TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA. A REVIEW ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICIES

Abstract

Tourism development in Malaysia began since 1960s. Embarking on the strategy to develop rural areas and provide diversity in national economy, tourism industry drastically become as the second most important sector after petroleum. Therefore, the aim of this article is to review the progress of tourism development in Malaysia from the period of the First Malaysian Plan (1966-1970) until the Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006-2010). This paper is also discussed several approaches related to tourism administration and policy taken by the federal government as stated in the New Economic Policy (1970) and the National Tourism Master Plan (1975). Further elaboration is then centred on the growth of tourism industry in Malaysia from 1987 to 2009.Tourism development, Malaysia Plan, international arrival, tourism growth.