Cameron Highlands Discovery Centre: Tourist Acceptance and Perception

Tourism, Leisure and Global Change, volume 3 (2016), p.
TOC-11
CAMERON HIGHLANDS DISCOVERY CENTRE: TOURIST ACCEPTANCE

AND PERCEPTION
Ati Rosemary Mohd Ariffin
Senior Lecturer
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[email protected]
Rosilawati Zainol
Senior Lecturer, Department of Urban Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
Norjumawati binti Sabran

Research Assistants, Sustainable Science Cluster, University of Malaya
[email protected]
Ang Kean Hua

Research Assistants, Sustainable Science Cluster, University of Malaya
[email protected]
Abstract
Malaysia possesses a diversity of flora and fauna, which has become an advantage in promoting
adventure, nature and ecotourism activities. Tourism in Malaysia plays an important role in contributing
to its economy whilst raising awareness of its local cultures. Cameron Highlands, a historical hill station
with agriculture and natural attractions, has great potential to become a top travel destination due to its
natural and historical attractions and location. Tourism Board Malaysia information booth in Cameron
Highlands closed down in early 2000, and since then little information could be delivered to the tourists
from official bodies, except through their websites. Currently, tourism development and activities are
monopolised and self-promoted by private entities. These activities are highly geared towards mass
tourism, adventure tourism and ‘greenwashed’ ecotourism, with many having destructive effects on the
environment and local community.
This research study was carried out to determine tourist impressions towards having a Discovery Center
for Cameron Highlands. The research employed quantitative analysis of data obtained through
questionnaires. The questionnaires were divided into two parts; part A covering demographic profiles and
part B covering acceptance and perceptions of a Discovery Center. The sampling area and data collection
was at the main tourist areas of Tanah Rata and Brinchang. Descriptive analysis is used in this study. The
results show that having a Discovery Center in Cameron Highlands could instill a positive attitude for
tourists toward nature preservation and conservation by increasing their awareness towards heritage
cultural and the natural environment. It could educate people towards the importance of conserving
heritage cultural, could promote the ecotourism sector, and could provide income to local communities
and the Oran Asli (indigenous ethnic group).
Papers from the 8th Tourism Outlook Conference, 29-31 July 2015, Lombok, Indonesia
http://www.igutourism.org/Lombok2015/. Creative Commons Copyright NC-BY-ND
Tourism, Leisure and Global Change, volume 3 (2016), p.TOC-12
Keywords: Economic, agri-ecotourism, nature conservation, local community, education tourism,

