Reconnoitering the contributions of dry ports on the regional development in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Changes in supply chain are critical for Malaysia's inclusion in the competitiveness in this era of globalisation. One of the prevalent infrastructure developments is the addition of dry ports in remote areas, targeted to enhance the hubs and connection with significant seaports worldwide. However, the regional development especially on the east-coast of Peninsular Malaysia is trailing behind in terms of quality infrastructure, employability, job growth and quality of life. Economic development must be balanced on both the east-coast and west-coast to ensure this region progresses in the right direction towards economic equality. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyse the potential contributions of enhancing regional development in Peninsular Malaysia. A comprehensive assessment of the existing literature on Malaysian dry ports developments and components concerning the regional development has been conducted. The nexus between dry ports and regional development is then illustrated in a conceptual framework. The framework indicates that dry ports provide long-term and short-term benefits from the regional development perspective. In the short run, dry ports enhance seaport accessibility, boost production volume, increase the employment rate, and attract more investment. These findings will become the benchmark for future research and significant policy-making approaches to enhance regional development in Malaysia.