STRATEGIES TO UPLIFT TOURISM SECTOR IN BELAWAI: PERSPECTIVES FROM LOCAL HOMESTAY AND RESORT OPERATORS

COVID-19 has been one of the most devastating and catastrophic pandemics in contemporary history. At the moment, preserving lives takes precedence above all other considerations. However, we must also begin addressing the tourism sector's restoration strategy in the face of persistent restricti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Nur Aliah Yasmin, Muhammad Amin
Format: Final Year Project Report
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/40060/5/Nur%20Aliah%20Yasmin%20%28fulltext%29.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/40060/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:COVID-19 has been one of the most devastating and catastrophic pandemics in contemporary history. At the moment, preserving lives takes precedence above all other considerations. However, we must also begin addressing the tourism sector's restoration strategy in the face of persistent restrictions on foreign and domestic travel. In tourism, a disease-induced crisis is not uncommon. Throughout history, the tourism sector has encountered a variety of circumstances. However, the current situation has been one of the most destructive in recent memory. This sector will never be the same again following the pandemic, and both industry and government must play a part in the reviving process. The epidemic affected not just the worldwide tourism sector but also Belawai, a village in Sarawak. Belawai is quite famous for its beaches and resorts. However, due to Covid-19, resorts and homestays in this area have had to close temporarily. Fortunately, by the end of 2021, most Malaysian industries, including tourism, had reopened. Thus, this paper seeks strategies to revive Belawai's tourism industry and the premises, which were momentarily halted during the Covid-19. Based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with resort and homestay owners, this paper argues that the tourism sector in this area has the potential to improve locals' living standards. Also discussed is the condition of the tourism activities during and after the Covid-19 era. To accommodate visitor demand for novelty and authenticity, the locals will continue to commercialize their cultural peculiarity and offer Melanau experiences that give curious tourists a peek of Belawai life.