CITY Hall’s barring of the Better Beer Festival without explanation would have an adverse impact on the food and beverage industry as well as tourism in Kuala Lumpur, said restaurant owners and managers.

The city authority had also effectively killed the chance for local eateries to promote their business, which had dropped lately because of the slowing economy, they said.

“We are already in a difficult position with the goods and tax services (GST) and these festivals, whether by MyBeer or any other company, are meant to promote our businesses because we are suffering.  

“How else can we promote or market our products if we can’t hold events,” Gastrodome Management Services Sdn Bhd general manager Sach Seelan said.

He said the block on the festival could affect other events in the future.

Sach, who also manages La Bodega which is owned by the company, said City Hall should at the very least provide a proper explanation for the block as such events were part of the city’s entertainment circuit and tourist calendar.

“Already there are a lot of restrictions and we non-halal operators have abided by them.

“We have also been following the requirements of the government in relation to serving alcohol, which is a sensitive matter.

“But we are being further hit with actions like this that hurt our business.

“We want to know how DBKL is helping the food and beverage industry. If it keeps this up, everything is going to go south.”

Sach said the event would have brought in more visitors and bossted tourism..  
“In the last two years there has been a decline in foreigners and tourists visiting the outlets.  

“Such events help to promote what we have to offer.”

City Hall has drawn flak from the food and beverage industry, who say the block was bad for business, and lawyers and social media users who view it a sign of “extremism”, “Arabisation” and “Islamification” that affected non-Muslims.

Pampas restaurant owner Kanatheva said the festival was meant to promote craft beer and did no harm to those who did not wish to drink.

“This festival is for foreigners and non-Muslims to come and see what is on offer. When people go to these festivals they get to see the products.

“If our outlets carry the products and if there is no awareness, then there is no point.  

“In terms of promoting activities and organising events, our business will be affected if City Hall starts to stop festivals as these events attract a lot of people,” he said.  

“Beer companies have organised many events and it was never  an issue, why now?” he said, noting that the beer festival had been held yearly since 2012 without any problem.

Kanatheva also agreed with the role of such events in drawing tourists to Kuala Lumpur. He said regular food bazaars were organised for tourists and locals around the city and City Hall’s action was akin to “telling people not to attend any event”. – September 19, 2017.