Determinant Factors in Motivating Tourists' Visit to Ecotourism Sites in Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia received 25.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2013. It is estimated that between 7 – 10% of the international tourist arrivals are ecotourists i.e. tourists who visit the ecotourism sites of the country. Hence, ecotourism represents a significant ‘added value’ to the country’s tourism industry. There is however little empirical evidence that investigates implicitly on the underlying factors which motivate the tourists to visit Malaysia. This important issue is still an undeveloped area of study. Hence, this research reflects a need to bridge the gap in the tourism literature particularly in the ecotourism context of Malaysia. Motivation theories and studies play a vital role in understanding why tourists travel and the kind of activities they engage in whilst away from home. Therefore, investigating the motivations of tourists undertaking an ecotourism experience reflects an urgent need for the country. This study aims at identifying the factors that motivate the decision of travellers to visit ecotourism destinations in Malaysia. Past literature revealed that motivational studies based on the two elements of Push and Pull factors are widely accepted. The idea behind these concepts is that people travel because they are pushed by their own internal forces and pulled by external forces of the destination attributes. As such, the existing theories on push and pull factors have been chosen as the conceptual basis of the study. Quantitative methodology was employed, consisting of a self-administered questionnaire that involved a convenience sample of 400 tourists at four ecotourism sites in Malaysia between May and July 2014. Factor analyses were conducted to identify the tourists’ push and pull motivation factors. Spearman’s Correlation Analysis was conducted to explore the strength of the correlation between the tourists’ motivation and their travel behaviour. The results on push motivation showed four important motives i.e. to engage in “nature appreciation”, “adventurous and social activities”, “relaxation and escape”, and “self-fulfillment”. Furthermore, it is found that the main pull motivation were “provision of safety and clean facilities” and ‘provision of varied activities and convenient services”. As such, the results revealed that these push and pull motivations were significant determinants factors which influence the tourists to visit the ecotourism destinations in Malaysia. This study’s results have important marketing implications to the country especially in terms of matching the tourists’ push and pull motives with the ecotourism products and services.