This popular island in Malaysia is banning Airbnb
It’s no secret that Airbnb is a popular lodging option for travelers. Those planning a vacation to the Malaysian island of Penang, however, will have to stick to a hotel stay.
According to TimeOut, Penang’s local government made the decision to not only end the presence of the vacation rental platform, but of short-term rentals altogether. Despite the new restrictions, commercial properties like apartments will be allowed to continue hosting guests. The move is in response to complaints of poor conduct by tourists in short-term vacation rentals.
Not only is Penang banning Airbnb, the government is also updating its commercial property registration process for landlords. To qualify, landlords will now have to pay an annual fee and obtain official authorization from the government and 75 percent of their neighbors. Once they get approval, landlords will only be able to host guests for up to three days per week.
TimeOut notes that while the state of Penang spans areas other than the main island, the ban on short-term rentals only covers the island. Mainland tourist spots such as Seberang Perai are unaffected as of right now. Regardless, Penang looks to be the first major Southeast Asian location to enforce major restrictions on Airbnb.
Roshae Hemmings is an arts and culture magazine journalist from St. Louis, MO. A graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism, Roshae has bylines in the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine and 5280 Magazine discussing topics ranging from pop culture, social justice and eat and drink. She is a foodie at heart and enjoys eating food as much as learning about the story behind it. You can reach Roshae via email at roshaehemmings@detourxp.com.
This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 4:00 PM with the headline "This popular island in Malaysia is banning Airbnb."