Author

  • Siti Mariam Mellisa Binti Abdullah

    • Faculty Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Mohd Shahwahid Bin Haji Othman

    • MSR Inspire Professional Services, Bangi, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Nurhidayah Binti Zakaria

    • Faculty Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Fatin Farazh Binti Ya’acob

    • Faculty Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Johor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Rabiatul Munirah Binti Alpandi

    • Faculty Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia’s captivating attractions are increasingly promoted through community-based ecotourism (CBE) initiatives. These efforts aim to empower local communities, conserve nature, and generate income by involving locals in managing ecotourism resources and activities, ensuring both economic benefits and sustainability of protected environments. CBE highlights diverse customs and cultures, enhancing ecotourism experiences through local resources. Understanding tourists' attitudes and preferences is crucial for developing sustainable cultural tourism packages. Key inquiries involve measuring local community participation, artistic elements, and tourism offerings in CBE management around protected parks. Evaluating tourism preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for attributes provided by local businesses is essential for effective CBE management strategies in rural areas. This study employs the Choice Experiment model to analyze tourists' preferences for CBE activities and their marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for management attributes at Min House Camp (MHC) in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. The attributes examined include local community involvement, activity packages, accommodation facilities, and information provided. The study found 'super' package activity, increased local participation and employment, excellent accommodation, and adequate information to be the most important attributes. The study suggests that business owners and local managers adopt the CBE concept and focus on the key qualities that have been identified. Local communities and stakeholders should implement new tour packages at MHC, combining desirable features to meet market demand. Future studies could use a mixed logit model to account for multiple attributes of community ecotourism tours in protected parks.

Keywords

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How to Cite

Binti Abdullah, S. M. M., Bin Haji Othman, M. S., Binti Zakaria, N., Binti Ya’acob, F. F., & Binti Alpandi, R. M. (2024). Assessing Tourists’ Willingness to Pay for Community-Based Ecotourism: Enhancing Sustainability and Local Involvement. Information Management and Business Review, 16(3(I)S), 359-371. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i3(I)S.4065

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Copyright (c) 2024 Siti Mariam Mellisa Binti Abdullah, Mohd Shahwahid Bin Haji Othman, Nurhidayah Binti Zakaria, Fatin Farazh Binti Ya’acob, Rabiatul Munirah Binti Alpandi (Author)

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Research Paper

Published in

Vol. 16 No. 3(I)S (2024) Supply Chain Sustainability, Smart HRM & Inclusive Education View issue contents

Published

2024-10-07

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