Determining the Factors Attracting the Tourists to Visit Kedah State, Malaysia
Abstract
Among central approaches when studying the basic problems of the tourism geography, e.g. visitor’s relationship with a visited location is research on perception and image of visited locations, motivations, preferences, and experience of visitors. This study aimed to determine the impact of motivation to visit on the satisfaction with the respective visit to chosen types of locations attractions in the mountain and sub-mountain areas linked with the water component of the landscape. The study was carried out in the northern part of Malaysia specifically in Kedah State. A questionnaire survey was used to collect the required data. The targeted respondents were the visitors include both residents and non-residents who visited the attracted places in this mentioned state. This study could identify some useful motivational factors that cause an impact on the tourism industry in Kedah State, and it could also determine the level of satisfaction. The results revealed that beauty of scenery, cleanliness, hospitality and recommendation by friends are among the significant motivational factors in attracting tourists to visit the tourism destinations in Kedah State, whereas food, climate condition, personal safety, cleanliness and cultural diversity are of significant importance factors in attracting tourists to visit the State of Kedah.
References
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[2] Alegre, J., and Cladera, M. 2006. Repeat visitation in mature sun and sand holiday destinations. Journal of Travel Research, 44: 288-297.
[3] Baloglu, S. 1998. An empirical investigation of attitude theory for tourist destinations: a comparison of visitors and non-visitors. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 22: 211-224.
[4] Bashar, A.A.M., and Omran, A. 2010. An Investigation into Motivational Factors that Influencing Foreign Tourists’ to Visit Jordan: Push and Pull Factors, Journal of Environment and Management Tourism, 8(2): 7-16.
[5] Bigne, J.E., Sanchez, M.I., and Sanchez, J. 2001. Tourism image, evaluation variables and after purchase behaviour: inter-relationship. Tourism Management, 22: 607-616.
[6] Chen, C.F., and Tsai, D. 2007. How destination image and evaluative factors affect behavioural intentions? Tourism Management, 28 (4): 1115-1122.
[7] Chen, J.S. 1998. Travel motivation of heritage tourists. Tourism Analysis, 2: 213–216.
[8] Chi, C.G-Q., and Qu, H. 2008. Examining the structural relationships of destination image, tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty: An integrated approach. Tourism Management, 29: 624-636.
[9] Chon, K.S. 1991. Tourism destination image modification process. Tourism Management, 12, 68-72.
[10] Confer, J.C., and Kerstetter, D.L. 2000. Past perfect: explorations of heritage tourists. Parks and Recreation, 35(2): 28–34.
[11] Crompton, J.L., and McKay, S.L. 1997. Motives of visitors attending festival events. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(2): 425–439.
[12] Dann, G.M.S. 1996. Tourists' images of a destination: An alternative analysis. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 5: 41-55.
[13] Dunn Ross, E.L., and Iso-Ahola, S.E. 1991. Sightseeing tourists' motivation and satisfaction. Annals of Tourism Research, 18(2): 226-237.
[14] Gartner, W.C. 1993. Image formation process. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing l.2: 191-215.
[15] Govers, R., and Go, J. 2003. Deconstructing Destination Image in the Information Age. Information Technology and Tourism, 6: 13-29.
[16] Hanquin, Z.Q., and Lam, T. 1999. An analysis of Mainland Chinese visitors’ motivations to visit Hong Kong. Tourism Management, 20(5): 587-594.
[17] Henderson, J.C. 2015. Tourism Destination Development: The Case of Malaysia. Tourism Recreation Research, 33(1): 49-57. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2008.11081289
[18] Heung, V.C.S., Qu, H., and Chu, R. 2000. Relationship between vacation factors and socio-demographic and traveling characteristics: The case of Japanese leisure travel. Tourism Management, 22 (3): 259-269.
[19] Hui,T., Wan, D., and Ho, A. 2007. Tourists' satisfaction, recommendation and revisiting Singapore. Tourism Management, 28: 965-75.
[20] Iso-Ahola, E. 1982. Towards a social psychology theory of tourism motivation: A rejoinder. Annals of Tourism Research, 9(2): 256–262.
[21] Jang, S., and Cai, L. 2001. Travel motivations and destination choice: a study of British outbound market. Journal of Travel Tourism and Marking, 13(3): 111-133.
[22] Jang, S., and Wu, C. 2006. Seniors travel motivation and the influential factors: an examination of Taiwanese senior. Tourism Management, 27(2): 306-316.
[23] Jenkins, O.H. 1999. Understanding and measuring tourist destination images. International Journal of Tourism Research, 1: 1-15.
[24] Kearney, A.T. 2002. Regional Benchmarking of Malaysia’s Competitiveness and Synergies Partnership with China and ASEAN Countries. Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara.
[25] Kim, S.S., and Prideaux, B. 2005. Marketing implications arising from a comparative study of international pleasure tourist motivations and other travel-related characteristics of visitors to Korea. Tourism Management, 26(3): 347-357.
[26] Kim, S.S., Lee, C.K., and Klenosky, D.B. 2003. The influence of push and pull factors at Korean national parks. Tourism Management, 24: 169-180.
