[ad_1]
MIRI: The Sarawak Section of the Hotel Association of Malaysia (MAH) wants the federal government to conduct a study on the proposed departure tax for outgoing travelers before deciding to implement it, as this decision could financially allocate Malaysians traveling abroad for non-tourism purposes.
His Honorary Secretary General, John Teo Peng Yew, said that although the main objective of the tax is to stimulate domestic tourism, the federal government should consider or revise certain criteria in order not to financially burden people traveling to abroad, especially low income people.
"The federal government should focus on the poorest citizens traveling out of the country because of studies and other goals unrelated to tourism," he told Bernama yesterday.
Teo said that the departure tax was not new to the aviation sector because most countries had imposed a similar tax ranging from 20 to 60 USD, but that its application would probably have a minimal impact on domestic tourism.
He hoped that the collection of the departure tax would be used to improve tourism-related facilities, such as the extension of WiFi coverage to meet the needs of Internet savvy tourists. He added that the government should also use revenue from the departure tax to improve the facilities at the points of entry into the country, to ensure faster immigration and customs clearance.
"Let's hope that more tourist police can be set up on the sites of interest so that tourists feel safe, as well as for the repair of dilapidated tourist infrastructures," he added.
With regard to improving the tourism industry in Sarawak, he said, the state government should not focus solely on the city of Kuching as a whole. that only destination to promote the state.
He added that the state government should also develop Miri as a tourist destination to attract more tourists to Sarawak. – Bernama
[ad_2]
Source link
