By Jacqueline Koay

When new to Malaysia, many expatriates fall into the habit of getting on a plane every weekend to jet off somewhere exotic. And why not? Asia is full of postcard destinations that poor souls back at home can only dream about, and with the proliferation of low cost carriers, everyone can fly.

With a 20-year success record, a community tourism project in Sarawak shows that responsible tourism is the key to sustainability Leong Siok Hui went to visit...

By Leong Siok Hui

Frankly, I've always shunned longhouse 'experiences' touted by tourist brochures in Sarawak. Maybe it's the idea of showing up at someone's house, intruding on the family's space and expecting them to put on a 'dance' for you so you can be entertained, in the name cultural enrichment, just doesn't seem right.

From a paper by Evelyn Kaur

Introduction

Overview of tourism sector development

In Malaysia, the tourism sector ranks second as a generator of foreign exchange after oil and gas production. This industry has been growing rapidly in the country over the past few years. For example, Malaysia has shown a significant increase of tourist arrivals from countries in Asia government has announced that RM1 billion will be allocated to tourism infrastructure and development for 2006, which will be managed by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank (SME).

ECO RESORTS, SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL AND GREEN HOTELS

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines ecotourism as 'responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people'.