SUSTAINABLE RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

SUSTAINABLE
RURAL TOURISM

OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL TOURISM

Editors:

Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul, Oliver Valentine Eboy, Kong Teck Sieng,
Andi Tamsang Andi Kele, Andy Lee Chen Hiung, Borhan Abdullah,

Datuk Razali Datu Datuk Eranza, Faizan Hasan, Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim,
Izyanti Awang Razli, Jainurin Justine, Mohd. Nas Hafizee Ag. Abdullah,
Mohammad Adzham Fathy Abdul Halim, Oscar Dousin, Rostika Petrus Boroh,

Saizal Pinjaman, Tini Maizura Mohtar

PREFACE

This book specifically published for the collection of abstracts from the seminar on Rural Tourism Development held in year
2021. This is the second edition, where the first one was organised in the early 2020. In year 2021, the seminar is upgraded to
an international seminar due to the participation of keynote speaker and invited speaker from Japan, China, Nepal, Malaysia and
Philippines. The seminar is organised by Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy and Borneo Tourism Research
Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. The seminar also will assist the current research project SDN-0017-2019 in adding
values to the data.

The objectives of this International Seminar on Rural Tourism Development are to have an academic discourse on sustainability
issues especially on the current rural tourism that are affected by a major global concern. The seminar this year features 2
keynote speakers, 8 invited speakers by academicians of various departments from universities in Malaysia, Japan and
Philippines. The selected papers divulge on the field of tourism sustainability that tied with a spectrum of issues such as
economic, education, innnovation, human resource and issues that related to Sustainable Development Goals. The seminar also
tried to link ideas and research outputs between sciences and humanities especially in the application to the society at-large.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah is currently ranked 58th in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking and within the top 10 of the
most sustainable university in the world. The Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy with International Seminar on
Sustainable Rural Tourism Development: Opportunities and Strategies for Sustainable Rural Tourism are supporting UN
Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8 and 17

Finally, a big thank you to all parties involved either directly or indirectly in the publication of this book. May this book will be a
good reference or useful information to all readers.

Editorial Board

Sustainable Rural Tourism Development

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

PROF DR JENNIFER CHAN KIM LIAN DR NGHIEM PHU BINH
Director, Borneo Tourism Research Centre Assistant Professor
University of Hyogo, Japan
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia Topic: Leisure in and for Rural Areas
Topic: Overview of Sustainable Rural

Tourism Development

MODERATORS

DR OSCAR DOUSIN DR LIU HAO
Senior Lecturer Lecturer
Shandong Jiaotong University, China
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

INVITED SPEAKERS

ASSOC PROF DR AWANGKU HASSANAL BAHAR PENGIRAN BAGUL
Head, Tourism Management Program
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Topic: Strategies for Tourism and Sustainability for Rural Area in Sabah

PROF DR THERDCHAI CHOIBAMROONG
Professor in Tourism and Hotel Management
National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand
Topic: Community-Based Rural Tourism Development in Thailand: Moving
Toward Sustainability by GSTCs

DR JOCELYN BANTIGUE
Research Director
Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Philippines
Topic: Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in the Philippines

DR NOOR FZLINDA FABEIL

Head of Entrepreneurship Program
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Topic: Rural Tourism and Livelihood Change: A Study on Local Community
in Kadamaian

MR YOGENDRA KAYASTHA
Country Coordinator
Development Fund Norway, Nepal
Topic: Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in Nepal

DR MORI KOGID
Senior Lecturer
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Topic: Pro-Poor Tourism in the Land Below the Wind: New Evidence from
Empirical Testing

MS YAN GUO
Senior Lecturer,
Huaihua University, China
Topic: China’s Tourism-Assisting the PoorPolicies on Poverty Alleviation

MR YUZAINY JANIN
Lecturer
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Topic: Delving into the Pre-requisites for Involvement in Tourism Business:
Perspective from Rural District of Kiulu, Sabah

MR KAMARUL MIZAL MARZUKI
Lecturer
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Topic: A Preliminary Local Value Chain Analysis of Rural Tourism in Sabah:
The Case of Kadamaian Destination

MS MARRY TRACY PAWAN
Lecturer
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia
Topic: Exploring the Rural Tourist Experience in Sabah: The Perspective of
Millennials

