Paper short abstract:

Tourism contributes a great economic share in the national GDP and in providing employment to the bulk of the population in Malaysia. The paper is designed to deal with the issue of tourism in Malaysia from both positive and negative perspectives.

Paper long abstract:

Malaysia is perhaps one of the most unique countries of the world, being strategically situated at the gate-way location to global routes with a wonderful eco-environmental setting. Being a pluralistic society, Malaysia inherits its own traditional culture with harmonious integration of the diverse ethnic groups living in a very peaceful and politically stable situation. With all its economic potentials, Malaysia has recently emerged as a newly-developed nation with a huge infrastructural growth in its industrial and manufacturing sectors. Due to these developments and other eloquent features, people from abroad have become largely attracted to this land and thus, they frequently arrive here as visitors and tourists. As recently as 2005, it is reported that at least 16.7 million international tourists from abroad visited Malaysia, bringing about 30 billion Ringgit in terms of foreign currency into this country (see Badruddin et al. 2007). At present, tourism may be regarded as the largest service-oriented industry in Malaysia, contributing a great economic share in the national GDP and providing employment to the bulk of the population in the country. It brings civic pride and social prestige to Malaysia by making international linkages in the global context. Based on these positive assumptions, this paper provides information regarding the present situation of tourism in the Malaysian context. From that perspective, the paper is designed to deal with the issue of tourism in Malaysia from both positive and negative perspectives; thus it will generate a discourse to conceptualize a 'rational framework for Malaysian tourism'.