KLANG, Nov 4 — Sabak Bernam has become the first district in Selangor to implement the regularisation of homestays, aimed at ensuring operators run their businesses legally and comply with land use regulations.
State executive councillor for local government and tourism Dato’ Ng Suee Lim said that so far, 140 homestays have been earmarked, most of which were built on padi fields and do not meet standards.
“There are many homestays, but the issue is that they are not registered with the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry (Motac). This makes it difficult to conduct monitoring or enforcement in the event of an incident, which could lead to the state government or the local authorities being blamed.
“Furthermore, if they are built on paddy land, they do not comply with land use conditions. The way to help them is through the regularisation process by issuing temporary licences; this needs to be corrected so operations can be better organised,” he said.
Ng was speaking to the press after officiating the graduation ceremony for Selangor Local Community Hosts from the Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor districts today.
He added that the fee for the temporary licence would be reasonable and not burden operators.
“The state government is not trying to hinder anyone; rather, we want to help all industry players in the tourism sector comply with the law.
“At present, the amount for the temporary licence fee is still being discussed, but it will not be too high — they will be able to afford it. We are not here to make things difficult, but to assist them,” Ng said.
The councillor noted that all homestay owners will be called next year for a briefing with Motac to explain their responsibilities and the requirements for lawful operation.
Previously, Ng said only 16 homestays in Selangor have received Motac accreditation, while the rest failed to meet the criteria or did not apply for a licence.