ORGANIZING TEAM

Advisor I:
Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Hj. Md. Mansur

Advisor II:
Prof Dr Jennifer Chan Kim Lian

Chairman:
Assoc Prof Dr Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul

Deputy Chairman:
Dr Andi Tamsang Andi Kele

Secretariat:
Dr Izyanti Awang Razli & Ms Rostika Petrus Boroh

Technical:
Dr Borhan Abdullah & Mr Muhammad Adzham Fathy Abdul Halim

Publication:
Dr Oliver Valentine Eboy & Ms Kong Teck Sieng

Certificate:
Dr Tini Maizura Mohtar

Members:
Dr Faizan Hasan, Dr Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim, Dr Oscar Dousin, Dr Saizal Pinjaman,
Mr Andy Lee Chen Hiung, Ms Bibianah Thomas, Ms Christiana Jonut, Mr Datu Razali

Datu Datuk Eranza, Mr Jainurin Justine & Mr Mohd. Nas Hafizee Ag. Abdullah

.

For further inquiries, please contact:

ASSOC PROF DR DR IZYANTI AWANG RAZLI
AWANGKU HASSANAL E-Mail:
BAHAR PENGIRAN BAGUL
[email protected]
E-Mail:
[email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
Number
Preface
Keynote Speakers 1
Moderators
Invited Speakers
Organizing Team
Biodata

ABSTRACT 1:
Strategies for Tourism and Sustainability for Rural Area in
Sabah
By: Assoc Prof Dr Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul

ABSTRACT 2: 2
Community-Based Rural Tourism Development in Thailand: 3
Moving Toward Sustainability by GSTCs
By:Prof Dr Therdchai Choibamroog
ABSTRACT 3:
Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in the Philippines
By: Dr Jocelyn Bantigue

ABSTRACT 4: 4
Rural Tourism and Livelihood Change: A Study on Local
Community in Kadamaian
By: Dr Noor Fzlinda Fabeil

ABSTRACT 5: 5
Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in Nepal
By: Mr Yogendra Kayastha

ABSTRACT 6: 6
Pro-Poor Tourism in the Land Below the Wind: New Evidence
from Empirical Testing
By: Dr Mori Kogid

ABSTRACT 7: 7
China’s Tourism-Assisting the PoorPolicies on Poverty
Alleviation
By: MS Yan Guo

ABSTRACT 8: 8
Delving into the Pre-requisites for Involvement in Tourism Business: 9
Perspective from Rural District of Kiulu, Sabah 10
By: Mr Yuzainy Janin

ABSTRACT 9:
A Preliminary Local Value Chain Analysis of Rural Tourism in Sabah:
The Case of Kadamaian Destination
By: Mr Kamarul Mizal Marzuki

ABSTRACT 10:
Exploring the Rural Tourist Experience in Sabah: The Perspective of
Millennials
By: Ms Marry Tracy Pawan

List of Participated Organization 11

BIODATA

Prof. Datuk Dr Kasim Hj Md Mansur was born in Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia. He obtained his BSc in Business Administration
(1984) and MSc in Economics (1986) both from Indiana State
University, Terre Haute, Indiana, United States of America (USA). He
obtained PhD degree (2000) in Economics from the University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. His area of specialization -
Economic Development and Labor Economics

Throughout his career in academia, he holds several administrative
posts in the UMS:
1.Head of Program for Human Resource Economics (HE11) at the
School of Business and Economics from 2001-2002.
2.Deputy Dean of Centre for Post Graduate Studies from 2002-2003.
3.Dean for the School of Business and Economics, UMS from 2003-
2009.
4.Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) from 2009
until 2014.
5.Dean, Faculty of Business, Economics & Accountancy, UMS 2020
– present.

In the past twenty years he has carried out numerous researches in
various areas of human capital and economic development
particularly on poverty eradication and zakat with funding from
government agencies as well as international bodies. He has
supervised and co- supervised more than 20 PhD and Masters local
and international students within the faculty. He has published more
than 100 publications in the form of journal articles, chapters in
books, books, proceedings and conference papers. His peer-
reviewed papers have been published in reputable international
economic journals including The Singapore Economic Review; Asia
Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Asian Journal of
Technology Management; Journal of Innovation Economics and
Management; International Journal of Research and Innovation in
Social Science (IJRISS). He has authored or edited more than 50
books. Some of his better-known books were Human Resource
Economics; Issues and Perspectives, Collections of Studies on
Sabah and Sabah-Kalimantan Economic Relations being the most
recent being published. He is also the Associate Editor of the Borneo
Review Editorial Board, Institute of Development Study Sabah (IDS).

