BRANDING LANGKAWI ISLAND AS A GEOPARK DESTINATION

Authors

  • Mohd Fadil Mohd Yusof Faculty of Hospitality, Tourism and Wellness, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • Hairul Nizam Ismail Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
  • Ghazali Ahmad Faculty of Hospitality, Tourism and Wellness, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v6.n1-2.377

Keywords:

Geopark, destination brand, Langkawi, sustainable development, Malaysia

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the issues and challenges of making a geopark status as a destination brand to promote sustainable tourism. It briefly describes the process of obtaining geopark status based on the experience with Langkawi Island, Malaysia which was designated in 2007. 35 individuals were interviewed representing various important stakeholders such as different level of managers of a development authority, National Tourism Organization, tourism operators and local community concerning their expectations, government initiatives, and acceptance towards promoting Langkawi Geopark as a brand. The findings indicate that most of the stakeholders support and accept the Langkawi Geopark as a global brand that recognised by UNESCO. However, most of them are still confused about the Geopark concept in terms of its implementations and the actions needed to protect the brand. More concerted efforts are needed to create the Geopark brand awareness especially among local community and business operators. It is necessary to educate these stakeholders about the benefits of having the geopark status in order to use the brand to promote sustainable tourism development on the island.

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Published

2019-04-01

How to Cite

Mohd Yusof, M. F., Ismail, H. N., & Ahmad, G. (2019). BRANDING LANGKAWI ISLAND AS A GEOPARK DESTINATION. International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability, 6(1-2), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v6.n1-2.377

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1-2 (2019): Special issue of the 7th International Graduate Conference on Engineering, Science And Humanities (IGCESH)

Section

Articles

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