Ecotourism in the Cameron Highlands: issues and challenges

Abstract

The benefits of ecotourism for local communities have been widely explored in relation to economic, socio-cultural and environmental terms. This issue is particularly relevant to developing countries and remote locations where there is increasing pressure to exploit natural resources and ecotourism is often promoted as the solution to these problems. However, the definition of what constitutes ecotourism has led to disaffection in some areas as the term is widely used to promote differing forms of tourism. A fundamental component of this problem relates to the visitors themselves, as their background, motivations for visiting and expectations of the location will determine the level of demand for high quality ecotourism services. This paper reports on surveys of ecotourism in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. It highlights the extent to which Western visitors to this location are aware of environmental issues in general and with particular regard to the destination. It demonstrates the extent to which more careful marketing and a diversification of products available to visitors could enhance income generation in this region. The survey also underlines the importance of managing local environmental issues in line with the high expectations of visitors in an increasingly competitive market.