Prof. Datuk Dr. Hj. Kasim Hj Md Mansur has also received several
honours and won several awards for his great contribution at national
and international level. He was awarded the medal Cross of
Friendship by Laos PDR Government in 2014. At the national level,
he was the recipient of The Asian HRD awards 2017 in recognition
of his contribution to the HR Community. In relation to sports, he was
the President of Malaysian University Sport Council (MASUM) from
2011-2014. He was also the President of ASEAN University Sport
Council between 2012 and 2014. He became the Chef de Mission in
the World University Games (WUG) in Kazan, Russia. As a
recognition of his excellence leadership at the Malaysia university
level, he was awarded Tokoh Sukan Universiti-Universiti Malaysia in
2014.

Dr. Jennifer Chan Kim Lian is Professor of Tourism and Hospitality,
Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy and Director of the
Borneo Tourism Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah since
2015. She served as Deputy Director for the Centre for Strategic and
Academic Management (2008-2014), and Deputy Dean for Research
and Development at the School of Business and Economics (2000-
2002). Her research focuses on various issues within the tourism and
hospitality management including the nature/rural tourism, Geo
tourism, protected areas, sustainable and responsible tourism
management, hospitality human resource management; and tourism
experience. Another stream of research addresses issues of tourism
research methodological issues such as using multi methods and
data triangulation, mixed methods research and qualitative method.

She is active as a regular reviewer for high impact and Scopus
tourism and hospitality journals; editor/ board member for The
Routledge Handbook of Tourism Experience Management and
Marketing (TRHTEMM), editor for IGI Global-book, Global
Opportunities and Challenges for Rural and Mountain Tourism, an
editorial board member for the review panel for Electronic Journal of
Business Research Method, International Journal of Qualitative
Research in Services; and the Journal of Hospitality Management
and Tourism.

Currently, she is a national panel auditor for the Tourism and
Hospitality Program Accreditation appointed by the Malaysian
Qualifications Agency; Technical and Commercial Assessment
Panel – Ministry of Science and Technology, Malaysia. At the
International level, she holds several positions including appointment
as Advisory Member Malaysia by the World Gastronomy since 2018;
an International Visiting Professorial Fellow and Doctor Fellow of the
Royal Institution, Singapore since 2015; Honorary President of the
Royal Institute of Tourism, Singapore; Professorial Chairholder in the
field of Tourism and Human Capital Development by the Royal
Institution Singapore (2017- 2018); Board Member of the Asian
Ecotourism Network since January 2019 and coach for Travelife -
Sustainability in tourism.

Dr. Awangku Hassanal Bahar bin Pengiran Bagul is an Associate
Professor at Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy and
a Research Fellow for Borneo Tourism Research Centre (BTRC) at
Universiti Malaysia Sabah. He is a Visiting Professor to Tokushima
University and National Institute of Technology, Fukushima College,
Japan. He is the founding Director for EcoCampus Management
Centre of UMS (2013-2015) and the Head of BIMP-EAGA Unit for
Tourism Development (2012-2013). He is also the founder and the
current Editor-in-Chief for both BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable
Tourism Development and Journal for BIMP-EAGA Regional
Development. Dr. Awangku Hassanal Bahar has a strong passion in
promoting sustainable development since he started working in 1996.
His research projects focus on sustainability linked to tourism,
development, capacity-building, local community and climate
change. He graduated with a PhD in Tourism from Victoria University
of Wellington (New Zealand), a MSc. in Tourism Management from
University of Surrey (UK) and a BA (Hons) in Business Administration
from Coventry University (UK).

Kamarul Mizal Marzuki is a Lecturer of Tourism Management at
Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy and a Research
Fellow at Small Island Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Previously, he was the Head of BIMP_EAGA Unit for Tourism
Development, UMS (2014-2015). Prior to academic career in 2005,
he worked as an Urban Planner Assistant at Cerana Design
Associate (1996-1998) and Research Officer (2001–2005) at
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. He is currently a member for Malaysia
Institute of Planners and Malaysia Town Planners Board and
previously was a member of Sabah Tourism Consultative Council
(2006-2007). His research interests include the study of city tourism
experience, sustainable destination management, tourism in
protected area, tourism product and experience development and
tourism crisis. He graduated with Master and Bachelor Degree both
from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Marry Tracy Pawan is a Lecturer at Faculty of Business, Economics
and Accountancy in Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She holds a MSc.
and BSc. in Business (Hotel Management) from Universiti Malaysia
Sabah. Marry Tracy Pawan has a strong passion of conducting
research in hospitality and tourism field which focusing on food and
beverage, consumer behaviour and restaurant management.

