ISLAND TOURISM

DEVELOPMENT IN
MALAYSIA:
ECOTOURISM,
ECOTERRORISM
OR
EGOTOURISM?

Sunrise at Pulau Redang

Lecture Outline

The Attractions and Physical

Attributes of Islands
Ecotourism as a development
strategy for islands
Tourism and its physical,
economic and socio-cultural
effects on islands
Is island tourism in Malaysia
any different from mass
tourism?
Model for island tourism
development.

The Allure of Islands as Tourist

Destinations

Isolation
Relaxed atmosphere
Natural attractions the
three s sun, sand and
sea
Natural beauty and
difference from mainland

Islands developed for Tourism

Attractions of Islands in Malaysia

Pristine corals
Crystal clear waters
Rich marine life
Dive sites
Relatively
undeveloped and
natural state
Unique plant and
animal communities

Tourism as a Panacea for Economic Ills

Problems of:
Isolation
Small physical and population
size
Narrow & limited resource
base,
Thus, tourism is regarded as a
panacea for the economic
difficulties of many islands

Characteristics of Malaysian islands to be

considered in tourism development

Small physical area

Fragile ecosystem
Limited resources of fresh water and flat land
Sandy beaches are few and isolated
Small population size - e.g. Langkawi - 60,000,
Perhentian -1,274; Tioman - 3,039 in 2000.
Thus, the economic, social and environmental
impacts will be more pervasive
Ecotourism an appropriate form of tourism
development?

Physical sizes of selected islands

(in sq km)

Langkawi (Kedah)

478

Penang

293

Tioman (Pahang)

134

Redang (Terengganu)

26.7

Tinggi (Johore)

15

Aur (Johore)

14

Besar (Johore)

12

Perhentian Besar (Terengganu)

9.5

Perhentian Kecil (Terengganu)

5.7

Sibu (Johore)

Lang Tengah (Terengganu)

1.8

Islands and Ecotourism as part of the

National Tourism Strategy
Ecotourism highlighted as one of the tourism
products in Malaysian Plans.
Only 24 islands have facilities for overnight stay
Most tourist islands are gazetted as Marine
Parks/Marine Protected Areas under the Fisheries
Act 1985. Environmentally disruptive activities are
not allowed within a 2 km radius of the island.
a Cabinet Committee established in 2000 to
coordinate and monitor the sustainable
development of islands.

Ecotourism Its Growing Importance

Fastest growing tourism sector generating USD 200
billion annually. Malaysia earns more than RM655 m
per year (WWF Malaysia).
Growth Rates of 10 25 per cent growth reported in
Asia Pacific
2002 declared as International Ecotourism Year by UN
As many definitions as there are players,
Encompasses everything out of doors, save blood
sports?
Would a good walk in the woods qualify you as an
ecotourist?

Ecotourism Some Workable Definitions

Tourism with low impact on the environment and
which contributes to the local economy.
responsible travel to natural areas that conserves
the environment and improves the welfare of local
people (International. Ecotourism Society)
nature-based tourism that involves education and
interpretation of the natural environment and is
managed to be ecologically sustainable (The Australian
Commission on National Ecotourism Strategy)

Seven defining points in Martha Honeys

definition
Based on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Involves travel to natural destinations
Minimises impact
Builds environmental awareness
Provides direct financial benefits for conservation
Provides financial benefits and empowerment for
local people
Respects local culture
Supports human rights and democratic movements

The Ten Commandments of Ecotourism

(American Society of Travel Agents)
Respect the frailty of the earth
Leave only footprints. Take only photographs
Educate yourself about the geography, customs, manners and
cultures of the region
Respect the privacy and dignity of others
Do not buy products made from endangered plants or animals
Always follow designated trails
Learn about and support conservation-oriented programs
Walk or use environmentally-sound methods of transportation
Patronise those (hotels, airlines, resorts, cruise lines, tour
operators and suppliers) who advance energy and
environmental conservation
Encourage organisations to subscribe to environmental
guidelines

ECOTERRORISM?
Successful ecotourism implies maximising
environmental and economic benefits while
minimising ecological damage and disruption to local
communities.
Criticised as an eco-faade, a label to be used as a
marketing tool.
By greenwashing unsound practices, ecotourism
qualifies as ecoterrorism (Anita Pleunmarom, Third World
Network Features)

Turtle watching becomes turtle harassing?