[27] Kozak, M., and Rimmington, M. 2000. Tourist satisfaction with Mallorca, Spain, as an off-season holiday destination. Journal of Travel Research, 38(3): 260-269.
[28] Kozegar Kaleji, L., Mehdi Hesam, M., and Kazemidoi, M. 2017. An Analysis of Influential Factors on Tourism Destinations Competitiveness, Journal of Environment and Management Tourism, 8(2): 393 - 405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.v8.2(18).12
[29] Lather, A.S., Singh, R., and Ajay Singh, K. 2017. Comparing the Levels of Expectation and Satisfaction of Indian and Foreign Adventure Tourists Visiting India, Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, Agroinform Publishing House, Budapest, 5-13. Available at: http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/138111/2/1COMPARING%20THE%20LEVELS.pdf
[30] Lengkeek, J. 2001. Leisure Experience and Imagination: rethinking Cohen's modes of tourist experience. International Sociology, 16: 173-184.
[31] Ministry of Tourism and Culutre Malaysia 2017. Total Tourist Arrivals by Months in 2016. Available at: http://www.tourism.gov.my/statistics
[32] Oh, H., and Parks, S. C. 1997. Customer satisfaction and service quality: A critical review of the literature and research implications for the hospitality industry. Hospitality Research Journal, 20(3): 35-64.
[33] O'Leary, S., and Deegan, J. 2005. Career progression of Irish tourism and hospitality Management graduates. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 17: 421-432.
[34] Pizam, A., and Millman, A. 1993. Predicting satisfaction among first-time visitors to a destination by using the expectancy disconfirmation theory’. International Journals of Hospitality Management, 12(2): 197–209.
[35] Poria, Y., Reichel, A., and Biran, A. 2006. Heritage site perceptions and motivations to visit. Journal of Travel Research, 44(3): 318–326, DOI: 10.1177/0047287505279004
[36] Prayag, G. 2009. Tourists’ evaluations of destination image, satisfaction and future behavioural intentions - The case of Mauritius. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 26(8): 836-853.
[37] Prebensen, N.K., Woo, E., Chen, J.S., and Uysal, M. 2012. Motivation and involvement as antecedents of the perceived value of the destination experience’, Journal of Travel Research, 52(2): 253–264, DOI: 10.1177/0047287512461181
[38] Prentice, R. 1993. Tourism and Heritage Attractions, Routledge, London.
[39] Qu, H.L., and Ping, E.W. 1999. A service performance model of Hong Kong cruise travelers' motivation factors and satisfaction. Tourism Management, 20: 237- 244.
[40] Rakhmetullina, S.Z. et al. 2017. The Ecological Component of Tourism Development in the Region. Journal of Environment and Management Tourism, 8(2): 97-105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.v8.2(18).14
[41] Reilly, M.D. 1990. Free elicitation of descriptive adjectives for tourism image assessment. Journal of Travel Research, 28: 21-26.
[42] Salleh, M., Omar, K., Yaakop, A.Y. and Mahmmod, A.R. 2013.Tourist satisfaction in Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 4(5): 221-226.
[43] Salman, A. and Hasim, M.S. 2012. Factors and competitiveness of Malaysia as a tourist destination: A study of outbound Middle East tourists. Asian Social Science, 8(12): 48-54. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n12p48
[44] Severt, D., Wong, Y., Chen, P., and Breiter, D. 2007. Examining the motivation, perceived performance and behavioral intentions of convention attendees: Evidence from a regional conference. Tourism Management, 28(2): 399-408. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2006.04.00
[45] Sirgy, M.J., and Su, C. 2000. Destination image, self-congruity and travel behavior: towards an integrative model. Journal of Travel Research, 38: 340-352.
[46] Tapachai, N., and Waryszak, R. 2000. An examination of the role of beneficial image in tourist destination Selection. Journal of Travel Research, 39: 37-44.
[47] Timothy, D.J., and Boyd, S.W. 2003. Heritage Tourism, Prentice Hall, New York.
[48] Tradingeconomics. 2017. Malaysia Tourist Arrival between 1999 - 2017. Available at: https://tradingeconomics.com/malaysia/tourist-arrivals
[49] Wall, G., and Mathieson, A. 2006. Tourism: Change, impacts and opportunities. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
[50] Wang, X., and Leou, C.H. 2015. A study of tourism motivation, perceived value and destination loyalty for Macao cultural and heritage tourists. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 7(6): 83–91, DOI: 10.5539/ijms.v7n6p83
[51] Yu, L., and Goulden, M. 2006. A comparative analysis of international tourists’ satisfaction in Mongolia. Tourism Management, 27: 1331-1342.
[52] Zabkar, V., Brencic, M.M., and Dmitrovic, T. 2010. Modeling perceived quality, visitor satisfaction and behavioral intentions at the destination level. Tourism Management, 31(4): 537-546.
Published
2018-07-01
How to Cite
OMRAN, Abdelnaser; KAMRAN, Hafiz Waqas.
Determining the Factors Attracting the Tourists to Visit Kedah State, Malaysia.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 2, p. 355-364, july 2018.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/2109>. Date accessed: 16 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.9.2(26).17.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2023 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2023. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.