Dr. Noor Fzlinda Fabeil is a Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at
the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti
Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Presently, Dr. Noor is also a research fellow
in Entrepreneurship Research and Development Center (ERDEC)
and Small Island Research Center (SIRC) in Universiti Malaysia
Sabah. Her research pursuits are focused on entrepreneurship
among vulnerable groups including women, youth, indigenous,
micro-entrepreneurs and rural small business.

Yuzainy Janin pursued his tertiary education at undergraduate and
masters level majoring in Tourism and Hospitality at UiTM and Griffith
University respectively. Since joining Universiti Malaysia Sabah in
2003, he has been involved in various research and consultation
projects in the area of tourism both at state and national level
involving collaborations with tourism ministries and agencies at the
state and national level. Aspire towards getting the best out of tourism
to benefit the all stakeholders, Yuzainy research interest primarily
related to sustainable accommodation development, diffusion theory,
ICT in tourism and hospitality and community-based tourism
development. Currently, Yuzainy is involved in project with a UNDP
project on river-based tourism. He is a also an avid advocate in ICT
integration in teaching and learning of digital natives particularly in
tertiary educational institution.

Bình Nghiêm-Phú is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of
Economics and Management, University of Hyogo, Japan. The
majority of his research are directed toward the understanding of
consumers’ perceptions and evaluations of the characteristics or
images of products, services, organizations and places. He adopts
the approaches of applied psychology theories to the implementation
of marketing and management activities.

Dr. Jocelyn D. Bantigue is an Associate Professor V (Professor 6
candidate) and designated as Research Director of Northern Negros
State College of Science and Technology at Sagay City, Negros
Occidental, Philippines. She is a member of Asia Pacific Consortium
of Researchers and Educators (APCoRE), International Association
Of Scholarly Publishers, Editors And Reviewers. She is member of
Visayan Sea Scientific Advisory Group (VS-SAG) and Technical
Working Group member of Western Visayas Consortium of Industry,
Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development
(WVCIEERD). She has a strong passion in marine affairs research,
coastal resource management, food innovation, sustainable
mangrove eco-tourism development and women in fisheries. She
graduated with Ph D degree in Educational Management, MS in
Fisheries, Master of Marine Affairs (UP-Visayas, Region 6) and
Bachelor of Science in Fisheries Education from Iloilo State College
of Fisheries (ISCOF, Region 6).

Dr. Therdchai Choibamroong is currently a Professor in Tourism and
Hotel Management of the Graduate School of Tourism Management,
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). He was
appointed as the Foundation Dean of Graduate School of Tourism
Management, National Institute of Development Administration
(NIDA) from 2010-2017. Furthermore, Professor Choibamroong has
been serving as a national and international tourism and hospitality
expert, working for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism
Authority of Thailand, the Thailand Research Fund, the National
Research Council of Thailand, and the Designated Area for
Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization), the Asian
Productivity Organization and United Nations World Tourism
Organization. With expertise in tourism, Dr. Choibamroong becomes
the first and only Thai Professor in Tourism and Hotel Management.
He is highly recognized as a professional and amicable tourism policy
research whose research outputs have consciously been utilized by
tourism-related organizations for sustainable tourism development in
Thailand and Asia.

Yogendra Kayastha (Yogi) has an M. Sc. in Renewable Energy from
the University of Flensburg in Germany and has 20 years of
experience working in the NGO sector in Nepal. He began his career
in 1992 working for KEEP – an NGO dedicated to make visitors in
Nepal aware of its culture, tradition and travel etiquette while
travelling in Nepal, followed by working in INGOs and UNDP funded
programs. He worked as M&E Specialist in Tourism for Rural
Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) – one of multi-donor
programme including UNDP in Nepal. TRPAP extensively promoted
sustainable rural tourism in Nepal. He began his work with the
Development Fund Norway in 2009. Since 2016, he has served as

the Country Coordinator of the Development Fund Norway looking
after monitoring and documentation of DF partners in Nepal.
Yogi has traveled extensively throughout Nepal including 72 out of
75 districts. He has trekked almost all major trekking areas in Nepal
including Mt. Everest, Annapurnna region and Langtang. He has
good knowledge of sustainable rural tourism development and socio-
political situation of Nepal.

