industry at the international level," he criticised.
Sri Ganesh urged tourists to always opt for accommodations that are officially registered, licensed, and guaranteed to be safe for occupancy.
"The entire hotel management chain exhibits a clear and organised structure as the authorities would come and inspect once in every three years, in stark contrast to short-term rental accommodations, which give rise to numerous security concerns," he said.
Sri Ganesh mentioned that in a regulated setting, hotel management would conduct background checks on all their employees, and tourists would need to register themselves using their identity cards or passports during check-in.
"In those circumstances, it is easier for the hotel management to trace any issue if they were to arise.
"Given that all information is known to the hotel, would people still want to take the risk of installing hidden cameras in the hotel room, knowing that they would be identified instantly?
"During the housekeeping sessions, hoteliers and trained staff inspect everything in the hotel room for good condition. If something appears suspicious, they would promptly notice it on the spot," he explained.
Sri Ganesh further pointed out that short-term rental accommodations, which are being offered on various online travel agency platforms like Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com and Traveloka, are not subject to legislation.
"The public should understand that being offered on travel agency platforms does not necessarily mean the accommodation is licensed and regulated," he emphasised.
"It is very challenging for tourists to determine who the owners of these unregulated and unlicensed short-term rental accommodations are. It could be the house owner, an agent or even a tenant running the rental business. There is no clear go-to person if something goes wrong.
"Not knowing the owner of the property they are staying in itself puts the tourists at risk," Sri Ganesh added.
Rather than being a "peeping tom", Sri Ganesh mentioned that property owners themselves may install hidden cameras as a precautionary measure to protect their premises from potential acts of vandalism.
"Property owners may have concerns about their assets, such as televisions and other electrical appliances, being stolen or their property being vandalised. This is because there is no one present to monitor the condition of these short-term rental accommodations, unlike hotels," he explained.
He further revealed that Airbnb, Agoda and Booking.com are not properly registered with the regulatory board in Malaysia.
"These mentioned platforms are mostly operating call centres or only offering basic services in Malaysia," he said.
Sri Ganesh voiced his concerns about the government's ability to address issues faced by tourists on foreign-operated platforms, especially in a situation where the nation has not yet established proper regulations, except for Penang.
It's worth noting that the Penang state government introduced regulations on short-term holiday rentals, such as Airbnb properties, in May of this year. Hoteliers have welcomed this decision.
Echoing Sri Ganesh, Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners executive director Shaharuddin M. Saaid suggested that unregulated and unlicensed short-term rental accommodations should be closed down immediately.
"It is essential to remind tourists to verify the status of their accommodation, whether it's hotels, hostels, private premises like condominiums or houses, to ensure that the place is licensed and legal for their own safety
"Necessary actions are required to effectively regulate and enforce STRA for unlicensed accommodations, with the aim to guarantee the safety and privacy of guests," he emphasised.
In response to the hidden camera incident, Airbnb's India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan general manager Amanpreet Bajaj underscored that Airbnb's security team has taken action by suspending the account and listings of the homestay operator.
"We ban hidden cameras and were disappointed to hear of this reported incident. Our dedicated Safety team has also removed the Host's account and listings pending an investigation," mentioned Amanpreet Bajaj in an email to NST.
He further expressed his dismay regarding the incident, emphasising that such actions are strictly prohibited within the Airbnb community.
"While safety incidents are rare on Airbnb, we take reports such as these seriously, and we have been providing support to our guests," he said.