IMPACT OF TOURISM(KELANTAN)

 

Sultan Muhammad II founded the city of Kota Bharu on the banks of the Kelantan River in 1884. Kota Bharu and the Balai Besar Palace then flourished to become the administrative centre for Kelantan. Needing an ally in the face of the British attacks, Kelantan had to send annual gifts of gold to Siam as a token of their protection against the British. The signing of the Bangkok Treaty in 1909 however ended this practice. Instead, Kelantan and other Malay states of the east-coast of Malaysia were placed under the British governance until independence in 1957.

Kota Bharu was declared as a "Kota Budaya"(Cultural City) by Sultan Ismail Petra on 25th July 1991. The declaration was made on the basis of two important aspects, namely the history of Kota Bharu and the unique local cultures. A cultural zone, which is located around the Balai Besar Palace, has been identified and gazetted by the Kota Bharu Municipal Council for urban conservation. Important tourist attractions in the city include the Balai Besar Palace, Jahar Palace, Batu Palace (Royal Museum), War Museum, Muhammadi State Mosque, Handicraft Village, Bank Pitis, Padang Merdeka (Independence Field), Tambatan Diraja (Royal Gate), Bank Negara and Buluh Kubu Bazaar. Other tourist attractions in Kota Bharu include the Batik and Songket Centre, Silverware Centre and the Buluh Kubu Market, where the majority of the sellers are female. To date, Kota Bharu has received two prestigious awards. The National Land of Japan had selected Kota Bharu and 8 other cities around the world as "The City of Cultural Heritage". The recognition was given on the basis of local traditions, unique local cultures and tourist destinations. The Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism Malaysia has awarded Kelantan as the "Best Tourism City" in 1993. The selection was based upon factors of tourist arrivals, conservation activities and shopping facilities.

SOCIAL-CULTURAL IMPACT

The socio-cultural impacts of tourism in Kelantan are the effects on host communities of direct and indirect relations with tourists, and of interaction with the tourism industry. For a variety of reasons, host communities often are the weaker party in interactions with their guests and service providers, leveraging any influence they might have. These influences are not always apparent, as they are difficult to measure, depend on value judgments and are often indirect or hard to identify.

The impacts arise when tourism brings about changes in value systems and behaviour and thereby threatens indigenous identity. Furthermore, changes often occur in community structure, family relationships, collective traditional life styles, ceremonies and morality. But tourism in Kelantan also generate positive impacts as it can serve as a supportive force for peace, foster pride in cultural traditions and help avoid urban relocation by creating local jobs. As often happens when different cultures meet, socio-cultural impacts are ambiguous: the same objectively described impacts are seen as beneficial by some groups, and are perceived as negative or as having negative aspects by other stakeholders.

Kelantan also is known as the cradle of Malay culture based on the diverse cultural activities practised by Kelantanese. Among the popular cultural practices are Dikir Barat, Wayang Kulit Kelantan, Wayang Kulit Melayu, Mak Yong, Menora, Main Puteri, Wau Bulan (kite-flying), Gasing (top-spinning), Silat, bird-singing competition and handicrafts.Among the handicraft products that are songket, batik, silverware and mengkuang. The Kandis Recource Centre provides information on the Kelantanese wood carving.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Kelantan has a chiefly agrarian economy dominated by rice, rubber and tobacco. Fishing along its 96-kilometre coastline is also an important economic activity. Cottage industries which employ traditional skills in handicraft production such as batik, woodcarving and songket weaving are also evident. Logging activities are active given the vast remaining area of forest. In recent years, tourism, especially to offshore islands, has increased in importance. A few reputable hotels have been established and more modern shopping malls have been opened to cater for urban folks. Kota Bharu, the capital, is the major urban centre, and there are also plans to open up the southern portion of the state under an ambitious multi-million-dollar development project. The main market at the city centre is a top attraction. Kelantan has a GDP per capita in 2006 at RM7,985, which is about a fraction that of other richer states like Selangor and Penang. Kelantan has become the first state to introduce the gold dinar and silver dirham as official currency.

Then, Rantau Panjang (Majlis Daerah Pasir Mas), Pengakalan Kubur (Majlis Daerah Tumpat) and Bukit Bunga (Majlis Daerah Tanah Merah). Third - three border cities such as stated in the National Urbanization Policy (NUP) is the focus of the business activity for tourists visiting the state of Kelantan. Thus, indirectly making as a leading business tourism location in the state of Kelantan as Padang Besar in Perlis Indera Kayangan and Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah Darul Aman.

Moreover, the information obtained will be used as a basis for evaluating the border town which impact economically feasible with the arrival of tourists to the area. The border town will represents of Kelatan to compete with Padang Besar in Perlis and Kedah Bukit Kayu Hitam, all adjacent to Narathiwat province in southern Thailand will be developed with more vibrant intended to promote tourist arrivals thereby improving the economic status of the local people, the state and the nation.

ENVIRONMENT IMPACT

The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, tourism's relationship with the environment is complex. It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructure. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends.

On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance.

Kelantan is witnessing a rapid growth in the vicinity of urban cities with the construction of large engineering structures (e.g. towers, factories, high-rise condominiums, wide-span bridges, roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas and highways) to meet the requirement for the nation's economic growth, societal activities and the aspirations of its population. This urbanization is the increase over time in the population of cities in relation to the regions rural population. The growth of cities is frequently implicated in concerns about environmental deterioration.

Almost half of the world's population currently lives in urban areas, and for the foreseeable future, urbanization will increase. What is more, urban growth and population growth generally - in developing countries will outpace that in industrialized countries. These urban areas, whether small towns or megacities, each develop an environmental footprint. Although there are important regional differences in the level and trend of urbanization, city growth has proceeded steadily throughout the developing world.

Moreover, many policy makers, government officials, and the like have a negative view of urbanization, who see urban growth as problematic. Environmental concerns would serve to reinforce these overall urban growth concerns. Yet, there is a positive association of urbanization and urban economic development with overall economic growth. However, the rapid rise of urbanization has giving more impacts into forest area. Environmental impacts from deforestation such as slope erosion, mass movements, sediment yield and decreasing water quality may be expected in the continuous development of the urbanization. Right now, researcher more concentrates the effect of urbanization in Kelantan and its decreasing of forest area or knowing as deforestation.