Guo Yan is a PhD student in Business, Economics and Accountancy
College in Universiti Malaysia Sabah and a faculty of Tourism
Department in Huaihua University, Hunan, China. Funded by the
China Scholarship Council, She is a visiting scholar to Massey
University in New Zealand and has completed the cooperative
research program. She is a consultant for China Travel Agency
Huaihua Subsidiary and Huaihua Municipal Tourism Bureau, working
on tourism marketing and planning for traditional village sustainable
development. She is always passionate on the research of the
sustainable rural tourism development and pro-poor tourism(PPT).
She is now particularly interested in the research of China Tourism -
assisting Poverty Policy’s effects on the fulfillment of Chinese
government’s initiative in eradicating absolute poverty and curbing
long-term relative poverty.

Abstract
&

Slide

Sustainable Rural Tourism Development

ABSTRACT 1

Strategies for Tourism and Sustainability for Rural Area in Sabah

Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul

Borneo Tourism Research Centre
Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy

Universiti Malaysia Sabah
E-Mail: [email protected]

This presentation outlines what are the current strategies in the topic of rural tourism development
and how sustainability can enhance it. Rural tourism has always considered being a niche tourism
in many countries and with the rise of sustainability, there are a renewed interest in rural tourism
as it incorporates nature and culture that also promotes responsible consumption, for both host
and guest. The Sabah government identified rural tourism as one of the areas with great potential
to be developed by proposing an allocation of RM17.2 million for its development in the State
2021 Budget. There is a focus in developing community-based tourism under the umbrella of rural
tourism, taking advantage of the unique culture from many of the ethnic groups in Sabah. The
importance of rural tourism has been widely recognised as an important factor in the development
of rural areas. Rural tourism is also an important means of sustainability by creating new jobs that
are much needed in a declining rural area or by reviving traditional customs. Regarding the
number of tourists who practice rural tourism, the trend is an upward one, while they seek a form
of sustainable (responsible or ecological) tourism. There are two strategies that are discussed,
which are creativity and authenticity. Creativity helps rural areas by diversifying activities and by
attracting a new typology of tourists, i.e., urban tourists who actively participate in educational
activities specific to the destination, with occasional demand for sustainability. The development
of creative tourism is evident in rural areas, where creativity is needed to combat a lack of
economic alternatives. Creativity also allows destinations to innovate new products relatively rapid,
giving them a competitive advantage over other locations. Authenticity, on the other hand, are
being demanded actively by tourist in rural tourism. There are two dimensions of authenticity,
which are front stage authenticity and backstage authenticity. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning
the fact that the concepts of creativity and authenticity are relatively important in sustaining the
development in the rural tourism, and hence the need to put more effort and funds into researching
this field.

Keywords: strategies, rural tourism, sustainability, tourism development, creativity, authenticity

1

STRATEGIES FOR
TOURISM AND
SUSTAINABILITY FOR
RURAL AREA IN SABAH

by

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul
Head of Tourism Management Program, Faculty of Business, Economics and

Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Research Fellow, Borneo Tourism Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah

INTRODUCTION

The importance of rural tourism Regarding the number of
has been widely recognised as tourists who practice rural
an important factor in the tourism, the trend is an upward
development of rural areas. one, while they seek a form of
Rural tourism is an important sustainable (responsible or
means of sustainability by ecological) tourism.
creating new jobs that are much
needed in a declining rural area
or by reviving traditional
customs.

INTRODUCTION

At the same time, the
tourists turn their
attention to certain areas
which offer unique and
specific experiences, and
consequently authentic
ones, in which the
promoted lifestyle is local
and traditional.

Photo source:

Top: thrillophilia.com
Bottom: tripadvisor.com

INTRODUCTION In order to make this process
less noticeable for tourists,
Rural tourism is often linked to there is a trend that focuses on
tradition; however, the rural creating activities, such as
space cannot remain isolated visiting ethnic villages, theme
and unaffected by the parks and ethnic homes, taking
influence of globalization and part in events and ethnic
the natural advance of festivals and participating in
modernization. traditional dances or
ceremonies

INTRODUCTION

Even if there is no clear-cut “any form of tourism that
definition of rural tourism, showcases the rural life, art,
researchers have found several culture and heritage at rural
similar features. locations, thereby benefiting
A comprehensive definition that the local community
uses these characteristics is economically and socially, as
given by Nagaraju and well as enabling interaction
Chandrashekara (2014) who between the tourists and the
state that rural tourism locals for a more enriching
represents… tourism experience”.

