Malaysians will be exempted from the new tourism tax if they were to stay at hotels with a three-star rating or below, said Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Aziz.

"I have discussed with the prime minister and we have decided that for three-star (hotels) and below, Malaysians do not have to pay.

"This is only for Malaysians," Nazri said during a press conference at the Malaysia Tourism Centre today...