An Analysis of Tourism Impacts on Residents Quality of Life

Tourism development is a global phenomenon impacting the changes of the human life pattern. Tourism development and quality of life have long been studied, mostly from the perspective of how tourism development affects the quality of life. Tourism growth responds to changes in quality of life involving the direct effect of global perceived tourism impact on global perceived quality of life, indirect effect global perceived tourism impacts on global perceived quality of life, through life satisfaction and happiness (material, emotional, community and health and security well-being). Understanding the relationship between tourism development and quality of life will broaden the explanation and goals of development and will help changing the argument from an income and standard of living perspective to a quality of life standpoint. Against this background, this study aims to revisit how the tourism development affects the residents’ quality of life and to review the willingness of society to accept tourism development occurring in their area. Such studies should be conducted as this will help in assessing the level of the development of tourism in bringing a positive change for the benefit and interest of the local communities

Categorisation and Causes of Building Design Defect: A Case Study on Public Building Hospital

Hospital is a complex building which involves a diverse range of people, equipment and systems. The building maintainability aspect has always been neglected at the design stage of project development; on the other hand issues related to maintainability may affect the performance of hospital building and incurred unnecessary cost. Some of the defect could be eliminated with proper attention and consideration during the design stage. The aim of the study is to identify the category and causes of building defects of public hospital. Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar has been selected as a case study. Data collection has been conducted based on secondary reports produced by the hospital services outsourcing company maintenance. The building defect were categorised based on three items that are enclosure, settings and fittings. Each defect will be discussed in detail in the paper. The study provides a significant contribution to the knowledge on public hospital defect in Malaysia

Entrepreneurial characteristics of indigenous housing developers: the case of Malaysia

Since the colonisation era, the immigrants from mainland China (and now their descendents) dominate the Malaysian housing industry. Their high entrepreneurial ethics stimulated early venture in all economic sectors to become dominant in business. To increase the participation of indigenous entrepreneurs in economic activities, Malaysia has practiced its own version of the affirmative policy since the 1970s which is known as National Economic Policy (NEP). Unlike other economic sectors such as construction, manufacturing and agricultural, the government has not provided special assistance (other than those that are generic in nature) for the indigenous populace to penetrate and thrive in housing development. As a consequence, their participation in this sector is conspicuous by their absence. A study was conducted to look into the involvement of indigenous housing developers in housing industry. Data was collected through postal questionnaires followed by face-to-face interviews. The discussion on the data analysis is presented together with interview findings.indigenous housing developer, housing development industry, entrepreneur characteristic

Community Participation toward Tourism Development and Conservation Program in Rural World Heritage Sites

Community participation in tourism development and World Heritage Site (WHS) conservation management is essential for the sustainable development of WHS destinations. Local communities play a significant role in reviving and sustaining WHSs. Community participation ranges from involvement in the decision-making processes at the highest level down to economic involvement and the promotion of the destination at the lowest level. What shape community participation ultimately takes depends on the circumstance of destinations. This study attempts to review the current community participation literature with respect to rural WHS destinations, synthesising the current literature by way of a systematic review. The findings reveal a preference among rural WHS residents for economic involvement and destination promotion rather than participation in the decision-making process. The findings of this study expand upon the community participation literature, clarifying the concept in the context of rural WHS destinations. In addition, the results have practical implications for local authorities responsible for the sustainable conservation management and tourism development of rural WHS—that these seemingly competing objectives are best achieved by involving local residents in economic activities and increasing their benefits from tourism

THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY ON ENTREPRENEUR’S LINKAGES DEVELOPMENT

To embark on any housing project, a developer needs to have support from various parties. The housing and construction industries are interrelated; they are in a relationship where construction plays a major part in the development process. Housing developers need to have strong support from the contractor, consultant, and suppliers (CCS) in completing their project. Studying the CCS selection methods can enhance the knowledge on the application of the social network theory (SNT) in the housing industry. Questionnaires were posted to 600 private housing developers (PHDs) and 54 were returned. Findings conclude that social factors were given mediate priority in consultant and contractor selection but non-social factors were more dominant in material supplier’s selection. Before start-up, PHDs get more advice from their strong ties (family/relatives/close friends) in selecting the most suitable CCS; while at the start-up and later stage, PHDs get more advice from weak ties (individual/s from the same industry and their acquaintances). PHDs place their personal trust more on the strong ties providing information related to CCS.Social Network Theory (SNT); housing developers; consultant; contractor; and supplier

Government Involvement on Tourism Policy and Programmes Implementation: A Case Study in Perhentian Island.