DEFINITION
AND TYPES
OF RURAL
TOURISM

Types of Rural Tourism
o Agritourism
o Ethnic tourism
o Ecotourism
o Creative tourism
o Culinary tourism

CREATIVITY AS A STRATEGY FOR
RURAL TOURISM
As stated above, creativity helps The development of creative
rural areas by diversifying tourism is evident in rural areas
activities and by attracting a (where creativity is needed to
new typology of tourists, i.e., combat a lack of economic
urban tourists who actively alternatives)
participate in educational Because “creativity allows
activities specific to the destinations to innovate new
destination, with occasional products relatively rapidly,
demand for sustainability. giving them a competitive
advantage over other locations”

Creativity as a Strategy for Rural Tourism – Nature-
Based and Low Impact

Left(CampingandStargazingin TegudonVillage,KotaBelud,source:HCShiWordpress)
Right(Campingand RecreationinAACampsite,BolotikonVillage,Papar,source:FauziahtonAwangSamad)

Creativity as a Strategy for Rural Tourism – Selling
Unique Experience

Left (Mongolian Yurt – Wind Paradise in Kundasang. Source: Twitter.com)
Right (Japanese Experiencein Hidden Hill Kundasang.Source: Hidden Hill Kundasang)

Creativity as a Strategy for Rural Tourism –
Glamping (Mountain)

Dome glamping by Umea Glam Kundasang
Source:Umea Glam Kundasang

Creativity as a Strategy for Rural Tourism –
Glamping (Coastal)

Luxurious Pop-Up Beach Resort by Cabana Retreat,Rampayan Beach, KotaBelud.
Source:Cabana Retreat

THE SEARCH FOR AUTHENTICITY
IN RURAL TOURISM

Authenticity was first correlated to Back stage authenticity
tourism in 1973 by Professor it represents the real authenticity, and
MacCannell , who perceived it as a it is less visible for tourists; it opens the
staged authenticity. There are two access to the non-touristic life of the
dimensions of authenticity: locals.

Front stage authenticity:
it represents the tourists’ first
encounter with the new culture. It is an
artificial authenticity, shaped by the
locals in order to attract curious
tourists who have predetermined
stereotyped images of that place.

AUTHENTICITY AS A STRATEGY
FOR RURAL TOURISM IN SABAH

MARI-MARI CULTURAL VILLAGE – DESA CINTA KOBUNI – BACK STAGE
FRONT STAGE AUTHENTICITY AUTHENTICITY

Photo of Mari-Mari Cultural Village. Source:viator.com
Photo of Desa Cinta Kobuni:Author

Case Study: Desa
Cinta Kobuni –
Creative, Authentic
and Sustainable

The tourism activities are
still in its infancy in this
village, therefore, all three
stakeholders i.e. Kampung
Kobuni, UMS and DBKK take
this opportunity to develop
the tourism activities in the
village.
The village was later re-
named as DESA CINTA
KOBUNI for tourism
branding.

RURAL TOURISM IN DESA CINTA
KOBUNI

RM50 per person

Welcome dance

Blok Matahari - Traditional Cooking demonstration

Blok Mawar - Bead making

Blok Teratai - Sireh and betel nut tasting with folklore story telling

Blok Bunga Raya - Traditional lunch/dinner

Impact 1 – Creation of
employment

Creation of new jobs i.e., tour guide, CSPAAOVNOOJKAUIRNRAGTMHDWEEMMHOESRNTRESATTRIOGAUHTRITOISANTWOCAAFYNKUIH
homestay operators, micro
entrepreneurs for souvenirs, food and
beverages and cultural performance.

Providing secondary income to the
women and youth at the village i.e.,
RM250 and above per month.

The creation of co-op to ensure fair
distribution of income

During the pandemic era, the villagers
either doing training or train other
aspiring group from other villages

Impact 2 – Women
empowerment
Women mainly run the tourism
activities in the village, and this
has given them the opportunity
to exercise creativity and work
in a structured organisation.

They also have been receiving TV Drama filming in Desa Cinta
secondary income, which Kobuni. Source: Emalia Rabin
supplement their household
income.

Impact 3 – Upgrading the
environment

The tourism sector has improved the
ambiance of the village tremendously
with murals project (collaboration with
DBKK and Nippon Paint) and creating
beautiful and meaningful corner at the
river and public spaces (collaboration
with DBKK and UMS).

MOTAC Sabah Office contributed a new
community hall.

