ICT Adoption in Communities Based Tourism in Bario, Sarawak : Improvements on Social Economic Development

Narayanan, A/L N. Kulathu Ramaiyer and Yeo, Alvin Wee and Peter, Songan and Lo, May Chiun (2012) ICT Adoption in Communities Based Tourism in Bario, Sarawak : Improvements on Social Economic Development. In: Regional Symposium on Rural Tourism: Scaling up Community-Based Ecotourism, 18-19 May 2012, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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Abstract

The eBario pilot project has demonstrated a people-centred approach in providing ICTs to an isolated rural community in Bario, Malaysia. By engaging the community prior, during, and after the deployment of ICTs, Bario now has access to telephones and the Internet, and are applying ICTs to enhance their livelihood. The results indicate that ICTs are able to increase the number of visitors and demonstrate the important dimensions that contributed to tourists’ satisfaction. The findings revealed that most of the visitors were aware of Bario because of its visibility in the website. Statistical results have also shown that ICTs have helped to increase the number of visitors, enhanced service quality provided, and generate more repeat businesses. In addition, tourism was found to have a positive relationship with poverty alleviation by enhancing the economic level, improving the socio-cultural aspects, and preserving the environmental conditions. The case of eBario has been acknowledged at the local and international levels as a successful bridging-the-digital project. This paper highlights the project’s background, the approach employed, as well as lessons learnt from the project.

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