An Evaluation of Snorkeling Experience in Pulau Payar Marine Park, Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract. Marine Parks in Malaysia receive almost 7.4 million tourists for the past ten years from all over the world. Continuous growth in the number of tourists and mass tourism has resulted in uncontrolled number of tourists, sometimes surpassing the carrying capacity of the site. Due to the lack of control and enforcement, many tour boat operators are bringing snorkelers to small fragile sites at the same timeframe. Such situation has resulted in reduced quality of tourist experience and satisfaction level, among others, as they need to cram in with others at the designated snorkeling areas. Taking Pulau Payar Marine Park for an example, this study evaluates the snorkeling experience of 259 selected respondents in the marine park. The results employed Importance-satisfaction analysis (ISA) and Gap analysis on both satisfaction and importance level. The research result showed that the perceived mean is less than the expected mean for all attributes except for 'lack of crowd' and 'fish feeding activity'. Over sixty eight percent were satisfied with their snorkeling experience but there are several issues need to be managed by the Marine Park Department. Suggestions, such as limiting the number of visitors to the park, improving public facilities and solid waste management of the park to protect the island and its sustainability were introduced. This study highlights the importance of site management in environmentally sensitive areas, for resort and tour operators towards developing better service quality for a better tourist experience.

Feeding wild fish for tourism—A systematic quantitative literature review of impacts and management

“…As far as we know, only nine papers have directly explored visitor experience and perspectives. For example, Salim, Mohamed, and Abdullah () investigated the importance of tourists feeding fish while snorkelling in a marine park in Malaysia and found that it was of low importance when compared to the overall snorkelling experience.…”

“…Visitor satisfaction at fish feeding locations has also been found to be connected with the condition of facilities (Salim et al, ). Lewis and Newsome () reported that visitors were also concerned about the welfare of stingrays and were opposed to the site becoming commercialized, yet they wanted the feeding to continue.…”

“…Salim et al () and Ziegler et al () have utilized Importance‐Performance Analysis, and the method has proved to be useful in regard to the management of wildlife feeding. The Importance‐Performance Analysis approach gives a clear indication of not only what visitors are satisfied with but also what is important to their experience.…”

“…Lewis and Newsome (2003) reported that visitors were also concerned about the welfare of stingrays and were opposed to the site becoming commercialized, yet they wanted the feeding to continue. However, despite these concerns, the overall satisfaction with feeding fish experiences was high (Lewis & Newsome, 2003;Salim et al, 2015;Ziegler et al, 2012).…”

“…Despite these findings, the interest is fish feeding for tourism continues to grow. Salim et al (2015) and Ziegler et al (2012) have utilized Importance-Performance Analysis, and the method has proved to be useful in regard to the management of wildlife feeding. The Impor-…”