Sustainable tourism emphasises responsible utilisation of economic, socio-cultural and environmental resources for tourism development. Extant literature in sustainable tourism leans towards subjective and qualitative description in explaining the dynamic nature of the trans-disciplinary indicators of sustainability. However, few mechanisms have been proposed or developed to quantify the indicators measuring sustainable tourism in an indigenous ethnic context. The current study measures 61 sustainable indigenous tourism indicators of the Mah Meri ethnic group that comprise three constructs, namely, community resources, community development and sustainable tourism. Simple random sampling was employed for data elicitation and a weighted average score using R software as the basis of analysis was used to produce a sustainable indigenous tourism barometer (SITB). The study identifies 11 sustainability dimensions from the initial three main constructs that are treated as the relationship aspects in this study. Based on the Sustainable Indigenous Tourism Barometer (SITB), community participation, empowerment, economic and socio-cultural sustainability are found to be the main influencing dimensions of sustainability of the Mah Meri ethnic group. However, natural resources, financial resources and environmental sustainability indicated weaker relationships in explaining sustainability of the Mah Meri ethnic group. Based on the SITB, the results demonstrate that the Mah Meri ethnic group are a “potential sustainable” tourism stakeholder.

Economic values of various ecosystem services of recreational forests are not well understood in many countries, including Malaysia. Policymakers and resource managers with a lack of such information may make inappropriate decisions to manage forest resources. To address the information problem, this study used data and estimated the economic value of recreation as a cultural ecosystem service of the Ayer Keroh Recreational Forest (AKRF) in Malaysia using the Travel Cost Method (TCM). The study estimated an economic value of USD 20,346/ha/year for cultural services, including recreation. These findings provide some useful information that might be needed for those involved in planning and management for the development of urban forest sites, especially in AKRF.

Purpose – This study aims to assess the possibility of adapting evidence-based policies in the daily operations of tour operators in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. This intervention is important, as on-site investigations reveal that operators are operating their businesses with little reference to the ecotourism policy guidelines. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted a full qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were conducted on tour operators in Semporna, while text mining was used to elicit data from the Malaysian National Ecotourism Plan. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from the primary sources. Findings – Gaps were evident between best practices guidelines from the National Ecotourism Plan and the day-to-day practices of tour operators in Semporna, Sabah. This was due to the limitations of the National Ecotourism Plan and the limitations of the operators in identifying and adhering to best practices; the impracticality of best practices in site-specific scenarios; and the b...

Purpose: The study aims to conduct a critical analysis of available economic tools to value non‐market rural tourism products and services, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of these tools.Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews existing valuation methods to better understand how estimates of rural tourism products and services are conducted. The paper also critically evaluates the applicability of these methods.Findings: The study concludes that the selection of a method is mainly based on applicability of the approach. In assessing the non‐market value of rural tourism products and services, a method is selected by identifying its strengths and weaknesses. A review of previous studies suggests the evaluation of the practicality of each method according to the topic studied.Originality/value: The paper contributes to a better understanding of available valuation approaches that give reliable estimates on non‐market rural tourism products and services.

Malaysia deforested 6.3 million hectares since independence; 91% of which occurred before Malaysia pledged, at the Earth Summit in 1992, to maintain a minimum 50% of its terrestrial area under forest cover. However, under economic and population pressure, Sarawak—the largest contributing state to the country’s current forest cover of 54.8%—shows continuing deforestation even after 1992. This paper reviews land use policies underpinned by economic development and environmental protection considerations, land rights issues that complicate land use planning, and legislation that regulates land use change. The objective is to investigate the adequacy of existing policies and legislation in governing forest cover in Sarawak and to recommend improvement measures. If the Sarawak Land Use Policy that allocates seven million hectares for forest is realized, Malaysia’s forest cover would drop to 53%, assuming other states maintain their forests. It is recommended that legislation governing the designation of permanent forest and conversion of forest for other land use to be strengthened, civil society to be enlisted to enhance knowledge level, and carbon credit production to be promoted as alternative land use that keeps forests standing. With these measures, it is hopeful that Malaysia’s aspirations regarding forest cover can be achieved.