Crackdown on 'zero dollar' tourism
Published on: Saturday, December 08, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture (Motac) Sabah will crack down on "Zero dollar" tourism following complaints by local players that their survival is at stake due to the unfair business practice.Sabah Tourism Federation President-cum-Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agent (Satta) Chairman, Datuk Seri Winston Liaw KS (pic), said this follows a closed-door meeting with Motac Sabah Director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar.He said Sabah's tourism industry is seriously affected by the practice, which lately also has become an issue in other countries.
ADVERTISEMENT
Under "Zero Tour Fare" as it is also known, tourists once here are taken only to certain predetermined establishments, resulting in the money not filtering down to the local economy but back to their country of origin."There were about 20 licensed agents reportedly involved in this activity in the State. We advise them to stop immediately to avoid action taken against them by Motac, as the licensing authority," Liaw quoted Ag Ahmad as saying."Zero tourism" in Sabah is expected to become more widespread once big player(s) in China also get involved, said Liaw, adding this would greatly affect the survival of genuine Sabahan tour and travel companies, and the whole tourism chain in Sabah. It is popular among Chinese travellers looking to save money, especially in Southeast Asian destinations.
ADVERTISEMENT
These all-inclusive tour packages are inexpensive but come with a catch: tourists are taken on many shopping trips and encouraged, even sometimes required, to buy overpriced products. The tour guides and drivers get a kickback from the shopping excursions, offsetting the loss on the tour's initial expense.
ADVERTISEMENT
Among locals, the concern is that the money spent on the shopping expeditions doesn't stay in the country. In some cases, the shops are Chinese-owned and run by a local proxy – the money tourists spend is then diverted back to China. And with more shops using mobile payments via WeChat Pay and Alipay, the payments don't even get converted into local currency, thus avoiding foreign exchange fees to local money changers.Daily Express learnt that in some cases, it involves all the tour bookings being made by the tourists in their country, be it China or South Korea, and the parent tour firm getting its Sabah branch to handle the minor ground arrangements. They are taken to Korean or Chinese joint-owned establishments like massage joints or even restaurants, besides hotels. Even the tour guides and welcome reception comprise foreigners.Liaw said the State tourism industry players were seriously affected by the said activity which has been happening in Sabah the past year or two and wanted the Government to do something about it. Apart from him representing both his associations, the meeting was also attended by representatives from Sabah Tourist Association, Matta, Sabah Tourist Guide Association, Sabah Native Registered Tourist Guide Association, Malaysia Inbound Chinese Tourist Association. Meanwhile, Liaw urged the Government to look into the drop in tourists spending holiday or time here the past two months. "While the East Coast major towns are experiencing an increase in tourists like Semporna, Tawau, Sandakan and so on, we noticed there has been a drop in tourists spending time in Kota Kinabalu...the Government needs to look at this seriously," he said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
