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The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport is
the primary air gateway. In 1995 there were
76,373 hotel rooms, of which 82.5 per cent were
in Peninsular Malaysia. Many attractions such as
theme parks, museums and events have been
developed.
Federal policy and institutions are well evolved.
State-level tourism institutions are in the process of
being developed in terms of structure, expertise
and funding. With rapid economic growth, a
major challenge becomes the protection of important
natural and cultural heritage resources.
For ecologically sustainable tourism, proactive
measures will be required for conservation
and, where necessary, regeneration. Related to this
is the issue of regulation of development and
operation. Stronger regulatory frameworks are
needed to achieve and maintain a competitive
tourism product. Human resource development
is also of major importance in a sector which
has experienced significant labour and expertise
shortages.
Malta
RUSSELL ARTHUR SMITH, SINGAPORE
The small island country of Malta is situated at the
centre of the Mediterranean Sea, 93 km to the
south of Sicily and 290 km to the north of Tripoli.
The Maltese archipelago consists of Malta, Ghawdex
and Kemmuna, covering a total area of 320
square km. It has an ethnically homogeneous
population numbering slightly above 377,000.
Though almost all Maltese are bilingual, they have
their own native Semitic language. The country's
millennial and rich history, together with its
temperate climate, has made it a popular
destination for cultural and resort tourism. The
number of annual arrivals exceeds 1.2 million.
management
JOE INGUANEZ, MALTA
Tourism management can be analysed at four
levels: scope, ownership, industry sector and
management function. At the first level, those
management 367
who are concerned with the macro-effects of the
tourism industry have analysed its consequences on
the economy, the ecology, and the sociocultural
milieu of the host community. Economists have
developed mathematical models to estimate the
direct and indirect impact of income injected by
tourists into the national, regional, or local
economies. Ecologists, geographers and regional
planners have studied the negative effects of
tourism on the physical environment. Regional
planners have attempted to develop models of
physical planning and design of tourism regions
that would minimise the above negative impacts
and preserve the quality of life of the local
community. Further, sociologists and anthropologists
have examined the real and perceived
consequences of tourism on host communities as
a result of host±guest interaction �see host and
guest).
At the ownership level, the provision of goods
and services for tourists away from home is
normally done by both public and private
enterprises. With the exclusion of some centrally
planned economies where the state owns and
operates tourism enterprises, public tourism organisations
normally devote most of their efforts to
the function of marketing and promotion of this
industry in their region �see also promotion,
place). Public organisations can be found at the
national, regional and local levels. It is private
enterprises which make the bulk of the industry
and specialise in the provision of commercial
services to tourists. They range from large multinational
firms who own hundreds of properties
throughout the world to family owned and
operated hotels and restaurants.
At the third level, tourism is composed of several
sectors, some of which have grown to industries in
their own right and six of them are outlined here.
One, the accommodation sector includes hotel
and motel enterprises and is concerned with
managing customer demand, ensuring customer
service, protecting assets, aiming at quality,
improving employee performance, increasing productivity
and achieving satisfactory levels of
return on investment. The internal organisation
of this sector includes front office, food and
beverage, guest services, maintenance and engi