EXPLORING TOURISM IN THE CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala Lumpur, the capital city and the heartbeat of Malaysia, certainly has enough tourism products to keep tourists occupied while visiting the city. This study explores the hotel managers’ perception and opinion on tourism potentials of Kuala Lumpur as a tourism destination and looks at ways to develop the tourism products that are available there. Sixty hotel managers of hotels in the city area were interviewed. The results show that Kuala Lumpur lacks a number of important elements of a successful destination, and faces serious challenges such as lack of security, bad traffic, high cost and lack of cleanliness

Exploring visitors’ experience using strategic experiential modules (SEMs): the case of Zoo Negara, Kuala Lumpur

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of visitors using the strategic experiential modules (SEMs).Design/methodology/approach: – In this study, the authors analysed a total of 37 essays written by University of Malaya students who visited the attraction on 23 November 2013. The aim is to explore what constitutes the elements within the SEMs, pertaining to the students’ visit. The results are potentially useful for future Zoo Negara marketing communication initiatives, as well as for the management to remedy the shortfalls which have hindered Zoo Negara from operating as a self-sustaining attraction.Findings: – The results confirmed the applicability of all five dimensions of the modules, which include both positive and negative elements. Of the five dimensions, THINK and SENSE were the most frequently expressed. Originality/value: – Though this study offers no theoretical contribution, it does demonstrate the applicability of the Schmitt theory on SEMs and the usefulness of such an application from the managerial perspective

A comparison between Asian and Australasia backpackers using cultural consensus analysis

This study tests the differences in the shared understanding of the backpacker cultural domain between two groups: backpackers from Australasia and backpackers from Asian countries. A total of 256 backpackers responded to a questionnaire administered in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Krabi Province (Thailand). Cultural consensus analysis (CCA) guided the data analysis, to identify the shared values and the differences in the backpacker culture of the two groups. The findings revealed that while the two groups share some of the backpacker cultural values, some other values are distinctively different from one another. The study provides the first empirical evidence of the differences in backpacking culture between the two groups using CCA. Based on the study findings, we propose some marketing and managerial implications

Exploring factors that influence restorative experience, place attachment and customer voluntary performance among backpackers in their Malaysian enclaves / Thinaranjeney Thirumoorthi

Backpacker enclaves are a crucial part of backpacking experience. The enclaves are restorative spaces which reduce stress of travelling among backpackers from previous destination, unfamiliar culture and language. Despite this, little information is available on the restorative potential of the enclaves. This study conceptualises the importance of restorative qualities of the backpacker enclaves. Using a mixed method, the study seeks to examine the relationship between restorative experience, place attachment and customer voluntary performance (CVP). Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Place Attachment Theory (PAT) were used to explain the phenomenon. Four scales were developed (physical environment, social support, restorative experience and place attachment) using rigorous scale development procedures. A total of 30 backpackers were in-depth interviewed, followed by quantitative self-administered questionnaire on 840 backpackers from eight most frequented backpackers’ enclaves in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to validate the hypothesized model. This study verifies the applicability of ART that the enclaves enable backpackers to recover from travel fatigue that often results from direct attention, concurrently, to many new stimuli. Physical environment, social support and personality are found to influence restorative experience of backpackers which subsequently affect place attachment and customer voluntary performance. Furthermore, the roles of restorative experience and place attachment as a mediator are established. The findings also support sources of social support as a moderator between social support and restorative experience. iv The theoretical research contribution lies in the scale development, extension and verification of ART, PAT, CVP and personality in backpacking tourism. Methodologically, this study contributes to the development of four context-based instruments. Findings on the restorative elements- Safety, Coherence, Quietness, Fascination, Novelty and Escape must be emphasized in the promotion and marketing as a selling point of the destination. The destination managers must give importance to these attributes in regenerating the existing and development of new enclaves. This study gives substance to the advancement of theoretical knowledge and development of the backpacker enclaves

The experiential aspect of rural home-stay among Chinese and Malay students using diary method

Tourism involving home-stays is one of the Malaysian government's key efforts to diversify its cultural tourism product.Tourists to the programme are adopted by their foster families experience a more traditional life in Malay villages.Using a diary method, this study examines the experiential aspects of home-stay holidays among domestic students in Kampung Lonek.A total of 19 diaries were content-analyzed using NVivo, which is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package produced by QSR International. Based on the findings, the home-stay experiential model is developed which explains the different phases of travel experience and their components.The on-site experience reveals three distinct dimensions: ‘environmental experience’, ‘activity, culture and knowledge experience’ and ‘human interaction experience’. The study discusses the differences between Chinese and Malay students in their home-stay experience. The article highlights its methodological, theoretical and managerial contributions

Travel motivation among cross border tourists: Case study of Langkawi

Research that focuses on regional tourists in Malaysia is scarce in literature. This study examined the influence of travel motivations; economic, nature, and cultural aspects on tourists’ loyalty intention in the context of Langkawi Island, Malaysia. A total of 200 fully answered questionnaires were collected from ASEAN tourists on the island using the purposive sampling technique, and the data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results confirmed that the ‘economic aspect’ and ‘nature aspect’ are important motivational factors affecting tourists’ loyalty intention to revisit Langkawi. Although cultural aspect influences loyalty intention, its effect was weak. Managerial and marketing recommendations were made for tourism in Langkawi based on these findings. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Connecting with prospective medical tourists online : A cross-sectional analysis of private hospital websites promoting medical tourism in India, Malaysia and Thailand

Websites of private hospitals promoting medical tourism are important marketing channels for showcasing and promoting destinations' medical facilities and their array of staff expertise, services, treatments and equipment to domestic and foreign patient-consumers alike. This study examines the websites of private hospitals promoting medical tourism in three competing Asian countries (India, Malaysia and Thailand) in order to look at how these hospitals present themselves online and seek to appeal to the perceived needs of (prospective) medical tourists. The content and format of 51 hospitals are analyzed across five dimensions: hospital information and facilities, admission and medical services, interactive online services, external activities, and technical items. Results show differences between Indian, Malaysian and Thai hospital websites, pointing to the need for hospital managers to improve their hospitals’ online presence and interactivity