PETALING JAYA: Theme park operators will meet next month to discuss the possibility of price increase in view of rising operating costs.
But for now, Malaysian Association of Themepark & Family Attractions (Matfa) president Tan Sri Richard Koh said they were keeping their fingers crossed for good news under Budget 2023.
“We’re looking forward to the retabling of Budget 2023. We are hoping for positive news,” he said.
As for the tariff hike – from 3.7sen to 20sen per kWh – imposed on non-domestic users for the January to June period, Koh said they could not rule out the possibility that high energy bills could lead to higher amusement park ticket prices.
He said theme park operators and those involved in related businesses would meet next month to discuss this.
“The January electricity bill for amusement parks showed a 20% to 25% increase,” he said.
He said operators understood that the tariff increase was part of the government’s subsidy rationalisation plan, but they did not expect it involve those from tourism-related businesses.
Koh said Matfa, which has about 80 members, was among those most severely hit during the pandemic.
“Now, we have to also cope with the minimum wage and other price increases,” he said.
“We are also worried about the rising cost of water at theme parks. Also, not all our amenities are fully open because we still have not hired enough workers.”
