Ecotourism in Malaysia - Case Study Example

Assignment [Due Introduction The country selected for this assignment is Malaysia. It isa monarchy located in South East Asia consisting of 13 states. The extensive ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ campaign run by the Malaysian government to attract tourists to the diverse land is the reason why this country has been selected. Tourism forms a core pillar of the Malaysian economy and is considered a popular tourist destination. It boasts diversity in cultures, festivals, customs and offers a variety of experiences (Tourism Malaysia, 2014). The year 2013 saw 25.72 million tourists arrive in Malaysia and the estimated revenue generated from tourist’s receipts was RM65.44 billion. The current exchange rate is 1.00 USD = 3.26 RM (Tourism Malaysia, 2014). Any visitor entering Malaysia must have the following travel documents (Visit Malaysia, 2014): A valid Passport Visa Requirements (If applicable) Arrival/ Departure Card The total employment recorded in the tourism sector was 12.7 million persons in 2012 (Department of Statistics, 2012). Top 5 Tourist Destinations Petronas Towers is a popular tourist destination. This 88 floored building is the second highest in the world and consists of the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, Petrosains Science center, Petronas Art Gallery and the Aquaria Oceanarium. Sunway Lagoon is a popular Amusement and Waterpark in Malaysia. The giant wave pool and water games are perfect for family entertainment. The park also consists of activities like off-road game, paintball and flying fox for the more adventurous lot. The Batu caves consist of 3 big caves, one of which has a hindu temple inside with beautiful wall carvings depicting a mythical epic story of India. There are 272 steps to reach the top of the hill and there are many rock climbing activities near the caves. Genting is an area a little away from Kuala Lumpur. It is home to the Genting Sky Venture which provides a sky diving facility for its customers. There is also an international standard climbing wall at the Genting X-pedition and other facilities such as bowling and Cineplex are also available for tourist entertainment. Eye of Malaysia is a 60m tall Ferris wheel located next to the Titiwangsa lake. It provides a beautiful bird’s eye view of the surroundings. Travel Providers in Malaysia Three local commercial travel providers in the country include (Visit Malaysia, 2014): Tours & Adventure Sdn. Bhd. Travel & Tours Management Sdn. Bhd. Holidays Sdn. Bhd. All three travel providers offer various packages which include hotel stay, transportation and various activities in the package. Problems and Solutions The Petronas towers have limited accessibility for the disabled and wheel chair ramps are not found everywhere, especially near the ticket counters. Ticket counters open at 8:30 am and often the queues are very long. This can prove to be a hassle for tourists but it can easily be resolved by offering more ways to dispense tickets. This can include online websites and more ticket counters. The addition of more ramps to the ticket counter section and sky deck can ensure that the Petronas Towers become friendlier for the disabled. Sunway Lagoon is a popular tourist destination but most tourists often complain the food available in the park is not good and too expensive. Tourists who wish to leave the park to eat and come back are not allowed in again and often have to pay twice for entry. The wild life park is very small and most enclosures are generally closed for upgrading. There are very few animals present and their living conditions are far from satisfactory. The easy solution for this is to allow more outside food vendors inside Sunway lagoon to ensure there is a variety in food options. The Wild Life park should be scrapped because Sunway Lagoon is known for its Waterpark and adventure games and not its wild life enclosures. They attract more negative attention with the rising insistence by people to have high quality enclosures for the animals in the zoo. Most tourists complain that the Batu Caves are now very dirty due lack of proper maintenance by the management. The monkeys and pigeons are fed by the tourists and their increasing population has caused the surroundings to become very dirty. Ensuring that the tourists do not feed the monkeys and pigeons and an extensive cleanliness campaign can help keep the environment clean. Waste bins and fines on littering should be implemented to ensure that the Batu Caves remain pristine. Genting is located in a high land area and is plagued by cold weather and dense fog. The long curvy roads can prove to be a danger for travelers especially at night. Proper signs and installation of cat’s eyes and lamps can help prevent accidents. Many tourists also complain of scammers and rip offs at Genting who make a living out of scamming unsuspecting tourists. Good travel guides which warn tourists against such scammers should be distributed by travel agents and airport staff. Raising awareness about this issue is the best way to prevent scammers from ripping off tourists and creating a bad image of Genting. Eye of Malaysia in itself is a good activity for tourists and provides a beautiful view of the surrounding area but there are no other activities located nearby which can make this tourist spot rather dull. Addition of more activities like those at the Petronas Towers can ensure that the Eye of Malaysia becomes a fun and exciting visit for all tourists to come. Sustainability Measures Recently the Malaysia government is taking sustainable ecotourism more seriously and has taken steps to conserve the environment under its case. It has implemented certain laws which act as preventative measures and attempt to conserve the cultural heritage in Malaysia. The cultural and environmental heritages of the country are interlinked and their conservation is necessary for sustainable ecotourism (International Wild Life Law, 2014). Malaysia has a far more comprehensive legislative framework to address the issues of environmental conservation. There is legal empowerment to deal with the issues that arise since tourism is a pillar of the Malaysian economy and its sustainability is crucial to the development of the nation (International Wild Life Law, 2014). The Aboriginal Peoples Act is an important legislation that has contributed to sustainable ecotourism in Malaysia. This Act helps bring in line the interests of the local people with the interests of the economy. This means that any development for ecotourism must improve the well-being of the local people. This prevents conflict with the local native people and ensures that the culture and environment is preserved in the interest of the larger community. This is specifically important when developing areas like the Batu Caves and Genting where the native population is affected by any development in the area. The Malaysian has greatly improved its urban rail transport and road network which includes review of the highway network development plan for Sabah and Sarawak and extending the LRT lines to Purtra heights and Sentul-Batu caves. There are also plans to run an intercity train service between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh and this will allow easier transportation to popular tourist sites like the Batu Caves, Sunway Lagoon, Petronas Towers and the Eye of Malaysia (Government of Malaysia, 2010). Bibliography Department of Statistics. (2012). Tourism Satellite Account. Retrieved from Tourism Satellite Account: http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_Akaun/files/tsa/2005-2012/TSA_2005-2012_penerbitan.pdf Government of Malaysia. (2010). Improving the Standard and Sustainability of Quality of Life. Retrieved from Malaysian government: http://www.epu.gov.my/epu-theme/mtr-rm9/english/thrust4.pdf International Wild Life Law. (2014). Eco Tours in Malaysia. Retrieved from International Wild Life Law: http://www.internationalwildlifelaw.org/Malaysia.html Tourism Malaysia. (2014). Facts and Figures. Retrieved from Tourism Malaysia: http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/research.asp?page=facts_figures Visit Malaysia. (2014). Customs and Immigrations. Retrieved from Visit Malaysia: http://www.vmy2014.com/plan-your-trip/getting-around/immigrations-and-customs Visit Malaysia. (2014). Travel Agents. Retrieved from Visit Malaysia: http://www.tourism.gov.my/en/us/resources/travel-agents Read More