A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia

Kenyir Lake is one of the popular ecotourism destinations in Malaysia which offers spectacular scenic beauty to the visitors. Water transportation is the main method of travel here and the popular water transportation is the house boat service. Tourism industries at Kenyir Lake generate large finan...

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Main Author:	W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2013
Subjects:	Ecotourism - Malaysia - Terengganu Tourists - Malaysia - Terengganu - Attitudes Tourism - Malaysia - Terengganu
Online Access:	http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41428/1/FEP%202013%208R.pdf
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id	my-upm-ir.41428
record_format	uketd_dc
spelling	my-upm-ir.414282016-02-15T01:13:26Z A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia 2013-03 W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah Kenyir Lake is one of the popular ecotourism destinations in Malaysia which offers spectacular scenic beauty to the visitors. Water transportation is the main method of travel here and the popular water transportation is the house boat service. Tourism industries at Kenyir Lake generate large financial income from house boat attractions,and therefore improvement of these services and the determination of relevant policies for management and maintenance are vital for future development. The objectives of this research are to evaluate the attitude and perception of the visitors towards the recreational aspects of Kenyir Lake and to evaluate the visitors’ preferences for house boat services attributes at Kenyir Lake. Data was obtained by using questionnaires as part of a face-to-face interview with the visitors who rented house boats during their vacation at Kenyir Lake. A total of 285 respondents were interviewed over January to March 2012. The results show that most of the visitors are satisfied with the ecotourism resources and services at Kenyir Lake. Many of them are first time visitors to the lake while the rest have visited more than once. The data was analysed by using descriptive analysis and the choice experiment method (CE). Descriptive analysis is used to analyse the socio-economic profile of the visitors and the attitude and perception of the visitors towards the ecotourism services at Kenyir Lake. The visitors’ preferences for house boat services were estimated by using a Choice Experiment. In the CE part, five categories of non-market values of house boat services were defined including: tourist guide, safety equipment, communication system, activity packages and extra package prices. The results demonstrated the respondents positive willingness to pay (WTP) for three attributes of house boat services, namely the tourist guide, safety equipment and premium package activities with averages of WTP of 8.98%, 23.85% and 26.8% respectively. These findings indicate that respondents are willing to pay for an improvement from the status quo to a better level of services. The findings of this study may guide and assist policy makers, authorities and local managers to better consider the consequences of maintaining the current condition of the services provided to the visitors. Ecotourism - Malaysia - Terengganu Tourists - Malaysia - Terengganu - Attitudes Tourism - Malaysia - Terengganu 2013-03 Thesis http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41428/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41428/1/FEP%202013%208R.pdf application/pdf en public masters Universiti Putra Malaysia Ecotourism - Malaysia - Terengganu Tourists - Malaysia - Terengganu - Attitudes Tourism - Malaysia - Terengganu
institution	Universiti Putra Malaysia
collection	PSAS Institutional Repository
language	English
topic	Ecotourism - Malaysia - Terengganu Tourists - Malaysia - Terengganu - Attitudes Tourism - Malaysia - Terengganu
spellingShingle	Ecotourism - Malaysia - Terengganu Tourists - Malaysia - Terengganu - Attitudes Tourism - Malaysia - Terengganu W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
description	Kenyir Lake is one of the popular ecotourism destinations in Malaysia which offers spectacular scenic beauty to the visitors. Water transportation is the main method of travel here and the popular water transportation is the house boat service. Tourism industries at Kenyir Lake generate large financial income from house boat attractions,and therefore improvement of these services and the determination of relevant policies for management and maintenance are vital for future development. The objectives of this research are to evaluate the attitude and perception of the visitors towards the recreational aspects of Kenyir Lake and to evaluate the visitors’ preferences for house boat services attributes at Kenyir Lake. Data was obtained by using questionnaires as part of a face-to-face interview with the visitors who rented house boats during their vacation at Kenyir Lake. A total of 285 respondents were interviewed over January to March 2012. The results show that most of the visitors are satisfied with the ecotourism resources and services at Kenyir Lake. Many of them are first time visitors to the lake while the rest have visited more than once. The data was analysed by using descriptive analysis and the choice experiment method (CE). Descriptive analysis is used to analyse the socio-economic profile of the visitors and the attitude and perception of the visitors towards the ecotourism services at Kenyir Lake. The visitors’ preferences for house boat services were estimated by using a Choice Experiment. In the CE part, five categories of non-market values of house boat services were defined including: tourist guide, safety equipment, communication system, activity packages and extra package prices. The results demonstrated the respondents positive willingness to pay (WTP) for three attributes of house boat services, namely the tourist guide, safety equipment and premium package activities with averages of WTP of 8.98%, 23.85% and 26.8% respectively. These findings indicate that respondents are willing to pay for an improvement from the status quo to a better level of services. The findings of this study may guide and assist policy makers, authorities and local managers to better consider the consequences of maintaining the current condition of the services provided to the visitors.
format	Thesis
qualification_level	Master's degree
author	W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah
author_facet	W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah
author_sort	W Mohamad, Wan Norhidayah
title	A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
title_short	A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
title_full	A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
title_fullStr	A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed	A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia
title_sort	choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at kenyir lake, malaysia
granting_institution	Universiti Putra Malaysia
publishDate	2013
url	http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41428/1/FEP%202013%208R.pdf
_version_	1747811869230366720

A choice experiment to estimate visitor preferences for ecotourism attributes at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia

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