Regulate short-term accommodations after landslide tragedy, govt told

 

A regulated industry would make it easy for action to be taken against errant operators in the event of a tragic incident, such as the landslide, says hotel association chief. (Bomba pic)

PETALING JAYA: A hoteliers association has called for the short-term residential accommodation (STRA) industry, which includes campsite operators, to be regulated following a deadly landslide that claimed the lives of 31 campers.

The Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association said the government should enact a law to regulate such businesses, which would require operators to obtain a licence.

“Currently, such businesses are not regulated,” the association’s president Sri Ganesh Michiel told FMT, citing the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya, Batang Kali.

Frankie Tan, a spokesman for the affected campsite, was reported to have said that various government entities, such as the agriculture department, had said it was unnecessary for campsite operators to apply for a site licence.

The agriculture department has since denied such claims, saying it never discussed the matter with the campsite operator as it was out of its jurisdiction.

Local authorities, Ganesh said, should now review such businesses, including accommodations that were available via Airbnb.

In September, Ganesh called for the regulation of the STRA industry, saying the lack of such supervision was a threat to hotels and the hospitality industry.

He said a regulated industry, would have helped the authorities’ search and rescue operations confirm the exact number of victims at the site, in the case of the tragedy in Batang Kali.

A regulated industry, he added, would also make it easy for action to be taken against errant operators.

“Failure to regulate the industry would mean that local authorities would be held accountable in the event such a tragedy happens again.” - FMT