{"id":12418,"date":"2022-10-06T09:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T09:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prnasia.com\/story\/archive\/3894695_AE94695_0"},"modified":"2022-10-06T09:50:00","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T09:50:00","slug":"online-travel-platforms-raise-concerns-with-penang-government-on-short-term-rental-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transmediavictoria.net.au\/?p=12418","title":{"rendered":"Online Travel Platforms Raise Concerns with Penang Government On Short-Term Rental Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en.prnasia.com\/prnasia.com-PC\/images\/logo-en-blue-in.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><b><i>Media statement to be attributed to: <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-kerin-5238019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span class=\"xn-person\">Chris Kerin<\/span><\/a><\/u>, Managing Director, ATTIA<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">SINGAPORE<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">Oct. 6, 2022<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; The Asia Travel Technology Industry Association (ATTIA) and its members <b>submitted recommendations<\/b> to the Penang State Government (Local Government Division) on <span class=\"xn-chron\">6th October 2022<\/span>, regarding the proposed <b>Short-Term Rental Accommodation Guidelines<\/b> for Strata Properties in <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span> (&#8216;Garis Panduan Pengoperasian Tempat Inap Persendirian Di Skim Hartanah Berstrata&#8217;). This <b>follows a consultation session<\/b> between ATTIA and <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span> officials on <span class=\"xn-chron\">15th September 2022<\/span>, where we were invited to submit detailed recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>With <b>leading online travel platforms such as Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com and Expedia<\/b> among its members, ATTIA expressed deep concern over the proposed Guidelines, which would <b>severely restrict <\/b>the ability of short-term rental accommodation (STRA) hosts to accommodate guests in strata properties in <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span>. At a time when <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span> is trying to recover its valuable tourism industry, such policies <b>would stifle tourist arrivals<\/b>, and also send mixed signals about <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang&#8217;s<\/span> commitment to attracting tourists and digital nomads.<\/p>\n<p><b><u>ATTIA&#8217;s Main Recommendations<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<p>To ensure that the STRA sector is properly managed, ATTIA recommends that the Penang State Government <b>adopt a robust regulatory approach<\/b>, which will provide certainty to regulators, industry participants and local communities. Our <b>main recommendations<\/b> are:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><b>(a) Allow building residents to decide if STRA should be banned: <\/b>The current Guidelines would ban strata STRA unless JMB\/MC approval is obtained. We argue that <u>STRA should instead be allowed by default<\/u> in both commercial and residential properties. Through a 75% vote, residents can already use the Strata Management Act 2013 to pass by-laws on whether STRA should be restricted in specific buildings based on local needs (e.g., set the maximum number of nights a guest can stay).<\/li>\n<li><b>(b) Mandatory Code of Conduct<\/b>: Instead of imposing strict restrictions on STRA in strata properties, introduce clear <u>rules for hosts and guests with a Code of Conduct<\/u>. This could set minimum standards for host and guest behavior to tackle noise and nuisance.<\/li>\n<li><b>(c) Digital registration system for hosts<\/b>: A centralized digital registration system could be introduced to make registration (and renewals) clear and simple for new hosts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By following these best practices, <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span> could offer a STRA system which is on par with international standards. This will make it even <b>more attractive and competitive to tourists and digital nomads<\/b> &#8211; especially when <span class=\"xn-location\">Malaysia<\/span> is trying to attract such travelers (e.g., with the DE Rantau program).<\/p>\n<p><b><u>ATTIA&#8217;s Alternative Recommendations<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<p>However, if the above recommendations are not possible, ATTIA <b>at the very least<\/b> asks that the Penang State Government consider these <b>alternative recommendations<\/b>:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><b>(a) Not impose the 3-day a week limit for strata STRA<\/b>: We especially oppose this arbitrary limit. Since STRA guests usually make longer bookings and spend more money within local communities, these limits would cause <span class=\"xn-location\">Penang<\/span> to miss out on the digital nomad and sustainable travel wave. Moreover, it seems nearly <u>impossible to properly enforce &#8216;night limits&#8217;<\/u>, given the number of STRA transactions taking place.<\/li>\n<li><b>(b) Allow STRA to operate by default<\/b>:&nbsp;By imposing a blanket ban on strata STRA, this would only <u>increase the administrative burden<\/u> for hosts as well as local authorities. This is especially since the proposed processes include manual documentation, and would force hosts to endure lengthy JMB\/MC voting and verification processes.<\/li>\n<li><b>(c) Remove requirement which only allows Malaysian citizens to host<\/b>: We believe that every homeowner has unique experiences to share with visitors to Penang. The requirement <u>would exclude regular, tax-paying residents<\/u> in Malaysia that are not citizens from sharing their homes. It would also be difficult to fully enforce this policy, as non-citizens or permanent residents could simply find a proxy to register on their behalf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ultimately, the majority of STRA hosts are individuals &#8211; not companies. These barriers would make it <u>very difficult for genuine hosts to comply<\/u>. Instead of shutting out tourism, it is better to address concerns such as noise and nuisance by <u>working more closely with STRA platforms<\/u> to tackle the root causes.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>About the Asia Travel Technology Industry Association (ATTIA)<\/i><\/b>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>ATTIA represents companies operating in the travel and tourism sector in the <span class=\"xn-location\">Asia-Pacific<\/span> region, with technology and innovation at their core. Our Members include Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Amadeus, Travelport and Skyscanner. Visit<a href=\"https:\/\/asiatraveltech.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">&nbsp;<\/a><u><a href=\"https:\/\/asiatraveltech.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">asiatraveltech.org<\/a><\/u> for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Media statement to be attributed to: Chris Kerin, Managing Director, ATTIA SINGAPORE, Oct. 6, 2022 \/PRNewswire\/ &#8212; The Asia Travel Technology Industry Association (ATTIA) and its members submitted recommendations to the Penang State Government (Local Government Division) on 6th October 2022, regarding the proposed Short-Term Rental Accommodation Guidelines for Strata Properties in Penang (&#8216;Garis Panduan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - 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