‘wild borneo’: A study of visitor perception and experience of nature tourism in sandakan, sabah, malaysian borneo

Abstract

The word ‘Borneo’ has, through the generations, held the enduring potential to conjure up a myriad of visual and perceptive imagery, thus bestowing the third-largest island in the world a near-mythical status. The imagery is so evocative and compelling that it yields the subtle power to entice modern-day travellers to make that journey of a lifetime. ‘Wild Borneo’ is a study aimed at international travellers visiting three world-famous visitor destinations in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. It seeks to establish the power of these organic images acquired during the travellers’ formative years and analyses how these images translate into actual travel choices. The study also examines visitor experience and overall satisfaction rates in relation to the individual sites and, ultimately, postexperience images in the form of photographs and travel narratives that could be potentially communicated to other prospective travellers to Borneo.