Discovery Center, tourist perceptions
Introduction
Malaysia is a country that is rich in flora and fauna, and this diverse natural environment has
become a benefit in promoting tourism activities. The tourism industry is the second largest contributor
to the national economy. Tourists’ arrivals in 2012 were 25 million and this increased to 25.7 million in
2013, where the total increment is 2.7 % (Corporate Tourism Official Portal – Facts & Figures). The trend
shows continuous growth, and in 2014 the gross average of tourists’ arrivals in Malaysia reached 27.4
million with the growth rate of 6.7 % (Corporate Tourism Official Portal – Facts & Figures). Meanwhile,
the total revenue contributed from the year 2012 (RM 60.6 billion) to the year 2013 (RM 65.4 billion) is
RM 4.84 billion (which increased by 8.1 %) to the country (Corporate Tourism Official Portal, 2015). The
Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia, launched ‘Visit Malaysia Year’ in 2014 with the theme of
‘Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia’ (Majed, 2014), and the tourism promotion is continuous, organizing,
for example, the ‘Tahun Festival Malaysia’ (MyFest) and ‘Festival in Malaysia’ in 2015 with the new theme
of ‘Endless Celebrations’, which emphasizes the various festivals celebrated by people of all races
(Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia, Official Portal – MyFest 2015). Both campaigns have become
key drivers to achieve the target of 36 million tourist arrivals and tourism income of RM 168 billion in
2020, according to the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) (Corporate Tourism Official Portal, 2015).
Both 10th and 11th Malaysia Plan have recognised ecotourism and nature tourism as a unique tourism
niche to be developed in Malaysia. In both plans strategies and budget on these tourism niche has been
emphasised (Unit, 2010; 2015).
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (2015), the Cameron Highlands, also known as
the Hill Station, is one of the main tourism attractions as a hill resort located in the Titiwangsa Range 1,500
m above sea level (District and Land Office, Cameron Highlands, Official Portal, 2015). The area is
characterised by refreshingly cool weather, undulating valleys, sprawling tea plantations, terraced flower
gardens, vegetable farms, strawberry parks and mesmerizing highland panoramas (Zarul and
Noormahayu, 2013; Othman, 2011). There are various activities of at least 10 types (Tam, 2013) that are
offered to tourists, such as enjoying a cup of refreshing home-grown tea in full view of the Cameron
Highlands’ sprawling tea plantations, picking fresh strawberries from the strawberry farm to take home,
enjoying a game of golf in the cool mountain air with magical surroundings, and so on (Ministry of Tourism
and Culture, Malaysia, Official Portal – EBrochures, 2015; Hiong, 2007). There are also agricultural
activities carried out, such as planting vegetables, planting strawberries, planting tea trees, and so on,
which have become major attractions for tourists, apart from nature tourism. Nevertheless, rapid
development with little control and minimal monitoring has harmed and caused the disappearance of the
Cameron Highlands’ natural environment (Ismail et al., 2012), especially the community of Orang Asli. This
study aims to collect views and perceptions on the effectiveness of the development of a discovery centre
in the Cameron Highlands.
After the second mud flood incident in the Cameron Highlands on 5 November, 2014, that month,
the former Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, made a statement
on the environmental issues in the Cameron Highlands were becoming serious. Plastics and other forms
of rubbish are being dumped everywhere (Malaysian Indian Congress, 2014). There are many areas being
destroyed and illegal land clearance for agricultural activities, which causes a decline in the number of
local visitors and tourists from foreign countries like Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan (The Star
Official Portal, 2013). He also highlighted that this illegal clearing had caused environmental issues such
as soil erosion, sedimentation and siltation in river, pollution of rivers due to effluent from agriculture
activities affecting water quality, and flash floods and mud flooding (The Star Official Portal, 2013). In the
interview, the minister stressed that there would be no more developments like hotels or condominiums,
and at the same time announced the planting of one million trees in the Cameron Highlands to reduce
soil erosion and avoid landslides (Astro Awani Official Portal, 2014). In addition, the required increase in
tourist arrivals in the Cameron Highlands can only be achieved through the discovery centre.
The issues raised about the highlands’ development and land use planning should be at least taken
into consideration before they cause damage to the surroundings (Lim and Lee, 1992). The main reason
for reducing land use development is that the area is very sensitive and fragile, a view supported by Yee
and Chan (2006) who discuss the consequences of development in highland areas, which is seen as the
main reason for landslides. At the same time, modern agriculture, which permits the usage of fertilizers,
pesticides and unsystematic agricultural practices, is becoming a major factor contributing to degradation
of environmental quality in the highlands area (Kumaran and Ainuddin, 2006). Kumaran and Ainuddin’s
(2006) research study also found that solid and rubbish waste in highland areas has become a serious
issue that needs to be dealt with since it influences the environmental quality at the tourism destination.
The government in the 10th Malaysia Plan has also stressed on improving the maintenance of tourist sites
through multiple approaches, including through GLCs and corperate sponsorship, stronger enforcement
and imposition of gate fees, particularly in environmentally sensitive and heritage sites (Unit, 2010). This
would apply to Cameron Highlands as it is a prominent nature and heritage site.
Currently, in Cameron Highlands, there is no official tourist information centre. The Toursim Board
of Malaysia tourist booth had closed down in 2007 Post to that many private companies open their own
information booth in front of their travel agencies offering various forms of excursions in and surrounding
Cameron Highland. The survey in April 2015 counted there are nine numbers of travel agencies based in
Tanah Rata and Brinchang. It is questionable on the legitimacy and accuracy of information supplied as
the operators are business and profit oriented. They are also possibilities of excursions labelled and
promoted as ecotourism whilst it is merely adventure and tracking without certification or accreditations.
The ‘green washing’ tourism activities are apparent by the signboards and advertisements.
An interpretation centre, visitor interpretive centre or eco-visitor centre is an institution for the
dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage (Binoy, 2011). A study by Fesenmaier (1994)
states the importance of a tourist information centre, which in this case will be a discovery centre, that
acts as the most important communication channel in the tourism industry and is able to educate
travellers about the benefits of visiting a specific tourist destination. This is a welcoming centre that will
