Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community

Local communities often face a number of challenges when seeking to participate in rural tourism including participation in decision making, the level of empowerment the community enjoys and other factors including knowledge of tourists and local culture and the role governments play in supporting r...

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Main Authors: Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah, Chong, Franey Joseph, Salleh, Norhuda, Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar, Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana, Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar, Khaled, Jamshed, Prideaux, Bruce, Richard, Baizura, Engchuan, Angeline, Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation 2025
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/1/121072.pdf
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author Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah
Chong, Franey Joseph
Salleh, Norhuda
Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar
Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana
Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar
Khaled, Jamshed
Prideaux, Bruce
Richard, Baizura
Engchuan, Angeline
Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey
author_facet Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah
Chong, Franey Joseph
Salleh, Norhuda
Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar
Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana
Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar
Khaled, Jamshed
Prideaux, Bruce
Richard, Baizura
Engchuan, Angeline
Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey
author_sort Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Local communities often face a number of challenges when seeking to participate in rural tourism including participation in decision making, the level of empowerment the community enjoys and other factors including knowledge of tourists and local culture and the role governments play in supporting rural tourism development. To investigate these issues, a mixed methods approach was used to collect data from 118 residents of Kiulu, a rural destination in Sabah, Malaysia through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The results show that successful rural tourism in Kiulu is driven by strategies that promote local participation in decision-making, community empowerment and better knowledge of the tourism industry. However, the study also shows that there is a lack of positive correlation between rural tourism growth and knowledge sharing, a challenge that appears to be rooted in strained relationships between tourism stakeholders. Other barriers include financial constraints, inadequate road access and the need for specialised training in tourism services. Addressing these barriers through targeted government interventions such as financial support and capacity building programmes may help distribute the benefits of rural tourism more equitably and ultimately promote sustainable development within the community.
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
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language English
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publisher Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation
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spelling upm-1210722025-10-24T03:33:46Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/ Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah Chong, Franey Joseph Salleh, Norhuda Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar Khaled, Jamshed Prideaux, Bruce Richard, Baizura Engchuan, Angeline Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey Local communities often face a number of challenges when seeking to participate in rural tourism including participation in decision making, the level of empowerment the community enjoys and other factors including knowledge of tourists and local culture and the role governments play in supporting rural tourism development. To investigate these issues, a mixed methods approach was used to collect data from 118 residents of Kiulu, a rural destination in Sabah, Malaysia through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The results show that successful rural tourism in Kiulu is driven by strategies that promote local participation in decision-making, community empowerment and better knowledge of the tourism industry. However, the study also shows that there is a lack of positive correlation between rural tourism growth and knowledge sharing, a challenge that appears to be rooted in strained relationships between tourism stakeholders. Other barriers include financial constraints, inadequate road access and the need for specialised training in tourism services. Addressing these barriers through targeted government interventions such as financial support and capacity building programmes may help distribute the benefits of rural tourism more equitably and ultimately promote sustainable development within the community. Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/1/121072.pdf Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah and Chong, Franey Joseph and Salleh, Norhuda and Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar and Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana and Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar and Khaled, Jamshed and Prideaux, Bruce and Richard, Baizura and Engchuan, Angeline and Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey (2025) Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community. Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 22. pp. 53-75. ISSN 1823-3902; eISSN: 2550-1909 https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/jtbc/article/view/5210 10.51200/jtbc.v22i.5210
spellingShingle Saikim, Fiffy Hanisdah
Chong, Franey Joseph
Salleh, Norhuda
Pengiran Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar
Mohd. Nordin, Nordiana
Abdul Aziz, Nor Akmar
Khaled, Jamshed
Prideaux, Bruce
Richard, Baizura
Engchuan, Angeline
Jimit, Julinus Jeffrey
Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title_full Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title_fullStr Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title_full_unstemmed Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title_short Rural tourism in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
title_sort rural tourism in kiulu, sabah, malaysia: a critical examination through the lens of the host community
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/121072/1/121072.pdf