ECOTOURISM IN MALAYSIA: CURRENT SCENARIO Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia ECOTOURISM IN MALAYSIA: CURRENT SCENARIO MANOHAR MARIAPAN EVELYN LIM AI LIN SHEENA BIDIN AZITA ZAWAWI ZULKHAIRI AZIZI ZAINAL ABIDIN NOOR JALILAH JUMAAT Department of Recreation and Ecotourism Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia @Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2020 First Print: 2020 For further inquiry, please contact: Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Tel: 03-97697171 Fax: 03-97693768 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Ecotourism in Malaysia: Current Scenario Manohar, M. .. [et al.] (2020). ISBN No: 978-967-5526-19-0 Photo credits: Manohar Mariapan, Sheena Bidin, Zuhaily Badlishah and Farid Tarmiji Photos taken are with the consent from the subjects Design by: Siti Nur Fathirah Adnan FOREWORD The Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has successfully organized the 3rd. International Conference on Adventure and Ecotourism 2019 (ICAE) hosted at the Sultan Idris Shah Forestry Education Center (SISFEC) in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve. The Faculty of Forestry through its Department of Recreation and Ecotourism organized the conference to create awareness that adventure and ecotourism activities can further the agenda of responsible tourism through recreation activities, conservation, education, enforcement, and development of ecotourism enterprises. Academicians, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and practitioners gathered in this pristine forest to share their knowledge and experiences that are beneicial towards the development of adventure and ecotourism, both locally and globally. The 3rd ICAE conference that was organized with the theme “Rainforest Ecotourism: Current And Future Trends” has indeed upheld this aim; perhaps more so as it has been able to garner support and participant attendance from various backgrounds and industry, with at least 50 percent attendance from the industry, particularly tour guides. The myriad of participation has indeed made this conference more vibrant with positive discussions and sharing of knowledge, experiences, and opinions throughout the 2-days conference. Hence, the publication of this book provides useful data and information to tourism scholars and practitioners all over the world. This book covers various topics, ranging from the hard science to social science topics that are related to tourism. The successful publication of the e-book by the Department of Recreation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry will facilitate the department’s efforts to become the leading and main referred center in the ield of recreation and ecotourism in Malaysia and the world. As the Dean, I would like to extend my gratitude to all authors in this book. Also, congratulations to the editorial team for the publication of the 3rd ICAE e-book. Thank you and good luck to everyone. “WITH KNOWLEDGE WE SERVE” ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. AZLIZAM AZIZ Dean, Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia PREFACE Over the past two decades or so, ecotourism as a niche in tourism has indeed lourished and made its mark in academia and in the industry. The very principle of ecotourism that strives to keep a balance of sustainability between protecting and conserving the natural resources while supporting community’s well-being have indeinitely received enormous positive support globally. This has prompted numerous conferences, grants, projects, and discussions within the global ecotourism community, with many exemplary successful stories albeit many different challenges. Adventure and ecotourism combined indeed has its own beauty and challenges. Likewise, with any other tourism niche, it is ever evolving. This makes it even more so important to keep the discussions going, not only within the academic world but also more importantly within the industry and community, as a whole. It is with this aspiration that the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia had once again organized the International Conference on Adventure and Ecotourism in 2019. The 2019 ICAE conference marks the 3rd time this conference is organized by the faculty since its irst humble conference in 2014 held in Mount Jerai, Kedah. Since its irst inception, this conference has always aimed to congregate academicians, researchers, practitioners, and businesses in the ield to exchange knowledge and experiences. Our hope is to reduce the gaps between the various sectors and encourage active collaboration towards establishing a tourism industry that is whole, creative, and sustainable. And so, this book