Malaysia Flushes Out Dirty Toilets to Boost Tourism
Tourism officials have started a campaign to clean up the nation’s public bathrooms, setting up a phone hot line for complaints and even peering into toilet bowls.
The officials are preparing for “Visit Malaysia Year 1990.” They are trying to address a common complaint of tourists, who say the country’s public bathrooms are dirty, poorly maintained, and lacking such amenities as toilet paper and towels. Some have also complained about unflushed toilets.
On Saturday, a 10-member team from the capital’s Health Department inspected bathrooms and kitchens in four hotels in Kuala Lumpur.
The New Sunday Times said three hotels were cited for failing to keep their kitchens clean, while another was warned to keep its bathroom and kitchen tidy.
To boost the campaign, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Sabbaruddin Chik, on June 30 made a surprise check on public bathrooms in Kuala Lumpur. He took the press in tow. A picture in a local paper showed him gazing into a toilet bowl.
The ministry has also opened a “Toilet Operations Room” for the public to phone in complaints. On Saturday, it handled 30.
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