GEORGE TOWN, April 7 — Penang is offering to legitimise the growing number of unlicensed hotels and motels in the state in a bid to better regulate the state’s burgeoning tourism industry.
All such hotels currently operating without permits now have six months to submit their applications for licences with state authorities, said local government and traffic management state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow.
“As long as they submit their applications in these six months, we will process their applications and advise them on technical requirements if they had earlier applied and could not get permit,” he said in a press conference today.
There are a total 138 unlicenced hotels in the state, of which 118 are on the island and 20 on the mainland.
“The local councils have already sent notices to these operations since March and reminded them to submit applications for licencing,” Chow said.
In recent years, boutique hotels and guest houses have steadily mushroomed within George Town as part of the state’s tourism boom due to city’s listing as a Unesco world heritage site.
Out of the 118 illegal hotels on the island, 69 are within the heritage core zone.
Hotels in the list includes newly opened ones that have yet to submit their applications as well as older operations, some established more than 20 years ago, which may have submitted their applications but were rejected due to failure to fulfil requirements such as technical requirements.
The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) will also launch a registration drive for all illegal hotels to submit their applications between April 8 and April 21 at the council office on Level 14 in Komtar.
“We will also hold a briefing session for all illegal hotel operators on April 21 to explain the steps in submitting the applications and the procedures involved in fulfilling all application requirements,” he said.
There are two categories of illegal hotel: those without licences and second are those that have applied but were rejected.
Both categories must submit their applications to the council and the council will look into issues that may need to be resolved in the licence application procedures, Chow added.
When asked what are the repercussions if these operators refuse to apply for licences or again fail to get the permits, Chow said the council will need to look deeper into why these operations could not obtain their licences and find ways to solve it.
“What’s important is to get them licenced within this six-month period,” he said.
As for whether this move to legitimise illegal hotels is seen as condoning other illicit activity including prostitution, Chow responded that not all unlicenced hotels are involved in such activity and that prostitution can also be found in five-star hotels.
