Miri - Illegal lodging houses are mushrooming in Sarawak and the state is in danger of losing its image as a tourist destination.
As they were not adequately equipped, such lodging houses exposed tourists to saefty and security risks, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan.
"If they (foreign tourists) ended up murdered there (illegal lodging houses), that could give a very bad name to our country.
"Local authorities should get rid of this problem, in a similar manner they do away with pirate taxis," he said, adding that the number of illegal lodging houses in Sarawak was "quite high".
Dr Chan, who is also state tourism and heritage minister, was speaking at a press conference after meeting Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) members here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, he hoped MAH could lead the way in improving hotel services in Sarawak by promoting healthy competitions in the state's hospitality industry.
He cautioned that 'price wars' among hotels would not benefit the industry in the long term as players should rest their success through high quality services.
MAH president Datuk Mohd Ilyas Zainol Abidin said the association's membership was 522-strong nationwide, including 45 members in the Sarawak chapter.
MAH delegates were here today for their annual general meeting.
Source: http://www.bernama.com
As they were not adequately equipped, such lodging houses exposed tourists to saefty and security risks, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan.
"If they (foreign tourists) ended up murdered there (illegal lodging houses), that could give a very bad name to our country.
"Local authorities should get rid of this problem, in a similar manner they do away with pirate taxis," he said, adding that the number of illegal lodging houses in Sarawak was "quite high".
Dr Chan, who is also state tourism and heritage minister, was speaking at a press conference after meeting Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) members here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, he hoped MAH could lead the way in improving hotel services in Sarawak by promoting healthy competitions in the state's hospitality industry.
He cautioned that 'price wars' among hotels would not benefit the industry in the long term as players should rest their success through high quality services.
MAH president Datuk Mohd Ilyas Zainol Abidin said the association's membership was 522-strong nationwide, including 45 members in the Sarawak chapter.
MAH delegates were here today for their annual general meeting.
Source: http://www.bernama.com