Malaysian island Penang bans Airbnb and other short-term lets, in bid to reduce number of undesirable visitors
- The ban, which takes immediate effect on the island of Penang, is meant to curb the number of sometimes badly behaved tourists
- Airbnb appealed against the legislation and while some homeowners will struggle with the lost income, other residents welcome the ban
From now on, visitors to the Unesco-listed Malaysian island of Penang will have fewer accommodation options.
After mulling it over for more than a year, on May 25, the Penang state government imposed a ban on almost all forms of short-stay accommodation in residential units – the kind typically found listed on Airbnb and Booking.com – throughout the island, with immediate effect.
Penang is the first state in Malaysia, and the first tourist hotspot in Southeast Asia, to take such measures – mostly, it claims, to regulate hordes of tourists, some of whom behave badly and disturb local residents.
“With such provisions, I hope that the days of illegal accommodation will be put to rest,” State Housing Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo told local media.
According to the new regulations, only commercial properties such as serviced apartments and certain categories of office may continue hosting short-term guests, subject to registration, annual fees and mandatory approval from 75 per cent of other residents in their building.
