“Next year, we will expand it further, and other areas can adopt the approach implemented in Kampung Sungai Melayu,” she told the media after officiating the Johor-level ZTPP launch ceremony at the Kampung Sungai Melayu Ecotourism centre here today.

Also present was Kota Iskandar assemblyman Datuk Pandak Ahmad.

Lilis said the implementation of ZTPP was a continuation of the Market Compliance programme previously carried out by state KPDN at eight public markets across the state.

She said the advocacy, education and integrated cooperation approach under the programme was now being expanded to tourist areas to ensure that operators and traders understood and complied with the regulations.

“This is also an added value that gives confidence in and enhances Johor’s reputation as a tourist destination, while attracting more domestic and international tourists,” she said.

She said among the areas emphasised was the requirement to clearly display the prices of goods and services, including ticket prices for ecotourism activities.

She said KPDN also provided the PATUH price tags to traders in ZTPP areas to help ensure that prices were clearly displayed and easily visible to consumers.

Meanwhile, Pandak said the expansion of ZTPP to other ecotourism areas in Johor could help ensure that tourist destinations were managed more transparently and give tourists greater confidence.

Pandak, who is also the chairman of Koperasi Penduduk Kampung Sungai Melayu Johor Bahru Berhad, said the cooperative welcomed the implementation of ZTPP in Kampung Sungai Melayu as a first step before it was expanded to other destinations.

On Sept 12, KPDN was reported to have said that it was focusing on tourist areas nationwide through the implementation of the ZTPP programme to ensure traders complied with the law, particularly those relating to prices and transactions.

Its deputy director-general of Operations (Prevention) Aris Mamat said 16 tourist hotspots nationwide had been selected as ZTPP pilot projects this year, including Wet World Pedas in Negeri Sembilan, as well as tourist areas in Melaka and Johor.

-- BERNAMA