greet tourists at a destination. In addition, this centre, by providing information to tourists, has an impact
on their travel behaviour (Fesenmaier, Vogt & Stewart, 1993). Education and interpretation are two
distinct concepts which are interchangeable in the context of tourism. Education is defined as ‘the
structured provision of information directed towards people whose primary objective is to learn.
Meanwhile an interpretation centre can be used to modify visitors’ behaviour by dispersing visitor use in
time or space or teaching minimal impact practices (Brown et al., 1987, Roggenbuck, 1987). The extent of
the impact is highly dependent on the nature of travel to the destination. This impact will affect tourists’
length of stay and spending manner. Repeat visits by tourists are also motivated by learning and
sightseeing (Kastenholz, Euse’bio and Carneiro, 2013). In addition, staff working at the tourist information
centre also play an important role. Wong and McKercher (2011) highlight the importance of the role
played by the staff at the tourist information centre as the key information source for tourists, also known
as knowledge brokers. Tena and Raquel (2014) also highlight the importance of having a tourist
information centre as it acts as a motivational factor for tourists, and information disseminated by this
centre is the first perception that tourists have of the destination. Bahta (2003) argues that tourist-related
information should be easily accessible and available to tourists.
The relevance of having a tourist information centre may be questionable given the current
technological advances in disseminating information through the Internet and social media. However, Lyu
and Hwang (2015) have indicated that there is a negative relationship between the use of the Internet
and the demand for visitation of the tourist information centre. Technology may assist tourists to obtain
more information about a destination. However, tourists will still visit this centre to gain more information
from the experts (Tena & Raquel, 2014). Furthermore, the availability of the tourist information centre is
important not only as an information source but also for the use of other amenities such as toilets and
convenience centres (Fesenmaier, 1994). Furthermore, it is argued by Roggenbuck (1987), Bright (1994)
and Beckmann (1999) that the existence of an interpretation centre can be a cost effective, light-handed
approach to tourism, and can allow visitors freedom of choice, enhancing visitors’ experiences and
satisfaction.
This study concurs with the literature and strongly believes that the distribution process of
information is important, and that information should be offered effectively and easily to tourists in the
form of an interpretation centre which can also act to attract visitors to the Cameron Highlands. This
echoes Prentice et al. (1998) who stated that a ‘Discovery Point’ is concerned with the experience of
gaining information, education and entertainment at the visited places. Meanwhile, the ‘Discovery Centre’
theme that was used in Lepp’s (2009) research recognizes conservation in the biological as much as in
social (which involve community development) and ecological (which focus on environmental education)
processes. So, when both definitions of ‘Discovery Centre’ are applied to the Cameron Highlands, it is
important to stress the development of basic infrastructure facilities (roads, electricity, water, etc.) and
other built environment development (hotel, restaurants, administrative buildings, etc.) (Kunasekaran et
al., 2011) in promoting the tourism industries. At the same time, conservation programs are to be carried
out towards the sustainability of the environment and community based in the Cameron Highlands.
Methodology
This study concentrates on tourists’ perceptions, employing quantitative methods with data
obtained through a questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed in two main parts: Part A will obtain
information on the demographic profile of visitors, whilst Part B collects information pertaining to the
visitors’ perception of the development of the Cameron Highlands discovery centre. The questionnaire
that is set for this research consists of ‘open-ended’ and ‘close-ended’ questions. The close-ended
questions are in the form of five-point Likert scales as well as multiple choice answers to give a selection
of answers. There are only two open-ended questions available for respondents to further comment on
the issues particularly connected with the development and role of a discovery centre. The questionnaire
underwent a pilot test in July 2014 followed by two actual surveys in September and October 2014. After
the pilot study several questions were omitted and some questions were reworded and simplified so as
to shorten the time taken for each respondent to answer. An average of 15-20 minutes was taken to
complete each survey form, including the verbal introduction to the study.
A structured questionnaire was distributed targeting more than 300 respondents including local
and international tourists who visited Tanah Rata or Brinchang areas. These two areas are the main hot-
spots for tourists. The survey was done over two times including one pilot study, each time spending about
two to three days on site. The number of responses to be collected is determined by the study of Krejcie
and Morgan (1970), who suggested that samples of 200 to 300 respondents are acceptable. The analysis
for this study was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 19. Descriptive
analysis was used to examine the demographic data as well as tourists’ perceptions of the discovery
centre.
Results and Discussion
The result for the analysis of demographic profiles of respondents in Part A will be show in Table
1, and the respondents’ perception about having a discovery centre in the Cameron Highlands analysed
in Part B will be shown in Table 2.
According to the demographic analysis, the majority of respondents were Malaysian tourists
(85 %) with slightly more respondents tending to be female (54.2 %). Most of the respondents who took
the time to answer this questionnaire consisted of those who have a tertiary education level (51.8 %), and
had planned to visit the Cameron Highlands for a holiday of between two and three days (53.6 %) with
holiday expenditure between RM 500.00 and RM 1000.00 (40.5 %), while 176 respondents were
backpackers. The findings from this study found that almost half the tourists who came to the Cameron
Highlands are very satisfied with the services for the provision of information. This can be proven by the
fact that most of the respondents agreed (49.4 %) that they found sufficient pre-trip information
pertaining to the Cameron Highlands. However, the survey did not collect data on where and how the
information was obtained. On the other hand, more than half of the respondents strongly agreed (56.5 %)
that a discovery centre should be developed in the Cameron Highlands, believing that it would be
beneficial for tourists to gain information on the Cameron Highlands. They also think this programme will
develop a positive attitude in tourists towards nature preservation and conservation. This is consistent
with studies done by Fesenmaier (1994) and Tena and Raquel (2014), in which they emphasized that the
existence of this centre will educate and motivate tourists in relation to a destination.
Table 1: Demographic profile of respondents.