The village has more sustainability MvtCoiibnuuetrraiapsltKhssooaabtronuednoeiplvoapecnroadyrlwtstuhhaneeliiytrkyeea. itfnotrrDaacetsgsaood
elements with currently organic farms
competition to increase the touristic
values of the village and a Japanese
organization will help the villager to set
up their hydro-electric system for make
the village greener and more
sustainable.

CONCLUSION However, extrapolating, the two
concepts may be correlated
To sum up, it is worth with rural tourism and their
mentioning the fact that the implication in this form of
concepts of creativity and tourism can be further
authenticity are relatively discussed.
important in sustaining the These concepts address a
development in the rural typology of tourists who are
tourism, and hence the need to more educated, passionate and
put more effort and funds into sustainable.
researching this field.

Sustainable Rural Tourism Development

ABSTRACT 2

Community-based Rural Tourism Development in Thailand:
Moving Toward Sustainability by GSTC-D

Therdchai Choibamroog
National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand

Due to the popularity of tourism in Thailand, the country faces the rising issues deterioration in
host communities and concentration of tourists among the popular destinations, especially
Bangkok and the Southern parts of the country (Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2017). As a
result, the primary challenge of the tourism development in Thailand is to determine how the
country can develop sustainably to preserve the quality of tourist attractions and the local
communities as well as to expand the development of the tourist destinations to other areas of
the country to generate income from tourist activities, especiallyin the rural areas. This paper,
therefore, aims to explore the concept of rural tourism by using community-based tourism as
the development tool toward sustainability standards of Global SustainableTourism Council
Destination Criteria (GSTC-D). Global Sustainable Tourism Committee (GSTC), a non-profit
organization, defines and maintains standard guidelines of global requirements for sustainable
travel and tourism to increase the awareness of and access to sustainable tourism practices,
assist in the identification and development of sustainable tourism markets, and educate and
advocate fora set of universal values identified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
According to GSTC Destination Criteria v.2 (2019), the criteria of sustainable destination
development are classified into four primary sections which are Sustainable Management,
Socio-economic Sustainability, Cultural Sustainability, and Environmental Sustainability. GSTC
has signed a partnership agreement with Thailand’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism
Administration (DASTA) in 2015 (GSTC, 2015) which enables DASTAto implement the GSTC-
D Criteria as a framework for sustainable development of tourist destinations. DASTA is the
primary public organization acting on behalf of the Thai government to help the communities,
especially in the rural areas, develop the sustainability destination by focusing the maximum
benefits in the economic, environmental, and socio- cultural aspects as well as sustainable
approach of sustainable management through adopting community-based tourism (CBT) as
the primary method. The development of CBT destinations in Thailand aims solve the issues of
concentrations of tourists to generate incomefrom tourist activities, especially in the remote
areas as well as promotes the sustainable tourist destination development. By 2019, DASTA
was able to develop over 59 communitiesunder community-based tourism concept (DASTA,
2019). In conclusion, the development of rural tourism is currently moving toward merging with
community-based tourism in accordance with the framework that was adopted from GSTC-D
Criteria, focusing on sustainable management, socio-economic sustainability, environmental
sustainability, and environmental sustainability.

2



































Sustainable Rural Tourism Development

ABSTRACT 3
Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in The Philippines

Jocelyn D. Bantigue
Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology

This study has examined the development of sustainable rural tourism in the Philippines using
published secondary data extracted from reputable journals and actual interviews with key players.
Historical trends of tourism initiatives and performance were traced back from the pre-martial law
era, martial law, post martial law, 21st century to date with Pandemic occurrence. It was found
out that during the 20s rural tourism in the countryside was already presented by the United
Nations World Trade Organization (UNWTO) and later became reflected in the government’s 10-
point socioeconomic agenda. Several initiatives have been done by the local government units to
strengthen their advocacy example organizing Community-Based Rural Tourism National
Conferences. As part of the initiatives the Department of Tourism has come into agreement and
work closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of
Interior and Local Government to develop programs, and with the travel trade on promotions. The
Philippines through the Department of Tourism recognizes Siargao, the northern part of Palawan,
and the Cordillera Administrative Region, Bohol, and Boracay as emerging destinations for
countryside tourism. Initiatives on sustainable rural tourism have expanded down at LGU and
local community levels utilizing the natural scenic attractions of mountains and underwater
seascape. It is noted that in some ways the rural community has benefited economically and
ecologically from rural tourism initiatives. However there are numerous gaps/issues to consider
in the implementation much especially on the recognition of the government on the benefits and
advantage that can be derived from rural tourism development.

