Well, this is rather embarrassing!
Last week, an article from the Daily Mail received attention from a number of Malaysian netizens for one specific reason.
The article titled, “The interesting and exasperating things I have learned after opening my house up to more than 500 guests on Airbnb” documented one landlady’s experience of hosting guests from all over the world.
Source: Avid
Like anyone, she had her fair share of positive and negative experiences with her guests. Unfortunately, the host noted one of her bad experiences involving Malaysian tourists, giving her the impression that Malaysians are cheapskates.
An excerpt from the article reads,
“Two Malaysian women booked last year but five of them turned up on the doorstep.”
‘There are only two beds,’ I pointed out. ‘Oh, we have sleeping bags,’ they replied, and when I demurred, they said: ‘Only for one night, only for one night.’
“I gave in, and next morning five women trooped down, all in headscarves and long skirts, after what must have been a very uncomfortable night indeed.”
Source: Igloohome
The host thought those guests may have been a one-off incident, trying not generalise all Malaysians based on just one bad experience. However, she then went on to say,
“My fellow Airbnb landlords and landladies across the world tell me this is a common, cheeky little dodge among people from that corner of the world.”
Seriously?!
Malaysians soon caught wind of this article, many of them taking to social media to agree with the Airbnb host’s remarks.
One netizen shared that we didn’t even need to go as far as the United Kingdom when it came to cheap Malaysians using Airbnb, saying that they often lie just to save cash.
Source: Facebook
Others expressed how ashamed they were that Malaysians were giving their country a bad reputation.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Let’s take this as a lesson. There are definitely more honest ways you can go about saving money while travelling!
Also read: 11 Travel Hacks Every Malaysian Must Know Before Going On Their Next Adventure
