The Identification of Criteria for Ecotourism Practice in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Ecotourism is defined as a sustainable tourism which it is promoted the responsible travel specifically on natural areas to enjoy while appreciates the nature. The richness of natural areas in Malaysia makes ecotourism become one of the essential industries rapidly growing in this country. The purpose of ecotourism is not only focusing on the conservation of natural area but also considered the importance of the economy and society of local people. Ecotourism practice plays a crucial role in sustaining nature area for its intended function. Therefore, there is a need to fully understand the ecotourism practice to plan, develop and manage resources sustainably and appropriately to avoid adverse impact on the environment. The objective of this study is to identify the criteria that essential to be practiced by the ecotourism agencies in Peninsular Malaysia. The result shows whether the ecotourism agencies comply with the criteria. This research had been conducted through questionnaires survey distributed to 204 respondents which are the ecotourism agencies that provide ecotourism travel in their services. It is believed that this research can directly help to identify sustainability criteria in evaluating sustainable ecotourism. It is also an attempt to develop a standard evaluation of ecotourism from the theoretical concept of sustainable development.