In the run-up to the Jan 17 parliamentary by-election, hotels in Kuala Terengganu are said to be charging as high as RM1,000 per room due to the high demand.

kuala terengganu by election bn launching machinery 050109 azalina 2 Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said is not pleased and has instructed Tourism Malaysia’s Terengganu branch to investigate the claims.

She said if the claims were true, this could affect the state's tourism industry.

"I have received information that some companies have booked all the rooms in certain hotels and offering them to the public for up to RM1,000 per room per night," she was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The minister was speaking to reporters after attending the opening of the two-day 29th Meeting of Asean Tourism Ministers in Hanoi.

Azalina said stern action would be taken against those responsible for the unscrupulous action, adding that the cabinet had been informed about the matter yesterday.

The by-election on Jan 17 will see a three-cornered fight involving Barisan Nasional's (BN) Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut from PAS and independent candidate, Azharudin Mamat @ Adam.

Report if slapped with high charges

Meanwhile, Azalina, who is also an Umno supreme council member, called on the people of Kuala Terengganu to place importance on peace and stability because any trouble created would tarnish the image of the constituency, which was renowned as a tourist destination.

She urged Kuala Terengganu residents to reject outsiders who came to create trouble. "These people come and go, but the people of Kuala Terengganu will still be there," she said.

Azalina said the opposition chose the one-to-one approach, apart from making wild or baseless accusations against the BN government.

"The people must choose wisely as Wan Ahmad Farid will be reappointed deputy minister if he wins this parliamentary seat, but Kuala Terengganu will lose a deputy minister if they reject him.

"The PAS candidate, on the other hand, will still remain an assemblyperson if he loses in the by-election" she reminded.

Azalina said she had confidence in Wan Ahmad Farid, and that since BN took over the state government, the previously neglected tourism industry in Terengganu had been boosted.

"Therefore, I urge the voters of Kuala Terengganu to use their wisdom in making their choice in this coming by-election for continuity of the government's development policies and programmes," she added.

In a related development, Terengganu industry, trade and environment committee chairperson Toh Chin Yaw advised those charged high hotel room rates to report the matter to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

He said this was to prevent hotels from taking advantage of the high demand for rooms during the Kuala Terengganu by-election campaign period.

"We heard claims that some hotels had accepted bookings at the normal rates but are now charging up to RM1,000 per room per night. If this is true, please report the matter to the relevant authority," he said.

Toh, who is also the assemblyperson for Bandar, one of the four state seats in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency, said the state government had also asked its officers to monitor the claims on the extraordinarily high hotel room rates.