KUCHING, Oct 20: Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Dato Sri Tiong King Sing urges hoteliers to adjust check-in and check-out times to ensure customers receive at least 23 hours of stay per day.
Tiong in a statement today said when meeting with hotel industry players during the Parliamentary session on Oct 17, he promised to personally contact Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) to help deal with the problem of staff shortages.
“I understand if the hotel wants to save costs and can make more profit by doing so. However, this matter does not only involve the profit for industry players, and customers also want the money they spend is worth the service received,” he said.
Tiong said he will talk with KESUMA and KDN to facilitate the recruitment of foreign workers for the hotel industry.
Currently, he said the hospitality industry does not enjoy priority when applying to recruit foreign workers, and the number of countries allowed to supply foreign workers is very limited and affects the workforce.
“I will also discuss with the relevant department to find a solution regarding this matter. This includes facilitating hoteliers to hire foreign workers directly, without going through intermediaries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tiong said he has instructed National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage of Malaysia (Aswara) to come up with certificate-based training courses for cleaning and tidying hotel rooms.
He also said the courses can simultaneously help improve the quality of service and work efficiency in the hotel industry in addition to improving the professional image of Malaysian tourism. — DayakDaily
