Extraordinary places (1):Malaysia

Malaysia is like two countries in one, cleaved in half by the South China Sea. The multicultural peninsula flaunts Malay, Chinese and Indian influences, while Borneo hosts a wild jungle of orang-utans, granite peaks and remote tribes. Throughout these two regions is an impressive variety of microcosms ranging from the space-age high-rises of Kuala Lumpur to the smiling longhouse villages of Sarawak.

Peninsular Malaysia is the long finger of land extending south from Asia as if pointing towards Indonesia and Australia. Much of the peninsula is covered by dense jungle, particularly its mountainous, thinly popu­lated northern half. On the western side of the peninsula there is a long, fertile plain running down to the sea, while on the eastern side the mountains descend more steeply and the coast is fringed with sandy beaches. The other part of the country, comprising more than 50% of its area, is Malaysian Borneo – the northern part of the island of Borneo (the larger, southern part is the Indonesian state of Kalimantan). Malaysian Borneo is divided into the states of Sarawak and Sabah, with Brunei a small enclave between them. Both states are covered by dense jungle, with many large river systems, particularly in Sarawak. Mt Kinabalu (4101m) in Sabah is Malaysia’s highest mountain.

And then there’s the food. Malaysia (particularly along the peninsular west coast) has one of the best assortments of cuisines in the world. Start with Chinese-Malay ‘Nonya’ fare, move on to Indian curries, Chinese buffets, Malay food stalls and even impressive Western food. Yet despite all the pockets of ethnicities, religions, landscapes and the sometimes-great distances between them, the beauty of Malaysia lies in the fusion of it all, into a country that is one of the safest, most stable and manageable in Southeast Asia.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia#ixzz3ASk58HHc

the tourism benefits

Tourism is the second largest export earner, generating $14 billion a year in revenue for the state (including day-visitor expenditure and directly employing over 150,000 people.
Tourism provides communities with an opportunity to display their region’s distinct and unique cultural and natural assets while creating employment and diversifying the regional economy. A diverse economy is one that can cope with the changes experienced in our current environment.
At the local and regional level, the industry comprises tourism operators, businesses not directly involved in tourism, local and regional tourism organisations, community groups, residents and local government. By working together destinations have the capacity to attract visitors, satisfy their leisure needs and expectations, and generate economic and social benefits for the whole community.
Hotels, motels, restaurants, coach services, and the like, not only pay wages, but, also buy goods and engage other services locally. A large part of the income of such enterprises is spent locally and, the tourists have other requirements: food, clothing, refreshments, hairdressing, medical services, transportation, souvenirs and amusements. There is no limit to the variety and extent of visitor expenditure. The benefits from this expenditure flow to everyone in the community.
Multiplier Effect: Visitors to an area purchase goods and services. This spending injects new dollars into the local economy. A percentage of each new dollar is spent in the community by the recipient and this is spent in the community by the recipient and this is spent and re-spent, creating a ‘multiplier effect’. When more tourist dollars enter a local economy and a larger percentage is retained locally, the economic benefit is greater.
Employment Opportunities: Tourism is a labour-intensive industry and creates more job opportunities, encouraging young people to stay in local communities.
Diversification: Tourism can provide diversification, strengthening the local economy by making it less reliant on single traditional base, such as agriculture or mining which are subject to commodity price fluctuations. This is particularly significant for our rural communities.
Improved Facilities for Residents: Growth in tourism results in new and expanded infrastructure, services and facilities which benefits residents. Tourism also generates improved financial viability for community-owned facilities such as clubs and sporting venues.
Opportunities for Business: Tourism creates opportunities to establish new products, facilities and services, and expand existing businesses which would not otherwise be sustainable based on the resident population alone.
Preservation of the Environment, Culture and Heritage: Tourism highlights the need for proper management. Through effective policies, planning and research, tourism can ensure that the environment, heritage and indigenous culture of an area are preserved. Interpretation of nature-based and heritage product is an important educational vehicle for promoting a better understanding of environmental and heritage values to a diverse population.

The Tourism indusry

 Most people never forget their first trip - it is often a memorable experience that stays with them forever. Sometimes this experience inspires them to make a career in travel and tourism.
I love travelling and toyed with the idea of becoming a flight attendant or travel agent, which was what drew me to the industry initially. But once I began studying tourism my eyes were opened to the wide choice of career options available to me. Tourism is a valuable source of foreign exchange, worth more in export value in 2012 than crude oil, food beverages and tobacco and very nearly as much as motor cars. Overseas visitors spend around £20 billion a year in this country and they contribute more than £6 billion in revenue to the Exchequer.
When combined with domestic tourism, the industry is worth UK £127 billion a year and employs 3 million people - on both measurements that accounts for around 10% of the UK economy.
Crucially, against the backdrop of a slow recovery from recession, tourism is growing faster than other economic sectors.