The tourism sector has become vital for many developing countries including Malaysia. This sector has contributed to economic and social development of the country. Due to that, the government has given a special attention on the tourism sector development. Currently, there is a wide range of policies and programs to support the tourism sector. Thus, understanding the tourism policy and program implementation due to the multi-tiers government organization of Malaysia is important to be studied. Perhentian islands, is chosen as a case study. This study aims to explore the role of multi-tier of government and their engagement to implement tourism policy and programs. A qualitative case-study approach using the semi-structured interviews were applied to gain data onto sample of the three-tier government organizations who involve in the policy and program implementation. The main findings concluded that there was existing involvement and engagement process between the three-tiers of government organizations to implement the tourism policy and programs. Therefore, there is a clear need to delineate the responsibility of the three-tier organizations on the implementing of tourism policy and programmes in the Perhentian Islands

Local Community and Tourism Development: A Study of Rural Mountainous Destinations

Malaysia is internationally regarded as a popular rural destination because of its natural heritage. Rural tourism is increasingly viewed as a panacea for increasing the economic viability of marginalized areas, stimulating social regeneration, and improving the living conditions of rural communities. This study explores local community involvement in a rural tourism development in Kinabalu National Park, Sabah. We explore how the local community perceives their involvement in a local rural tourism development and look to identify the benefit of tourism destination development for this community. To address these objectives, we employed quantitative research methodologies and a sample of 378 respondents drawn from villages surrounding Kinabalu National Park. Sampled residents indicated having positive perceptions of tourism development in the area. Local communities enjoy being involved in the tourism sector because it improves their key income resources and quality of life

Government role and Tourism-related Micro and Small Businesses in the World Archaeological Heritage Site of Lenggong Valley Malaysia

Tourism and small businesses has been proven to have impact on economic development. Recognizing the important role played by SMEs in the nation’s economic activities, the government has introduced several programs and incentives to assist the tourism related SMEs. This study reviews the incentive and programs provided by government agencies for tourism related SMEs in Lenggong Valley. Lenggong, as a new UNESCO World Heritage Site in the state of Perak, Malaysia, provides vast opportunities for new businesses that are associated with micro and small businesses as the main contributor to enhance the economy in rural area. Thus, supervison by the government is essential for Lenggong Valley to excellently develop in tourism and economic sector. The study shown that most of the businesses were started by the middle age group with their own initiative, limited capital and less training. The study indicated that over half of the businesses had received government's support but the level of supportiveness was found explicitly low. Moreover, the study has discovered that many government agencies have been supporting the tourism related SMEs in Lenggong Valley. Among the government supports provided for the local businesses were capital, loan, course and training, marketing, consultancy, allocation and equipment supports. Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysa, MARA, TEKUN and Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Perak are among the supportive government agencies. The government agencies assistance is crucial to ensure the tourism related SMEs maximise the advantages from tourism development

The Role of Government Agencies on Tourism related SMEs in Lenggong Valley, Perak

As a new UNESCO World Heritage Site, strong supervision by the government is essential for Lenggong Valley to excellently develop in tourism and economic sector. A study was conducted on the tourism related SMEs (micro, small and medium enterprise) in order to measure the government agencies supports provided to the businesses. The study discovered that many government agencies have been supporting the tourism related SMEs and several different types of assistance are provided include capital, loan, course and training, marketing, consultancy, allocation and equipment support. The government agencies assistance is crucial to ensure the tourism related SMEs maximise the advantages from potential tourism development

Perceived Social Effects of Tourism Development: A Case Study of Kinabalu National Park

We investigate the perceived social effects of tourism development on local communities from the perspective of local residents in selected locations near Kinabalu National Park. Local residents (n=378) were surveyed using a questionnaire and the collected data subjected to a series of descriptive analysis methods. Most respondents indicated that tourism, aside from being a stimulus for various cultural activities, had significantly increased their and other local people‟s pride in their national and local culture. Additionally, respondents indicated that community facilities had been improved as a result of tourism, and that their quality of life had also significantly improved. Paradoxically, the results indicated several negative effects, such as congestion and the exposure of anti-social behavior to the local community. However, the findings revealed that most local residents believed that the positive effects of tourism outweighed the negative. Obstacles to the sustainable Management of tourism in Kinabalu National Park must be overcome through the combined efforts of key stakeholders involved in tourism, including government and local authorities. The participation of the local community is an essential part of this bridging process because their involvement helps to protect and conserve the area as a tourist attraction. Moreover, participation can also help overcome negative social effects. Keywords: Positive perceived social effects, negative perceived social effect, tourism development, residents‟ perceptions, local community, sustainable tourism