Developing the Rural Town of Panchor into a Future River-based Tourism Destination: Host Community Perception

Mazni Saad; Nur Nabilah  Abdullah; Siti Nur Hidayah  Rosman

doi:10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.2236

Authors

Mazni Saad Department of Tourism, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9621-7447
Nur Nabilah Abdullah Department of English, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia, Edu Hub Pagoh, KM1, Jalan Panchor, Pagoh 84600 Muar, Johor, Malaysia
Siti Nur Hidayah Rosman Department of Tourism, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia, Edu Hub Pagoh, KM1, Jalan Panchor, Pagoh 84600 Muar, Johor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.2236

Abstract

This paper examines the significance of a rural area, Panchor village town, as a potential nature tourism site in the Muar district of Johor, Malaysia. The objectives of the study were (1) to evaluate local community support and (2) to assess local community involvement. Based on qualitative analysis of an interview and open-ended responses in the questionnaire, three interconnected themes were: (1) community attachment, (2) economic gains and (3) environmental attitude. The findings revealed that river-based tourism development could stimulate the socio-economic status and the sustainability of rural areas. This study also discussed implications and limitations of the research.Â Â Â

Keywords: Community Attachment; Economic Gains; Environmental Attitude; River-based Tourism

eISSN: 2398-4287Â© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.2236