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PETALING JAYA: The choice of currency in the pricing of hotel rates is in the hands of the operators, tourism, arts and culture minister Nancy Shukri said today.
“There is freedom of choice here. If the hotel operators want to charge in US dollars, they can do so,” she told the media on the sidelines of the World Women Economic and Business Summit 2022 here.
However, she said, they should examine all possible implications before taking such a step.
Nancy stressed that the government does not interfere in the pricing as it is a matter of “economic freedom”.
“The hotel operators may only see the immediate benefits. I ask them to also consider the long-term impact of such a move,” she said.
Yesterday, Malaysian Association of Hotels secretary-general Megat Shahrul Azman Abas floated the idea of four and five star hotels in Malaysia accepting the US dollar, similar to the practice in other countries.
The Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association has also voiced its support for the proposal, saying that budget hotels could do the same as it could enhance the industry in the eyes of tourists.
Apart from that, they added, it could eliminate price competition between the budget hotels and the four and five-star establishments.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/local-business/2022/07/14/up-to-hoteliers-to-choose-currency-when-fixing-rates-says-nancy/