MEGACER SRL

The study is presented in ten chapters and organised as follows:

Chapter One outlines the framework of the study. It outlines the research approach in the

context of MPs and the potential issues and problems that need to be investigated. It also discusses the research purposes, aims and objectives, the research questions and the significance of the study. The chapter also outlines the organisation of the study.

Chapter Two presents the concept of MPs and the issues surrounding the development of

MPs and conservation worldwide and in Malaysia. It starts with the concepts of marine conservation and MPAs by looking at the definitions and their objectives. Some historical backgrounds and the benefit of MPAs are discussed. The chapter continues with the discussion on the development of MPs in Malaysia with concentration given to the legal, administration and management aspects. Finally, the concept of ecotourism and its relationship within the context of MPs are examined.

Chapter Three reveals the information regarding the RMP which is the main location of the

research. It begins with the presentation of a general profile of the island: geography, landscape, climate and topography. The chapter also discusses the establishment of RMP, the administrative structure of RMP and its community. In addition, RMP as a tourist destination is also discussed, including the arrival of tourists and the activities and facilities available. Finally, current issues regarding environmental quality and threats are also presented.

Chapter Four explores the concept of the non-market valuation. The first part of the chapter

discusses the concept of economic value, while the second part touches on the available approaches to the economic valuation method, and the stated preference method is detailed in the third section of the chapter. The final part of the chapter presents some related studies employing the CR method as an evaluation technique in various fields.

Chapter Five outlines the Random Utility Theory (RUT) that is the foundation for CM. It

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the development of the CR method which is the main technique employed for valuation purposes in this study. The empirical specifications of the models used in the research are developed and presented. Finally, the chapter presents the background of the Ordinal Regression technique, specifically discussing the PLUM procedure in SPSS which is utilised for analysis purposes of the study.

Chapter Six discusses the data collection process used in the study. The chapter defines the

population, sampling frame and technique of the study. Apart from that, the section regarding location of the study and survey modes are explained. The chapter also explains the experimental design conducted during the creation questionnaire. It is followed by the definition of the variables in the survey modes. The final part of the chapter presents the survey process that took place. In the end it presents the number of samples generated from the survey process which becomes the working sample for the analysis of the study.

Chapter Seven reports the CR study results. The chapter presents the whole analysis for

local tourists visiting RMP. The chapter is separated into several sections. In the beginning, the profiles of the visitors are presented. The section also includes visitors' travel patterns, accommodation pattern, preferences and motives for visiting RMP and their attitude towards nature conservation. Some relationships among the variables of interest to the study are explored and reported. The second part of the chapter presents the result from the CR experiment. The section starts with an illustration of the ordinal regression used to determine the CR experiment using SPSS PLUM procedure. The CR results are presented in two separate sections; destination choice and the environmental features. In the CR section, several models are discussed and explored. Each analysis is followed by the determination of WTP for the attributes concerning for the valuation of both destination choice and environmental concern.

Chapter Eight follows a similar presentation as the previous chapter. It reports the complete

analysis and results for the foreign tourists visiting RMP. The chapter is separated into several sections. In the beginning, the profiles of the visitors are presented. Following this section, travel pattern, accommodation pattern, preferences and motives and their attitude towards nature and conservation are also analysed. The second part of the chapter presents

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the result from the CR experiment. The CR results are also presented in two separate sections namely the destination choice and environmental concern.

Chapter Nine is devoted to a specific study concerning the local community of Redang. The

chapter begins with the report on the profile of the local community, followed by a discussion on the relationship between Redang community and RMP. The relationship between community and tourism, and their opinion regarding these matters were also discussed. Finally, this part looks into the attitude of the villagers on conservation and development of RMP as part of their community.

Chapter Ten summarises the major findings in the earlier analysis chapters (Chapter 7, 8

and 9), and comes up with several recommendations. The discussion is divided into two main sections, the valuation section and the local community study. The discussion on the valuation part is presented in two different subsections, namely the discussion on the destination choice and the environmental concern. In both sections some of the results comparing the local and the foreign tourists are highlighted. This is followed by a section discussing some insight findings in the local community study. Finally several recommendations are suggested. The recommendation part is organised in two main sections which are the recommendations to the industry players and the recommendations to the authorities involved.

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Chapter 10: Conclusions

10.0 Introduction

This chapter begins with some discussions summing up the major findings in the analysis chapters (Chapters 7, 8 and 9), and comes up with several recommendations based on these findings. The discussions are divided into two main sections: a valuation section and a local community section. Discussions on the valuation part are presented in two different subsections, namely those about destination choice and about environmental concerns. In both sections, some of the results are highlighted, comparing local and foreign tourists. The chapter continues with a section discussing various insights about the study of the local community. Several recommendations for the industry and the authorities are also given. Finally, the study’s contributions and limitations are highlighted, and these are followed by some concluding remarks.