Examining Ecotourism Destinations Competitiveness and the Moderating Impact of Social Media Marketing : Post-COVID-19 Propositions for Ecotourism Industry Actors

Thong, Jun Zhou and Lo, May Chiun and Ramayah, T. and Abang Azlan, Mohamad (2022) Examining Ecotourism Destinations Competitiveness and the Moderating Impact of Social Media Marketing : Post-COVID-19 Propositions for Ecotourism Industry Actors. In: 10th International Borneo Business Conference 2022 (iBBC) 2022), 19-21 September 2022, Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Kuching, Sarawak.

PDF Examining Ecotourism.pdf Download (884kB)

Abstract

In conjunction with continuous awareness and safety measures during post-COVID-19 phase, major attention has been driven towards the practice of sustainable and responsible tourism, specifically ecotourism destinations. The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship of endowed, or also known as inherited resources (natural resources, cultural heritage attraction), supporting resources (accessibility, quality of tourism services) and ecotourism competitiveness in totally protected areas (TPAs) in Sarawak, Malaysia. In consistent with Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 and state governmental effort towards digitalized economy, the present study has adopted social media marketing and its moderating impact was testified. The respondents only consist of domestic tourists who have visited totally protected areas (TPAs) in Sarawak, Malaysia. The collection of data was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020, for a total of three months duration which was before the notice of closure initiated by local authorities. The results showed that the hypotheses constructed the relationship between all tested dimensions of endowed resources (e.g., natural resources, cultural heritage attraction) along with supporting resources (e.g., accessibility, quality of tourism services) and competitiveness of ecotourism destination were supported. Additionally, social media marketing was found to moderate the relationship between natural resources and ecotourism competitiveness.

Actions (For repository members only: login required)

View Item