Vol. 17 No. 3(I) (2025)

Self-Service Kiosks (SSKs) are a common self-service technology, consisting of a large screen mounted on a pillar from which customers place their food orders. It is a contactless service that was rapidly adopted in fast food operations during the COVID-19 pandemic as an effort to minimize the risk of transmission and was generally well-received by the younger tech-savvy population. This study aims to explore fast food SSK usage intention amongst the university student population using the Technology Acceptance Model with the injection of Perceived Safety Risk as a moderating variable. A total of 400 responses were collected using online questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the SEM-PLS method. Perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived enjoyment (PE) did affect intention to use the self-service kiosk. However, Perceived Safety Risk did not have a significant moderating effect on intention to use. While perceived safety risk may not deter university youths from using self-service kiosks, continuous practice of cleaning and sanitizing touchscreens by the fast-food management should be practiced even in the post-pandemic stage of COVID-19. Periodic software and hardware upgrades will make the self-service kiosk more user-friendly and improve the streamlined services at fast food outlets.

As Malaysia transitions into the endemic phase, ensuring customer satisfaction and public approval is critical for the successful implementation of robotic services in restaurants. This research investigates the critical factors influencing customer attitudes, emphasizing the reliability and efficiency of robots, as well as their capacity to deliver a personalized, human-like dining experience. As the restaurant industry navigates post-pandemic challenges, robot services are poised to revolutionize operations by enhancing safety and addressing public health concerns. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as its framework, this study employed a quantitative research methodology, gathering data through survey questionnaires from 225 respondents. Descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) were utilized to test the hypotheses and evaluate the proposed model. Multivariate analysis revealed no significant generational divide in the adoption of service robots, with both younger and older generations displaying comparable levels of acceptance and usage. The findings underscore customer habit as the most significant predictor of robot service adoption, highlighting the UTAUT2 model's applicability in the Malaysian context. The study also reinforces the importance of considering age-related factors in understanding technology acceptance during the endemic period. Given the positive reception of robot services, the restaurant industry should focus on refining these technologies, ensuring that they meet the diverse needs of different age groups.

The burgeoning gastronomy tourism sector has witnessed an uptick in workplace accidents, exacerbating concerns about the safety of workers, especially those new to the commercial kitchen environment. Their lack of experience often translates into difficulty in identifying and addressing potential hazards. Responding to this urgent problem, an acceptance test was carried out. The purpose of this assessment was to evaluate, in culinary environments, the efficiency of a simple but immersive simulation called Culinary Safety Virtual Tour Hazard Identification Training Tools (VT-HiTT) in reducing and analyzing hazards. Underlining the transforming power of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in strengthening safety procedures across the hotel industry, the validation process run by commercial kitchen professionals, focused on quantitative evaluations, gave important new perspectives on the general adoption of virtual reality among professionals and acknowledged the natural limits of simply qualitative methods. The largely favorable comments highlight VR's exciting path in raising workplace safety standards. These positive results significantly inspire legislators to include VR smoothly into safety training programs designed especially for industrial kitchens. Such proactive initiatives will surely help to significantly reduce hazards and promote a strong safety culture all around the gastronomy industry.

The fundamental aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the tourists' shopping experience on their loyalty to shopping malls in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The existing literature has been precise experiential to examine the correlation between shopping experience, service and loyalty intention. In this research, the quantitative method has been applied for data collection, and primary data collection instruments have been utilized by online questionnaire data collection methods using Google Forms and were disseminated via social media. 98 responses were gathered and used for further analysis. The methods of data analysis used are descriptive and multiple regression. The results of this investigation demonstrate a significant association between shopping experience and loyalty intention. The research findings are discussed from the viewpoint of local and international tourists.

Pangandaran Beach, a marine tourism destination located in Pangandaran, West Java, is stipulated as a priority tourism area and has three eminent locations, i.e., East Coast, West Coast, and White Sand Coast, all of which are famed for their natural appeals, bringing about a sharp increase in the number of visitors after the pandemic. This research explores the tourism suitability index and carrying capacity of Pangandaran Beach as a recreation tourism area. Data analysis method using the tourism suitability matrix for beach recreation and carrying capacity for tourism activities including beach recreation, swimming and sunbathing. The tourism suitability index demonstrated that the West Coast belonged to the Very Suitable category, and the East Coast and White Sand Coast belonged to the Suitable one. Furthermore, each tourism area’ carrying capacity related to recreation activities at the beach, swimming, and sunbathing was 1,536 visitors per day. Policies applicable at Pangandaran Beach are also expected to cover the regulations concerning visitors’ visits and tourism activities. Thus, it is necessary to manage a sustainable marine tourism development strategy and the development of various tourism activities by considering the carrying capacity so as not to damage the ecosystem.