Ecoterrorism in Malaysian islands:

Tourist Activities
Jungle trekking
Snorkeling damages
corals as tourists step and
grab on fragile corals
Evidence of coral
bleaching in islands
Corals beyond the rim of
the fringing reef damaged
by propeller strikes of
speedboats and boat
anchors.

Ecoterrorism:

Impacts from Tourist Facilities

The larger impact arises
from stresses on the
environment in
accommodating the
physical needs and
comforts of tourists.
Trash, living
accommodations, access
and communication
routes.

Berjaya Redang (Main wing 1991)

powdery white sand

Land cleared on slopes for

extension to Berjaya
Redang (2002)

Ecoterrorism:

Transport

Construction of the controvesial marina

in Tekek, Tioman

Jetties/boat channels
dredged e.g. Teluk Dalam
in Perhentian Besar
Air strips Redang (RM22
m; Tioman RM150 m for
Boeing 737). Involves hill
cutting and land
reclamation
RM40 m marina in Tekek,
Tioman for 50 yachts a
year.
Road system in Tioman
linking east and west
coast.

Ecoterrorism:

Resort Development
Sandy beaches do not
abound in islands but are
confined to certain bays.
Islands are hilly. Flat land
constitute only 4.4 % of
Tiomans physical land
area.
Early development is
concentrated in the sandy
beaches.
70 resorts (1,700 rooms) in
Tioman; 33 resorts (732
rooms in Perhentian)

Accommodation in Tioman 2004

Beach

No. of
Chalet

No. of
Rooms

Salang

10

227

Air Batang

15

230

Tekek

599

Paya

131

Genting

11

245

Lanting/
Nipah

68

Mukut

101

Juara

10

112

TOTAL

69

1,763

Density of resort development on

sandy beaches e.g. Pasir Panjang
in Redang where the 212 room
Laguna opened in April 2003,
doubling the room capacity of the
8 existing resorts

Tourism development in
Tioman restricted to certain
sandy bays only

Resort development on rocky outcrops or

steep gradients
Impiana in
Perhentian
Kecil

Panuba in
Tioman
Abandoned hillslope resort in
Salang, Tioman

When beach front flat land is no longer available, chalets

are developed further inland (e.g. Salang in Tioman) or
on rock outcrops (Cozy Chalet in Perhentian, Kg. Salang
in Tioman)

Dept of Town & Country Planning Guidelines

(1997) prohibits development on slopes of more
than 20o gradient on marine park islands.
A clear violation of this ruling is the unapproved/
abandoned resort in Kg. Salang, North Tioman
which includes a swimming pool

Ecoterrorism:

Tourist Recreational Facilities

Golf courses and swimming pools
places a huge demand on a
resource lacking in islands - water.
Water consumption in tourist
resorts is 7x higher.
Swimming pools even in small
islands such as Perhentian Besar,
Redang, Tinggi, Sibu Tengah. In
the case of Layang-layang water
is barged in at RM35,000 per
shipment of 1 m gallons requiring
a journey of 38 hrs.

Swimming pool at Laguna

Redang

Island Golf Courses

Started as a game in Scotland 500 years ago on land
which is naturally watered.
In the tropics, an artificial ecosystem is created.
Tourism Concern, a London-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that promotes
sustainable and participatory tourism, describes the
sport as one of the most unsustainable and
damaging activities to people and the environment.
Land and water are being taken away from rural
communities to build landscaped courses for the rich.

Island Golf Courses

The damage is compounded by
the luxury homes, hotels etc
which accompany the courses.
Golf used to market resorts. The
Ultimate Golf Getaway
(Tioman).
19 golf courses on Malaysian
islands. A typical 18 hole course
requires 1-2 m litres of water/day.
Compare this with the capacity of
the 28 km submarine pipe
costing RM 26m to Redang is
only 1.8 m litres/day
The Ultimate Golf
Getaway

Ecoterrorism

Pollution
Discharge of sewage and garbage disposal
Septic tanks tend to overflow during
monsoon season because of flooding.
Rubbish disposal either through open
burning or transported to mainland
Water in Perhentian showed presence of
coliform (with faecal origin) that can be
linked to domestic effluents from chalets &
village. Well water in Perhentian Kecil
recorded high counts of total and faecal
coliform with a MPN (most probable
number) of 300 per 100 ml (Takushi 2000).
E. coli levels in the waters off Berjaya in
Tioman is 90x above the standard (Utusan
Konsumer 1994),

The Economic Impact

The case of Tioman
In Tioman, the first resort (373
room Merlin Inn) was developed in
Kg. Lallang in 1965.
Tourism has surpassed traditional
economic activities since the
1980s. Seafood now imported.
Tioman Development Authority
established on 19 Nov 1997.
Declared a Marine Park in 1985
and Duty Free Island on 1 Sept.
2002.
Langkawi percentage in
agriculture/fisheries declined from
63 % in 1987 to 19 % in 1999.

