KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA will ban hotels from hiring foreigners for front-line positions, bringing such establishments in line with airports, which are also subject to the order aimed at reducing migrant labour, an official said yesterday.

Mr Victor Wee, secretary-general of the Tourism Ministry, defended the directive on positions that involve direct contact with customers and said hotels should not rely on cheap foreign labour.

'We want more Malaysians working as front-liners in hotels instead of foreigners. There are many Malaysians unemployed and employers should be prepared to pay more,' he said.

The government said last week that it would also ban foreigners from working as porters, baggage handlers and even toilet cleaners at all airports in an effort to cut down on migrant labour.

The decision was also seen as an attempt to upgrade airport security.

Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor told state media on Monday that hotels that do not comply risk being excluded from the grading system by which the ministry ranks hotels by awarding 'stars' denoting their service quality.

He also said operators who supply contract workers to airports could be blacklisted and barred from bidding for new government projects.

'We need to be firm - not just talk but no action - while the number of migrant workers continues to rise,' Tengku Adnan was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Mr Wee said exceptions would be made for positions such as receptionists with foreign-language skills, and added that the ban would not hurt hoteliers, who were being consulted over the timing of the ban's introduction.

He did not say when the ban would be implemented.

Mr Sarjit Singh, executive director of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, said he was surprised by the government's move.

He said that while most foreign workers were employed in 'back of house' areas such as the laundry, kitchen and maintenance, the ban would affect the industry, which is suffering from a general labour shortage.

'Hotels here have never tried to depend on foreign labour, but Malaysian youths are very choosy and do not like to work in hotels, probably because of the odd hours,' he said.

Malaysia, South-east Asia's third-largest economy, has an estimated 2.5 million legal and illegal foreign workers - most of them from Indonesia.

They are mainly employed in the manufacturing, construction and agriculture sectors. A large number of them are also hired as domestic workers.