This research presented in this literature review aims to examine tourist behavior towards the environment. The methodology employed is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, which includes 62 literature reviews following the preferred reporting items from The Watase Uake Research Collaboration Tools. Sources for the literature review were retrieved from several publications, including Elsevier, MDPI, Wiley, Science Direct, Springer, Sage, and Taylor & Francis. Four major aspects are the subject of this bibliometric analysis: 1) The distribution of articles on each year; 2) The number of articles that are published in each publication; 3) The distribution of articles according to the research methodologies that were utilized; and 4) The frequency of keywords that used, with a particular emphasis on those that are use the most often and those that are use less often. All the articles are categorized into various topics based on their respective categories. The themes are categorized into 1) Tourist Environmental Behavior, 2) Environmental Education and Knowledge, 3) Social and Personal Norms, 4) Others.

This study aims to evaluate, through central and peripheral paths, how Virtual influencers (VIs) affect users' brand attachment towards destinations. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this research analyses how the attributes of Virtual Influencers (VIs), such as personalisation and anthropomorphism, influence users' brand trust and perceived enjoyment, which in turn impact brand attachment. The analysis is based on 388 valid questionnaire responses using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM). The results indicate that the information quality and interaction quality provided by VIs significantly enhance users' brand trust, while personalisation and anthropomorphism boost perceived enjoyment, thus facilitating the formation of brand attachment. Furthermore, the studies confirm the moderating effect of brand self-congruity in the link between brand attachment and trust. Based on the findings, the study also offers recommendations for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), suggesting that DMOs should emphasize the development of personalization and anthropomorphic characteristics in virtual influencer (VI) marketing to increase user brand loyalty.

This study takes a closer look at how social media marketing shapes students’ views on viral food trends at UiTM Shah Alam. The focus is on three major aspects—social media influence, pricing perception, and brand familiarity. Since university students are avid social media users, understanding their responses to digital food promotions can offer practical insights for marketers. Using a survey completed by 430 students, the study uncovers how content on platforms like Instagram and Facebook boosts curiosity and influences food trial decisions. The research also shows that students care deeply about perceived value for money, making price a decisive factor in their choices. Well-known brands, meanwhile, tend to earn more trust and engagement. The findings indicated the importance of well-targeted digital marketing strategies and underscore the potential of using brand power and cost appeal to drive student interest in trending food products. Future studies should widen the participant pool to explore whether these results hold for other demographics.

Over the past three decades, tourism has grown rapidly worldwide, gradually increasing the competition among tourism destinations. Coupled with the impact of COVID-19, Malaysia, as one of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region most affected by the epidemic, is in urgent need to adjust policies and measures to cope with fierce competition and quickly restore tourism. The aim of this article is thus to analyze the existing related research and to conclude the research trend and limitations. The articles collected from Scopus and Google Scholar were analyzed using a dual-software approach: Excel facilitated data organization, while VOSviewer enabled statistical and co-keyword analysis through its visualization capabilities. 33 articles meet the inclusion criteria used to conduct a bibliometric review of existing articles researched on the tourism destination competitiveness of Malaysia in the last decade, since 2012. The results show that previous studies focus on the destination competitiveness of rural tourism and eco-tourism, but few studies have focused on the comparison of tourism competition between Malaysia and other countries, which is insufficient in the comparison of international tourism competition. Furthermore, discussion and recommendations for future studies are made in the discussion and recommendations. This article, on the one hand, provides knowledge support for filling the gap in the literature review of the competitiveness of tourism destinations in Malaysia. On the other hand, it offers a practical background for helping the Malaysian government to adjust the implementation of policies and gain the advantages of tourism competition, to cope with the complexity and uncertainties in the future.

This study focuses on the relationship between millennial medical tourists' motivations for visiting Penang and their intention to revisit. This study seeks to discover major variables of satisfaction and loyalty within this market group by investigating the factors that influence millennials' choice of Penang for medical tourism. Data were collected via Google Form surveys from millennial medical tourists in Penang. The findings will provide a comprehensive understanding of this demographic. The findings will also identify the relationship between the motivation of medical visits among millennial tourists in Penang and revisit intention.