Jane Allison James

Public participation shortcomings in tourism planning: the case of the Langkawi Islands, Malaysia

Public participation in decision-making processes is regarded as important for successful tourism planning. This paper presents the findings of a study examining the public participation approach to tourism planning in the Langkawi Islands, Malaysia. The study was conducted between 2004 and 2008 to assess public participation during the preparation of the Langkawi Structure Plan 1990–2005 and the Langkawi Local Plan 2001–2015. Interviews were conducted with local stakeholders in the tourism industry and analysed using a “framework technique”. The results indicate that there were limitations in public participation in the tourism planning process due to (1) inadequate information, (2) an ineffective approach, (3) residents’ attitudes and (4) exclusion from participation processes. Public participation also occurred only at an early stage due to structural and operational limitations in the planning process. This included weaknesses in the Town Planning Act (Act 172), as under the Malaysian Planning System, all participation processes for Structure Plans and Local Plans in the country need to follow the participation approach suggested by the Act. The paper suggests that improvements can be made in tourism public participation processes in the Langkawi Islands and in their relationships with the Malaysian Planning System.

The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall! Sustainable Tourism Planning at Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Site, Australia

The Australian National Heritage and Tourism Thematic Interpretation Framework (NHTTIF) is an interpretive framework methodology that can be used to develop an enhanced visitor experience by integrating heritage more effectively in tourism. It was developed for the Australian Department for the Environment and Heritage in response to the ‘telling the story’ opportunity identified by the National Tourism and Heritage Taskforce. The NHTTIF is used to identify a site-specific interpretive theme through to a national or international interpretive theme, as part of an interconnected web of ‘stories’ about Australia. Sites used during the development of the NHTTIF included the World Heritage Australian Fossil Mammal Site at Naracoorte, South Australia, the Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania and the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Victoria. This paper demonstrates the development and application of the NHTTIF at the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Site, with a site-specific story theme of ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall!’, referring to the fossilised extinct Australian mega-fauna. Other themes are demonstrated at a local, regional, state, and national level with implications at the international level as a World Heritage Site. The integration of heritage more effectively in tourism planning, development and management, and the interpretation of heritage sites fosters an understanding and appreciation of heritage, resulting in conservation.