Berjaya Tioman Suites

Paya Holidays, Tioman

Social Impact
In extreme cases, the relocation
of existing settlements e.g. Kg.
Lallang in Tioman and in Redang
(for Berjaya Resort).
Negative social effects negligible
because of:
(i) isolation of resorts and little
interaction
(ii) differences in communication
Contact mostly with service
providers.
Budget Chalets in Tioman

EGOTOURISM
Ecotourists cause as much damage as the
conventional tourists wearing Bermuda shorts.
Powerless to minimise the impacts and given a
chance, would not anyway (Duffy 2002). The only
good tourist is the one who stays at home.
Novelty seeking tourists with hedonistic pursuits,
and even snobbery as they pretend to rough it
out. Travel acts as a marker of social position.
Prestige and ego-enhancement achieved from the
exclusiveness and rarity of ecotourism.
Self denial of luxuries is to demonstrate to
themselves that they can cope with the hardships
they do not face at home (Duffy 2002).

Egotourism
Ecotourism can be and is usually a variant of mass
tourism. Ecotourists want to believe that their
vacationing does not have the same impact as mass
tourists. What differentiates the ecotourist from the
mass tourist is not the ETHICS of travel but the
DESTINATION.
For example, golf tourism is in conflict with island
tourism development and is ecologically difficult to
justify an exclusive and elitist activity engaged in by
egotourists.
Ecotourists to Malaysian islands are no different from
conventional (mass) tourists who are motivated to
travel for ego-enhancement or to live out their fantasy
(Dann 1997)

Egotourism in Malaysian islands - Official

Policies
Emphasis on increasing tourist numbers (particularly those
with high per capita expenditure) not quality or responsible
tourists. Pulau Sipadan is the only case where daily visitors
are limited to 80/day and where no permanent tourist
structures are allowed after February 2005. Recent uproar
over building of diving facilities and support infrastructure.
Construction of tourist facilities (airports, international
resorts etc.) and measures such as granting duty free status
to Tioman in September 2002 are targeted at encouraging a
longer length of stay and enticing more tourists.

Tourism Indicators in Tioman, 1995-2004

Year

Total
Tourists

Domestic
(%)

Foreign
(%)

Length of
Stayl

Occupancy Rate

Receipts
(RM 000)

1995

166,046

21

79

4.5

51.0

108,345

1996

172,850

28

72

4.2

68.1

108,896

1997

182,649

28

72

2.5

47.7

70,776

1998

200,209

42

58

3.5

46.4

112,117

1999

185,944

40

60

2.0

42.5

61,362

2000

200,527

36

64

2.5

36.0

85,224

2001

243,052

53

47

3.0

39.3

127,602

2002

212,872

56

44

3.0

45.0

95,927

2003

172,787

74

26

2.5

45.0

86,394

2004

248,625

74

26

3.0

36.7

124,513

Source: Tioman Development Authority

Tourist- Host Ratio:

Tioman 80:1;
Perhentian at least 25:1
Virgin Islands 9.3; Bahamas 5.4, Bermuda 7.5
(Voon 2000)

Tourist numbers are only limited by the

availability of rooms or ferry seats
(e.g. in contrast, Bhutan accepts only 2,400
tourists per year and each tourist is required to
spend a minimum of USD200 a day).

A MODEL OF ISLAND TOURISM

DEVELOPMENT
Planned and orderly development that will
maximises the benefits and minimises the
negative effects.
A form of development characterised by small
resorts and local community participation.
A strategy that refrains from merely considering
tourist numbers only but also the types of tourists,
and the activities allowed or disallowed.

CONCLUSION
The present pattern
of development is
inconsistent with the
limited resources of
the islands.
Tourism sows the
seeds of its own
destruction.

A Sunset industry?