Public Awareness of British Pillboxes in Bachok, Kelantan from a Heritage Tourism Perspective

Abstract

The British pillboxes built in Kelantan in 1941 during World War II, although damaged, continue to attract tourists. However, they have considerably less impact on residents, with the exception of war veterans, and there are plans to relocate the pillboxes in Bachok. The present study uses a range of methods to analyze the structures and to evaluate community awareness of them: field observation and setting coordinates for all pillboxes, taking photographs to consolidate data, and administering a questionnaire to 100 respondents. The results show that these monuments can be an economic resource and can help to raise awareness of historical value in relation to the formation of Malaysia.

Keywords: British Pillbox, Bachok coast, Heritage tourism, Kelantan.

eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-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/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18.3087