Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) has long been an advocate for a more inclusive, sustainable marine tourism industry in Malaysia, and as such we are pleased to express our strong support for the new National Tourism Policy, announced recently by the Prime Minister.

…it’s how we do tourism that is important.

Re-imagining Tourism

RCM is not anti-development. We recognise the importance of the tourism industry to the national economy – 16% of GDP and nearly one quarter of jobs. It is obviously of huge value. But it’s how we do tourism that is important. More and more commentators are recognising the impact of a tourism strategy that focuses only on “mass” tourism: ever increasing numbers of visitors traveling to remote places with fragile ecosystems is a recipe for disaster – for both biodiversity and communities. Add to this the changes wrought by the coronavirus, with restrictions on travel likely to last into the foreseeable future, and we are left in a situation that requires a profound re-think about tourism in Malaysia.

Just one example serves to demonstrate this: Pulau Mantanani, in Sabah. In just a few years, visitor numbers have grown from less than 100 to as many as three thousand per day; surely that can’t be sustainable. Furthermore, the island, with zero covid-19 cases, is not enthusiastic about welcoming back swarms of visitors from overseas.

Why not develop a strategy that is more in line with recent trends – a strategy that attracts smaller numbers of high paying visitors looking for a more tailored, personal experience? Better 100 people paying RM 1,000 per day than 1,000 people paying RM 100 per day; same revenue, same economic benefits…much lower impact. But that is where Malaysia seems to have been stuck for a few years – while international competitors including Philippines and Indonesia have been moving up the value chain. Witness Indonesia’s strategy of developing “10 new Balis”, which has the goal of establishing 10 new destinations which will be on a par with Bali – attracting tourists who are prepared to pay to travel to well-conserved areas that have a local feel.

A Milestone for Malaysia

Well, that’s just what the Malaysian tourism authorities have done, with the release of the new National Tourism Policy.

Through the transformation strategy on practising sustainable and responsible tourism,
the Policy opens the door to developing a tourism industry
that puts more emphasis on community, culture and nature.

The various product augmentation strategies designed to add value to existing tourism experiences, including ecotourism, community-based tourism and island tourism, bring a welcome focus on protecting ecosystems and communities while bringing in tourism revenues.

Apparent Challenges in Sustainable Tourism Initiatives

However, sustainability initiatives in the tourism industry face major challenges. Many tourism operators, especially smaller ones, do not meet the requirements for registration with the tourism authorities – who in turn seem un-willing to address these systemic problems.

This results in a stalemate which hinders the wider implementation of sustainable tourism programmes such as the ASEAN Green Hotels programme – which the Ministry is the custodian of in Malaysia. Or our own Green Fins programme for dive operators – which is recognised by the Malaysian Government but not supported by MOTAC.

Listen and Learn from the Ground Up

Perhaps the new Policy will encourage “joined up thinking” and the development of a more coordinated approach to tourism, economic growth and sustainability. And perhaps the tourism authorities could consider an early consultation programme with tourism operators and other players, to better understand the real constraints on the ground to rolling out a sustainable tourism programme.

Finding real-life, practical solutions to on-the-ground challenges
(such as land-use change, environmental impact assessments and lack of skills in developing and promoting eco- and community-based tourism)
need inputs from people who have “been there and done that”.

To scale individual efforts to industry-level, it might be beneficial to learn from the handful of successful initiatives in Malaysia (such as the Frangipani Resort in Langkawi, the Setiu Wetlands in Terengganu and efforts by Scuba Junkie in Semporna and Lankayan Dive Resort) which provide case studies on how to implement sustainability initiatives and develop sustainable products.

We urge all tourism operators and other stakeholders who are interested in long term sustainability to work with the Government to ensure the success of this policy.