Category Percentage (%)
Nationality
(1) Malaysian 85
(2) German 0.6
(3) Canadian 1.2
(4) Singaporean 1.8
(5) Pakistani 1.2
(6) British 3.0
(7) Indonesian 1.2
(8) Russian 0.6
(9) Danish 1.2
(10)Turkish 0.6
(11)Swiss 1.2
(12)Iranian 2.4
Gender
(1) Male 45.8
(2) Female 54.2
Education Level
(1) University 51.8
(2) College 10.7

(3) Technical school 1.8
(4) Pre-University 3.0
(5) Secondary School 29.8
(6) Primary School 0.6
(7) Others 2.4
Length of Residency
(1) 1 day 31.5
(2) 2 – 3 days 53.6
(3) 4 – 5 days 7.7
(4) > 5days, 7days 4.2
(5) > 5 days, 14 days 2.4
(6) > 5 days, 9 years 0.6
Budget For This Trip (RM)
(1) < 500.00 36.9
(2) 501.00 – 1000.00 40.5
(3) 1001.00 – 2000.00 14.3
(4) > 2001.00 8.3
The rapid development in general along with the flourishing of mass tourism in the Cameron
Highlands has had a great toll on the environment. According to the situation in the Cameron Highlands,
there are various negative impacts, especially towards the environmental (e.g., rising temperatures, water
supply pollution, flash floods, erosion and landslides), disruption of settlements of Orang Asli, and
accretion of rubbish (Astro Awani Official Portal, 2014) (Bernama, 2013) (Ismail, 2013) (Ngah et al., 2006).
Thus, developing a discovery centre in the Cameron Highlands is important because it could bring various
benefits in sustainability for tourism industries and activities. The importance of having a similar centre is
highlighted in studies done by Fesenmaier (1994) and Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart (1993). This study
found that a discovery centre is believed to increase awareness about heritage, cultural and natural
conservation (85.1 %). At the same time, the existence of a discovery centre also means a very high
probability of promoting ecotourism in the Cameron Highlands (60.7 %). However, a slight majority of
respondents chose to agree that an educational link can educate people about the importance of
conserving the Cameron Highlands heritage (54.8 %). This is because most respondents believe that when
there are too many tourists at a particular place, this will affect the heritage ambience of the Cameron
Highlands through direct and indirect disruptions such as noise pollution.
Table 2 (I): General information of tourists’ perception toward discovery center.

