A critical review of environmental assessment/certification tools for resort development in Malaysia Muhamad Syafiq Salehudin Phd Candidate Faculty of the built Environment University of New South Wales Australia Director, Sustainable Development Program, Deo Karan Prasad, Faculty of Built Environment University of New South Wales, Australia, d.prasad@unsw.edu.com Lecturer, Paul Osmond, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Australia, p.osmond@unsw.edu.au Summary Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world and a major source of income in many developing countries. Conversely the damage caused by tourism development not only has negative implications for a national economy but can threaten the livelihoods of many in the locality, and also the natural environment. As with other sectors of the economy, concern has been expressed about environmental problems associated with tourism and pressure is growing to ensure ecologically sustainable forms of tourism development. Tourism assessment and certification systems were developed to be one of the drivers to assist resort development internationally. The development of different tools in the tourism sector has been active, different organizations and research groups have contributed new knowledge through experience to create resorts that are environmentally conscious. Some of these tools have been applied beyond the borders of their countries of origin, due to either the need for environmental performance verification by clients and building professionals or the lack of it in the project country, especially in developing countries. In order to address this situation, many developing countries including Malaysia tried to modify or adapt existing tools that came from inherently different environmental, social and economic contexts. The issues and concerns related to sustainable tourism vary from one tourism destination to another as the local resort might not be able to adapt and comply with new imported standards and ideals that are more suitable in highly advanced societies and tourism industries. The aim of this research is to review and analyse the existing sustainable tourism assessment certification system operating internationally. This research will summarise the main components of each system, including the implementation structure, its main criteria, organizations involved, and associated costs. Based on the above evaluation, the research will justify the modification and potential adaptation of some of the international tourism assessment systems for resort facilities in Malaysia. Keywords: Sustainability in developing countries, sustainable water and waste management, cultural and regional issues, social and economic changes.