Tourism industry and the environment in Port Dickson: Highlighting the equilibrium of demand and supply

The tourism industry relies on the natural environment as its resource base. In the development of Malaysia’s tourism the increase of tourist arrivals has also increased the demand for related services such as transportation, accommodation, food, reacreational facilities, toilet / changing rooms hence so forth. Meeting all these needs has brought about environmental changes which may impact the ecosytems adversely . This study takes a closer look at the interrelationship between tourism industry and the pysical environment in Port Dickson. The results showed that physical factors, the local authority (MPPD) management, the business and tourist operators, and the tourist as consumers were all responsible for the quality of the environment prevalent in Port Dickson. The implications of population pressure, environmentally unfriendly tourist conduct, business and operators putting profits above all else, and relatively ineffective institutional planning and enforcement would all conspire to jeopardise the environmental integrity of the Port Dickson coastal ecosystem. To ensure that Port Dickson remains as a sustainable tourist destination in the long run it is imperative that the necessary mitigation measures are taken urgently