Percentage (%)
Category Strongly Disagree Normal Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
Pre-trip information is delivered sufficiently in
Cameron Highlands. 1.9 19.6 19.0 49.4 10.1
A discovery center may develop a positive
attitude of tourists toward nature preservation
and conservation. 1.2 3.0 9.5 56.5 29.8
Table 2 (II): Tourists’ perception towards discovery center development in Cameron Highlands
Category Percentage (%)
Yes No
What do you think possible benefits discovery center might provide? Increase
awareness towards heritage cultural and natural conservation. 85.1 14.9
What do you think possible benefits discovery center might provide? Provide
income to local communities and Orang Asli. 44.0 56.0
What do you think possible benefits discovery center might provide? Promote
ecotourism sector in Cameron Highlands. 60.7 39.3
What do you think possible benefits discovery center might provide? As an
educational link to educate people towards the importance of conserving
Cameron Highlands heritage. 54.8 45.2
The study also found that the respondents do not agree when giving their opinion about whether
the discovery centre could provide income to local communities and Orang Asli (56 %) because the
interruption of having too many tourists can lead to negative impacts on the heritage and natural
environment itself (bin Nasir & Nasir, 2013). Although tourism gives a slight advantage to the local
communities through business or job opportunities, it could also be destructive to the Orang Asli,
especially for their settlements and livelihood.
Overall, respondents strongly agree with having a discovery centre in the Cameron Highlands. The
main purpose of developing the discovery centre is to promote and develop tourism activities, but at the
same time sustain the environment’s natural (e.g., ecosystem) and cultural (e.g., Orang Asli community)
resources, on which all depend.
Conclusion
The Cameron Highlands can regain its popularity as one of the most popular tourism sites that
promotes activities at higher altitudes and cooler temperatures in Malaysia. The tourism activities that
should be promoted in the Cameron Highlands are along the lines of cultural heritage and natural
environment themes. The expansion of mass tourism should be curbed. Therefore, an approach is needed
to continuously reduce the negative impacts, for example by having a discovery centre. The purpose of
the discovery centre is to share knowledge, information and education about the natural environment,
the Orang Asli and their settlements, and agro-eco tourism. For example, tourists and tourist companies
should be aware of the carry capacity of the hills and have a controlled peak season for a particular area,
which will help prevent harm to the natural environment and excessive exposure of the Orang Asli which
would interfere with their traditional ideas and beliefs. According to the analysis, the majority of
respondents agree with having a discovery centre in the Cameron Highlands in order to conserve and
preserve heritage, cultural and natural resources (85.1 %), promote the ecotourism sector (60.7 %), and
educate people through the educational link (54.8 %).
A fully functioning discovery centre will help to organize tourism management solutions such as the use
of public transport (e.g., shuttle buses) to avoid traffic congestion and pollution, promote the
development of agro- and ecotourism, and supply up-to-date information. The majority of tourists are
hoping that the discovery centre can act as a catalyst to conserve and preserve heritage and the cultural
and natural environment through educational links, while providing a sustainable income to the local
communities and Orang Asli, and promoting ecotourism in the Cameron Highlands.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the University Malaya Research Grant Programme titled Historical
Hill-Station Settlement as a Sustainable development area: the Case of Cameron Highland (UMRGRP009C-
13SUS: Sustainable Highland Community, Heritage and Livelihood Through EcoAgo-tourism development
in Cameron Highland) under the Sustainability Science Research Cluster which supported field and desk
research that helped produce this paper.
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Biographical Notes
Ati Rosemary Mohd Ariffin is a senior lecturer in the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built
Environment, University of Malaya, Malaysia, where her main interests are in urban design, sustainable
design, energy efficient architecture, and riverfront development and regeneration, including tourism
perspectives in eco-sustainable tourism development. She has several publications and has presented at
various conferences, and she is active in student activities, with more than two decades of teaching and
research experience in Malaysia, the UK and Australia.
Rosilawati Zainol is a senior lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built
Environment, University of Malaya. She is an expert in urban studies, geographical information systems
(GIS), and urban planning and management. She publishes actively, including a review of factors that
contribute to green neighbourhoods in the International Journal of Properties Sciences, and a study of the
application of a geographic information system (GIS) and analytic network process (ANP) for sustainable
tourism planning in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, in Applied Mechanics and Materials.

Cameron Highlands Discovery Centre: Tourist Acceptance and Perception

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Tourism, Leisure and Global Change, volume 3 (2016), p.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS DISCOVERY CENTRE: TOURIST ACCEPTANCE

Norjumawati binti Sabran

Ang Kean Hua

Keywords: Economic, agri-ecotourism, nature conservation, local community, education tourism,

Results and Discussion

Table 1: Demographic profile of respondents.

(2) College 10.7

Table 2 (I): General information of tourists’ perception toward discovery center.

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