KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Tour bus and tour van operators will be able to increase their prices by up to 80 per cent, the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) announced today in a new price guideline effective from today.
MITA president Mint Leong announced the new price guide, which the local tourism industry has stressed today is crucial for its survival as diesel prices continue to climb up in Malaysia.
“Therefore with that, we announce today price increase for tour buses and tour vans. We are forced to do that because we want to let our industry players survive first before we can serve tourists.
“We increase it by around 70 to 80 per cent from calculations for tour bus and tour vans per day, based on the destination,” she told a press conference here today.
Leong however said this is only a guide for the “ceiling price” or maximum price that tour bus and tour van operators can charge, and said this announcement is made with the aim of price transparency for the entire tourism industry and for tour agencies abroad and tourists globally.
She said this will enable consumers to feel safe and to make sure they are not overpaying for such transport services, while local tourism players will be able to know the maximum price increase they can charge to cope with rising diesel costs.
“For our players, they become more confident, because a lot of players don’t know how much should I increase, how much should I charge, you can charge below, but please don’t overcharge,” she said, noting that this price guide is calculated collectively by local tourism players.
She said this new maximum price hike guide is a short-term measure that would be a “quick win”, enabling Malaysia’s tourism operators to continue offering safe, trustworthy and high-quality transport services.
At the same press conference today, MITA also urged the Malaysian government to provide an “extraordinary subsidy” every month for 3,000 litres for tour buses with 40 to 45 seats, and 2,500 litres for tour vans.
Leong said the prices for tour buses and tour vans would be reduced in the future if the government provides subsidies: “But reduced by how much, next time we will announce. But we have to survive first before we continue our journey.”
In June 2024, the Malaysian government removed diesel subsidies in Peninsular Malaysia, which meant there was no longer a maximum price of RM2.15 per litre imposed.
Diesel prices were then immediately floated to RM3.35 per litre, and have since been announced weekly.
Leong said the local tourism industry had in 2024 sought diesel subsidies, but this was rejected, resulting in the industry increasing prices for tour buses and tour vans by 20 per cent at the time.
While saying the local travel industry does not blame the government for the ongoing fuel price hikes, she said the industry can no longer absorb the costs and has to increase these transport prices now.
Weekly diesel prices in Peninsular Malaysia were at RM3.04 per litre before the Iran war started on February 28, and are currently at RM5.52 per litre.
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