Malaysia must be seen as a friendly place and paradise of flavours, say leaders
PUTRAJAYA: High food prices are driving Malaysians to seek more budget-friendly travel options in neighbouring countries, says Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic), leading to a loss in tourism revenue for the local economy.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture also urged restaurants to be friendlier to tourists and keep their eateries clean.
He claimed to have received many complaints from tourists about the high prices of food at certain attractions, poor hygiene and even no running water in the restrooms of some eateries. If left unchecked, Malaysia could lose its reputation as an affordable travel destination with visitors passing it over for cheaper destinations.
“For example, some restaurants charge up to RM1,000 for a meal of three to five people. In contrast, my personal experience in Thailand showed that a meal for 10 people in a Thai restaurant costs less than RM2,000,” Tiong said in an interview recently.
“We cannot always use inflation as a reason. For example, how much is the cost of a Teh O? When the price of flour increases by RM1, by how much does the restaurant owner increase the prices?“I hope restaurant owners can understand that small profits and high sales are the way to retain customers.
“I have received many complaints that food prices in Malaysia are higher than in Thailand and Cambodia,” he added.
As an example, the number of Malaysians visiting Hat Yai, a bustling city in southern Thailand just north of Kedah, had doubled to 20,000 per day during last year’s Christmas and year-end holiday seasons, according to Bernama.
This influx of visitors contributed more than two billion baht (RM270mil) to the local economy in just two weeks.
Tiong’s claims, however, were refuted by several restaurant associations, who argued that food in Malaysian eateries were among the lowest in the region.
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas) vice-president C. Krishnan claimed that only food in fine-dining restaurants was high.
“Compared to Singapore and Thailand, food prices in Malaysia are cheap, and Malaysia is a food paradise, with one factor being the affordability of food.
“Even when I tried street food in Bangkok, I found that food prices in Malaysia were about 20% cheaper. Although the recent increase in prices is due to the ringgit’s exchange rate to the US dollar, food prices in Malaysia are still low,” he said when contacted.
Krishnan claimed that food prices in Malaysia’s neighbours such as Vietnam and Cambodia have also recently gone up due to transport and raw material costs.
Pan Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurants and Chefs Association president, Wong Teu Hoon also disagreed with Tiong, especially when it comes to eating out in Malaysia as compared to Thailand.
“Whether prices in Thailand are cheaper than in Malaysia is subjective.
“In the past year, the cost of ingredients imported into Malaysia has increased. Along with the depreciation of our currency, Chinese restaurants import seafood and dry seafood, which results in specific food items being pricier.
“However, dishes made with local ingredients have fair prices in restaurants. Operators understand consumers’ economic pressures and during many festive seasons, they choose to have lower profit margins,” he said.
Wong and C. Krishnan added that restaurants have been actively addressing the hygiene conditions of restrooms in response to the government’s earlier appeal.
“The hygiene of city-area restaurants are up to par. It might be the restaurants in small towns that face these issues as some shops are rented and cannot renovate their washrooms,” Wong said.