represents a multitude of discussion topics within the boundaries of ecotourism and adventure that is compiled in a total of 15 papers ranging from 3 themes. From the theory-based papers that presents the indings on Syariah compliance among hoteliers to technical-based papers that discuss the effectiveness of mountain rescue techniques, to conceptual models that depicts the potentials of redevelopment of forest parks; this book hopes to make a signiicant contribution to ignite the discussions within the adventure and ecotourism industry. Therefore, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to UPM, Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Keynote Speakers and International Speakers, Industries and Tour Guides, Participants and Presenters as well as all those who has supported us in organizing this conference. Ecotourism has indeed created a wealth of economic spillovers and social development to communities; providing jobs to local people, educating tourist and local people alike on the values of conservation, advocating for women empowerment in ecotourism, all whilst protecting the integrity of natural and cultural treasures. This is the true meaning of sustainability at its best, and therefore it will remain the everlasting trend for centuries to come. May this ICAE Conference be a regular platform for all of us to meet and seek new knowledge and foster fruitful collaborations for the success of this industry. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Preface Section 1: Recreation and Ecotourism: Product Development Recreation and Tourism Resource Assessments along the Perak River Tourism Corridor 1-13 Azlizam Aziz, Zamru Ajuhari and Sheena Bidin Re-development of Mossy Forest Park in Cameron Highlands, Pahang: A Case Study for 14-24 Preparing a Master Plan Azlizam Aziz, Zamru Ajuhari, Sheena Bidin and Sam Shor Nahar Yaakob Sharia Compliance Implementation among Hoteliers in Klang Valley, Malaysia 25-41 Adib bin Mohd, Azlizam Aziz and Mazlina Jamaluddin Gastronomy Tourism Growth in Malaysia: A Case Study on Malay Restaurants in Klang 42-48 Valley Raja Puteri Saadiah Raja Abdullah and Siti Suriawati Isa Section 2: Conservation, Education and Local Community Nature-Related Experiences in Inluencing School Children’s Landscape Preferences 49-61 Huda Farhana Mohamad Muslim, Tetsuro Hosaka, Shinya Numata, Noor Azlin Yahya, Nik Azyyati Abdul Kadir and Nor Suriani Salleh Behavioral Intention of Birdwatches towards Birdwatching Activity in Malaysia 62-70 Al-Kautsar Hidayanto Abdul Rahim, Manohar Mariapan, Fong May Yin and Nuraain Amalina Mokhli River Conservation Awareness Program at Ecotourism Sites in Malaysia 71-81 Husba Isa, Siti Nurhidayu Abu Bakar and Siti Suriawati Isa Interpretive Functionality of Exhibits at the Bird Interpretive Centre, Fraser’s Hill 82-98 Nuraain Amalina Mokhli and Manohar Mariapan Ecotourism Promotes Conservation Activity at Tourism Destinations 99-107 Siti Suriawati Isa, Mohd HusbaIsa and Sergey Gerchkin Community Level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Environmental 108-119 Conservation and Preservation in Penarak, Langkawi Muhammad Aisamuddin Ahmad, Siti Suriawati Isa and Sheena Bidin Section 3: Recreation and Ecotourism: Assessment and Impacts Digital Elevation Proile and Characterization of Mountain Trail Using Online Application 120-130 Muhammad Shafeeq Mohd Sapian, Azita Ahmad Zawawi, Thinaraj Balakrishnan and Mohd Hasmadi Ismail Soil Morphology and Classiication in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve 131-140 Haidar Fari Aditya, Seca Gandaseca, Mochtar Luti Rayes, Daljit Singh Karam, Nur Haizah Aqilla Murad and Ahmad Hanai Hamzah Development of Hiking Preparedness Model for Mountaineering Activities in Malaysia: An 141-147 Overview Nik Jazwiri Bin Johannis, Mazuki Bin Mohd Yasim, Md Amin Bin Md Taff, Mohd Shariman Shaie, Omar Firdaus Mohd Said, Muhammad Wai A. Rahman and M Adli Mohd Sidi Physical Impacts along the Merapoh Trail at Gunung Tahan, Malaysia 148-163 Zainal Abidin Othman, Sam Shor Nahar Yaakob, Azlizam Aziz, Zamru Ajuhari and Muhammad Aliff Abdullah Identifying Tour Guide’s Roles at Ecotourism Destination in Malaysia 164-171 Muhammad Norshahril Iman Sulaiman and Siti Suriawati Isa SECTION 1: RECREATION AND ECOTOURISM: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ECOTOURISM IN MALAYSIA: CURRENT SCENARIO RECREATION AND TOURISM RESOURCE ASSESSMENTS ALONG THE PERAK RIVER TOURISM CORRIDOR Azlizam Aziz*, Zamru Ajuhari and Sheena Bidin Department of Recreation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Many ecotourism destinations were developed with the dual purpose of resource conservation and strengthening the economic wellbeing of local community.