TOURISM sector businesses will be fined up to 300,000 riel ($75) if caught imposing “service charges” without first applying to the Ministry of Tourism, an announcement issued on Monday said.
The ministry’s director of the tourism, accommodation and food and beverage (F&B) management, Kim Serey Rath, who issued the warning, told The Post on Monday: “We will check on restaurants and those providing accommodations.
“And if anyone is found abusing the order, we will issue them with fines without exception.”
The purpose of controlling the number of establishments that can impose the charge, he said, is to strengthen service quality across the industry.
He said the ministry noted that some operators were including service charges without complying with the ministry’s procedures, adding that approved service charges should never be more than 10 percent.
In order to impose the service charge, a business must have a valid tourism licence and a “quality” certificate issued by the ministry, it said in its announcement.
All certified business operator must also put a notice of their service charge at the entrance to their establishment.
“We want to ensure a high quality of service for the public, and business owners must allow customers to comment on their services,” he said, referring to the ministry’s status as a channel for feedback within the sector.
