Caravan parks in the making

IMAGINE going on a road trip around Malaysia without checking into any hotel, but spending the night in your own comfortable caravan in a safe and secure park.

That’s the vision that Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) president Uzaidi Udanis hopes to realise in the future.

Seeing the potential in creating such a travelling culture in Malaysia, Uzaidi said Mita was working with local governments on the possibility of setting up safe caravan parks all over the country.

“Caravans are like hotels on wheels, equipped with beds, toilets and a small kitchen.

“Travellers can drive rented caravans to see tourist attractions like in Australia or the United States.

“They just need to park in a secure area at night,” he told Sunday Star.

Uzaidi said travelling via caravans could take off in Malaysia seeing that the country is blessed with states known for various attractions and is connected by land with Thailand.

“Tourists are also getting more adventurous these days and don’t mind driving around to see our nation,” he added.

However, Uzaidi said there is still a lot to be done by Mita and its affiliates in the caravan rental business before such ideas can come into fruition.

“We will need approval from the Land Public Transport Commission to allow such vehicles to be rented out to customers,” he said, adding that Mita was also discussing with the Road Transport Department on this matter.

Commenting on the proposed idea, Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the ministry welcomed such trends to be introduced in Malaysia to rev up domestic tourism.

“Travelling through caravans is popular overseas including in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, and it is expected to have encouraging response in Malaysia,” she said.

However, Mas Ermieyati said a comprehensive study with related agencies must be carried out to set guidelines on such services.

She added that regulations on such services should also be ironed out to ensure caravan rental businesses are conducted legally.

“The recent amendment to the Tourism Industry Act has widened the definition of tourist accommodation premises to include modern and innovative hotels including tube hotels, container hotels, bus hotels and others.

“Hence, premises like caravans can be registered and given star ratings under the category of innovative hotels, based on guidelines set by the ministry and other related agencies,” she said.