Keywords: sustainable rural tourism, community-based, DoT and DENR

3

SUSTAINABLE RURAL TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT IN THE
PHILIPPINES

JOCELYN D. BANTIGUE, Ph. D
Research Director

Backgroun
d

14° 34' 59.99" N
latitude
121° 00' 0.00" E
longitude

Southeast West

898.21 mi Climate is
(1,445.54 km) tropical (high
north of temp, high
the equator humidity,
abundant
rainfull

Geography

1,850 km Coastline

Philippine Sea

300,780 sq. km 7,641 islands
total land area (NAMRIA, 2017)

110,639,355

Total Population

UN data 2021

www. country report.org Roughly 75 percent The Philippines belong to the Pacific Ring
of the world's of Fire where the oceanic Philippine plate
volcanoes are and several smaller micro-plates are
located here. subducting along the Philippine Trench to
the E, and the Luzon, Sulu and several other
small Trenches to the W.

Abundance of Natural Wonders

www. cebu philippines. net

Backgrou A major revenue
nd generator, a
catalyst for
Tourism makes socio-economic
an important growth and a
part to the source of
economy of the national pride.
PHILIPPINES
Pearl of the Orient
Seas

Backgrou
nd

• Tourism in the Philippines traces its origin during the
ancient times through trade by Arabs, Indians,
Japanese, Chinese, and other ethnic groups of
Southeast Asia, Taiwan and due to influx of Spanish
people during the Spanish period.

• Numerous agencies and academic researchers have
identified tourism as a potential economic development tool,
particularly for rural communities (Prosser, 2000; Wilkerson,
1996).

However, despite these large potential, the tourist industry of the Philippines has lagged behind its
Southeast Asian fellows like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, due to
political and social problems

HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION AND TRENDS OF TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

4.7 M

3.2M 2.7

2.2M

1.5

1M 1.2M
0.6 0.70

Source:
Añasco, CP. ; Lizada, JC
University of the Philippines Visayas
Philippine Tourism: Evolution towards Sustainability

HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION OF TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

9

8 Foreign tourists (Million) 8.3 M tourists

7

6

5 contributing 12.7 percent to
the country’s gross domestic
4 product in 2019 as well as
13.5 percent to the total
3 employment with 5.7 million
employed in the sector.
2

1

0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2012

Source: PEDIX 2021 Statistica Philippines

HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION OF TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

POST-COVID FORECAST OF
TOURIST IN THE PHILIPPINES

August 2020

Philippines News Agency Report

Tourist arrivals to
the Philippines slumped

by 73% during the seven

months of 2020 giving

the country 1.3
million visits .

PwC Philippines’ statement on COVID-19 July, 2020

The Pandemic Era" somehow brings some

opportunities and insights to people's travel

preferences in the Philippines, changing their

mindset… towards

SUSTAINABLE RURAL TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT

• Rural tourism is a broader concept that encompasses agritourism, farm tourism, ecotourism
and nature tourism.

• It comprised a small-scale enterprises, characterized by open space, availability of
natural and cultural heritage, traditional practices, connections with local families, growth
that is slow and organic, local control, and sustainable.

• URBAN AREAS comprise larger places and densely settled

areas around them.

47% 53% Rural  According to the current delineation, released in 2012 and based
Urban
NCS, 2019 on the 2010 decennial census, RURAL AREAS comprise open

country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents.

Rural areas covers inland or coastal countryside, including small
towns and villages, where the main part of the area is used for:
1.Agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and fisheries.
2.Economic and cultural activities of country-dwellers.
3.Recreation and leisure areas or nature reserves.

2014 2016 2018 2019
United Nations Promotion of rural Department of Tourism
World Trade tourism was introduced (DOT) and Local Department of Tourism
Organization as part of the Government Units (DOT) was working
(UNWTO) government’s (esp. Province of closely with the
declared its 10-point Negros Occidental, Department of
2014 theme as socioeconomic agenda Phils. ) strengthen their Environment and
“Tourism and to support the farmers, advocacy by Natural Resources
Country Side IPs, women and other organizing the 4th (DENR), and
Development.” marginalized groups Community-Based Rural Department of Interior
through sustainable Tourism National and the local
programs Conference in Bacolod Government (DILG) to
City. develop programmes,
and with the travel
trade on promotions.