Abstract
This research discusses the six (6) elements of tourism destinations and their impacts on local communities in Ranau, Sabah. The elements are attractions, accessibility, amenities, available packages, activities and ancillary services. A total of 200 respondents were involved in this survey based on a set of questionnaires. The results indicated that there are six elements of tourism destination in the study area and the most prominent element is the attraction element as it potentially enhances awareness on the conservation of the cultural and social heritage among the local community. The results of this research are beneficial to all stakeholders, especially the Government, tourism-related industry, the hospitality industry, and the local community to improve the performance of the elements at the destination. Overall, the existence of tourism destination elements in a tourism area provides satisfaction to tourists and encourages return visits and provides assistance to local communities such as raising income, quality of life and cultivating the spirit of cooperation and self-esteem towards the future development of heritage tourism destinations.
Highlights
The tourism industry has expanded rapidly into one industry that helps to improve the economic growth and development of a country (Muhammad et al, 2016)
This is a case study conducted at several heritage tourism sites, villages and small towns located within the district of Ranau, Sabah
The objective of this study is to identify the six elements of tourism destinations, namely elements of attractions, accessibility, amenities, available packages, activities and ancillary services
Summary
The tourism industry has expanded rapidly into one industry that helps to improve the economic growth and development of a country (Muhammad et al, 2016). According to Mondal & Sen (2017), the tourism sector has become a very important sector by rapidly increasing its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product value (GDP) to the country that offered it. This industry is an intelligent investment that can drive the growth of other related industries. The tourism industry is important as it can develop the physical, social, cultural, economic, political and technological aspects at the same time become the source of income to a country (Hausman, 2001). The WTO stated that the tourism industry could be seen as the main contributor to economic recovery due to its ability in producing millions of employment opportunities (Muhammad et al, 2016)
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