Tourism tax exemption on three-star hotels and below will boost local tourism

KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu Entrepreneur Tunas Association (Patut) said the government's move to exempt Malaysians from paying the tourism tax at three-star rated hotels downwards will be a boost to industry players, which are mostly dependent on local tourists.
Its president Amir Hakimin Che Razali said the positive move would also enable domestic tourists with less disposable income to visit places within the country.
"Lately we see the youths in Terengganu have ventured into the hospitality and tourism industry, which can bring lucrative returns," he said in a statement here today.
Yesterday, Minister of Tourism and Culture Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the exemption from the tourism tax on hotels with a three-star rating and below would be implemented on August 1.
Also exempted are foreign tourists who had booked their accommodation with travel agents in the country for the period until March 31, 2018.
The tourism tax, passed in Parliament earlier this year, was scheduled to be collected from this month but later postponed to August 1. — Bernama