COMPARISONS OF TOURIST CIRCUIT PATTERN AT SELECTED TOURISM DESTINATION IN SABAH, MALAYSIA

Abstract

The tourist circuit pattern is one of the factors that are influenced by tourists' willingness to pay for a vacation at a tourist destination. As such, this article will examine the relationship between tourist space and willingness to pay in Kundasang - Ranau and Kota Belud, Sabah. The assessment and case study methods were used in the research. The study used quantitative methodologies, including a questionnaire survey of 150 respondents who visited selected tourist locations in Kundasang-Ranau and 93 respondents who visited Kota Belud. The survey's findings indicated that the majority of respondents (87.3% - Kundasang, Ranau) and (61.3%- Kota Belud) who visited the two study locations traveled privately and prioritized destinations they had never visited while selecting tourist destinations. The majority of respondents (70%) in Kundasang - Ranau agreed that the fee rate charged has an effect on the direction of their journey. In Kundasang - Ranau, the respondent's roaming space is dictated by the tourism package, and the tourist attraction visited by the respondent is nearby, whereas in Kota Belud, the opposite is true. Following that, the bulk of respondents who arrived at Kota Belud were determined by their roaming space in accordance with the institution or organization's determination. The study's findings also revealed that the majority of respondents who visited the two study areas did so on their own and that the tourist destinations visited were relatively near together.