Operations to curb ‘zero-dollar tourism’ to start next year — Mohamaddin

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) will carry out largescale operations next year, in efforts to curb the ‘zero-dollar tourism’ activities in the country, especially in Sabah.

Its minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said the move was crucial to ensure that local tourism industry players would continue to benefit, apart from businesses such as hotels, homestays and the restaurants to run smoothly and to continue to receive reservations and visitors.

He said the current ‘zero-dollar tourism’ activities were seen to have adversely affected local tourism industry operators as any tourism-related activities including accommodation and restaurants were pre-arranged and determined by foreign tour agents.

“We will take firm action to address the issue of ‘zero-dollar tourism’ because we want local industry players to generate income, and the reservations on hotel accommodation or bus facilities should be made in our country, not through foreign travel agents.

“The situation has caused local businesses to lose out as foreign travel agents have already set their own accommodation and places to visit for tourists from their country who travel here,” he told reporters after a live interview on SabahFM radio here yesterday.

Mohamaddin also urged foreign travel agents to collaborate with local travel agents to ensure that both parties benefited together, and MOTAC would not allow foreign travel agents to monopolise the local tourism sector.

Meanwhile, Mohamaddin dismissed allegations that Sabah was experiencing a lack of tourists and described it as incorrect as statistics showed that 3.15 million tourists visited Sabah from January to October this year, an increase of more than 1.1 per cent compared to last year.

Earlier, in an interview with SabahFM, Mohamaddin said his ministry would work with the Sabah Tourism Board to further strengthen the state tourism sector by focusing on tourism products in Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna.

He said Sabah would also be highlighted as Malaysia’s favourite destination for the domestic market in the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (Matta) Tourism Fair in March next year. — Bernama