A review on rural tourism development in Malaysia

Rural tourism is considered to be one of the most viable development strategies for the rural areas and was included in the five-year development plans in Malaysia. However, the effort to introduce tourism as a development tool and soliciting local involvement in a backward region of a country can be daunting. This paper reviewed the approach taken by the Malaysian government in planning and developing rural tourism development. The discussion centers around the local capacity and problems encountered in the programs; which can be partly attributed to the level of participation by the residents and their readiness to be involved in the tourism programs. It is concluded that although indigenous people involvement is expected whereby the rural communities are registered, trained and licensed for some tourism activities, the skills necessary for running, managing, and promoting a tourist product, these are yet to be developed.