Ahmad Shuib

Adapting evidence-based intervention in rural tourism policies Pragmatic benchmarking considerations for tourism business operations in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia

Purpose – This study aims to assess the possibility of adapting evidence-based policies in the daily operations of tour operators in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. This intervention is important, as on-site investigations reveal that operators are operating their businesses with little reference to the ecotourism policy guidelines. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted a full qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were conducted on tour operators in Semporna, while text mining was used to elicit data from the Malaysian National Ecotourism Plan. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from the primary sources. Findings – Gaps were evident between best practices guidelines from the National Ecotourism Plan and the day-to-day practices of tour operators in Semporna, Sabah. This was due to the limitations of the National Ecotourism Plan and the limitations of the operators in identifying and adhering to best practices; the impracticality of best practices in site-specific scenarios; and the b...

Review of valuation from a non‐market perspective: travel cost method for rural tourism

Purpose – The study aims to conduct a critical analysis of available economic tools to value non‐market rural tourism products and services, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of these tools.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews existing valuation methods to better understand how estimates of rural tourism products and services are conducted. The paper also critically evaluates the applicability of these methods.Findings – The study concludes that the selection of a method is mainly based on applicability of the approach. In assessing the non‐market value of rural tourism products and services, a method is selected by identifying its strengths and weaknesses. A review of previous studies suggests the evaluation of the practicality of each method according to the topic studied.Originality/value – The paper contributes to a better understanding of available valuation approaches that give reliable estimates on non‐market rural tourism products and services.

Bidayuh Community of Malaysia: Presenting Culture and Nature as a Package for Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism

This paper aims to scrutinise the ethnic characteristics of the Bidayuh community in Sarawak, Malaysia, which could be conserved and capitalised on for the development of indigenous tourism. The community, also called ‘people of the land’, is characterised by its cultural identities such as ‘O gong’ (a gong troupe), massive drums, and ‘pratuakng’ (a percussion instrument made out of bamboo). Furthermore, this study brings to light the willingness of the indigenous community to partake in activities related to tourism. The study investigated the hindrances encountered by them to foster tourism in their region. The community’s ethnic distinctiveness is acknowledged by foreign travellers as well as other Malaysian societies. However, questions have been raised over the actual act of developing tourism so as to reveal the customs and traditions of the community to the rest of the world. Although, according to initial analyses, the community is eager to partake in tourism activities by sharing their culture with foreigners, no effectual developmental initiatives have been undertaken by the government. Thus, this study holds significance from the point of view of generating awareness among the outsiders regarding the unexploited indigenous resources so as to promote sustainable cultural commercialisation.