Stakeholder engagement and organisational interest in ecotourism development at brumas forest plantation

https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v7i1.2653
Published: Sep 4, 2025

Abstract:

Purpose: This study examined stakeholder engagement and organisational interest in ecotourism development at Brumas Forest Plantation, Sabah. It explored local communities’ perceptions, participation barriers, and the role of Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB) in promoting sustainable tourism initiatives.

Research Methodology: A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating survey, interview, and focus group discussion (FGD). Data were collected from 250 local residents and nine SSB personnel. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis using ATLAS.ti.

Results: 88.4% of the respondents recognised the ecotourism potential but only 19.2% actively participated. Main barriers included poor infrastructure (74.0%), limited promotion (69.6%), and insufficient government support (66.8%). Despite this, communities expressed interest if structured programmes, training, and economic incentives were provided. SSB supported ecotourism but emphasised the need for clear policies and collaborative frameworks.

Conclusion: Effective development requires coordinated stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and community empowerment. Corporate efforts alone are insufficient without addressing local barriers and governance support.

Limitations: The study was limited to Brumas, reducing generalisability to other contexts.

Contributions: This research integrates community and corporate views to offer practical strategies for bridging the gap between ecotourism potential and participation. It contributes to literature on sustainable tourism, rural development, and CSR.

Keywords:
1. Brumas Forest Plantation
2. Community Participation
3. Ecotourism Development
4. Organisational Interest
5. Stakeholder Engagement
Authors:
1 . Mohd Daud Tampokong
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
2 . Noor Hamzani Farizan
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Malaysia
3 . Abdullah Zawawi Yazid
Department of Wildlife and National Parks
4 . Sam Shor Nahar Yaakob
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8529-2115
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How to Cite
Tampokong, M. D. ., Farizan, N. H. ., Yazid, A. Z. ., & Yaakob, S. S. N. . (2025). Stakeholder engagement and organisational interest in ecotourism development at brumas forest plantation. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 7(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v7i1.2653
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Issue & Section
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025): September
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Mohd Daud Tampokong, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Department of Recreation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

Abdullah Zawawi Yazid, Department of Wildlife and National Parks

Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia,

KM 10, Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sam Shor Nahar Yaakob, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Department of Recreation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor

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    Blackstock, K. (2005). A critical look at community based tourism. Community development journal, 40(1), 39-49. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsi005

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    Waligo, V. M., Clarke, J., & Hawkins, R. (2013). Implementing sustainable tourism: A multi-stakeholder involvement management framework. Tourism Management, 36, 342-353. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.10.008

  1. Aas, C., Ladkin, A., & Fletcher, J. (2005). Stakeholder collaboration and heritage management. Annals of Tourism Research, 32(1), 28-48. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.04.005
  2. Abuamoud, I. N., Libbin, J., Green, J., & ALRousan, R. (2014). Factors affecting the willingness of tourists to visit cultural heritage sites in Jordan. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 9(2), 148-165. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2013.874429
  3. Anggraini, R. I., & Gunawan, B. (2021). Ecotourism development in National Parks: A new paradigm of forest management in Indonesia. Paper presented at the E3S Web of Conferences.
  4. Apriani, A., Kamsariaty, K., Sarinastiti, N., Yuliastuti, H., & Sukmayadi, S. (2023). Toward a greener future: Exploring sustainable practices in travel and tourism in Bali. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 4(3), 241-252. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v4i3.2092
  5. Asmamaw, D., & Verma, A. (2013). Local attitudes towards environmental conservation and ecotourism around Bale Mountains national park, Ethiopia. Scholarly Journal of Agricultural Science, 3(11), 506-514.
  6. Blackstock, K. (2005). A critical look at community based tourism. Community development journal, 40(1), 39-49. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsi005
  7. Bramwell, B., & Lane, B. (2011). Critical research on the governance of tourism and sustainability. Journal of sustainable tourism, 19(4-5), 411-421. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2011.580586
  8. Brudvig, L. A., Damschen, E. I., Tewksbury, J. J., Haddad, N. M., & Levey, D. J. (2009). Landscape connectivity promotes plant biodiversity spillover into non-target habitats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(23), 9328-9332. doi:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0809658106
  9. Buckley, R. (2009). Ecotourism: Principles and practices: CABI.
  10. Clifton, J., & Benson, A. (2006). Planning for sustainable ecotourism: The case for research ecotourism in developing country destinations. Journal of sustainable tourism, 14(3), 238-254. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580608669057
  11. Cobbinah, P. B. (2015). Contextualising the meaning of ecotourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 16, 179-189. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.07.015
  12. Dodds, R., & Butler, R. (2019). Overtourism: Issues, realities and solutions (Vol. 1): Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
  13. Franco, A. C., Franco, L. S., & Maganhotto, R. F. (2021). Evolution in the world of ecotourism: a systematic review of the literature on current knowledge Evolução no mundo do ecoturismo: uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre o conhecimento atual. Revista Capital Científico-Eletrônica (RCC?)-ISSN 2177-4153, 19(2), 8-21. doi:https://doi.org/10.5935/2177-4153.20210008
  14. Habib, M. H. R., Rahman, M., Uddin, M. M., Shimu, N. J., Hasan, M., Alam, M. J., & Islam, M. S. (2024). Application of AHP and geospatial technologies to assess ecotourism suitability: A case study of Saint Martin's Island in Bangladesh. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 70, 103357. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2023.103357
  15. Hardy, A., & Beeton, R. J. (2001). Sustainable tourism or maintainable tourism: Managing resources for more than average outcomes. Journal of sustainable tourism, 9(3), 168-192. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580108667397
  16. Hunt, C., & Stronza, A. (2014). Stage-based tourism models and resident attitudes towards tourism in an emerging destination in the developing world. Journal of sustainable tourism, 22(2), 279-298. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2013.815761
  17. Jamal, T., & Stronza, A. (2009). Collaboration theory and tourism practice in protected areas: Stakeholders, structuring and sustainability. Journal of sustainable tourism, 17(2), 169-189. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580802495741
  18. Juric, B., Cornwell, T. B., & Mather, D. (2002). Exploring the usefulness of an Ecotourism Interest scale. Journal of Travel Research, 40(3), 259-269. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287502040003004
  19. Luu, T. T. (2011). Corporate social responsibility and sustainable tourism. Business and Economic Research, 1(1).
  20. Musa, F., & Nadarajah, R. (2023). Valuing visitor’s willingness to pay for green tourism conservation: A case study of Bukit Larut forest recreation area, Perak, Malaysia. Sustainable Environment, 9(1), 2188767. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2023.2188767
  21. Navarro-Cerrillo, R. M., Rivas, C. A., Quinto, L., Navarro, S. H., Varo-Martínez, M. Á., & Palacios-Rodríguez, P. (2023). Afforestation on agricultural land in southern Spain: An important driver to improve forest landscape connectivity. New Forests, 54(6), 1061-1084. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-022-09956-4
  22. Scott, D., Hall, C. M., & Stefan, G. (2012). Tourism and climate change: Impacts, adaptation and mitigation: Routledge.
  23. Sulistiowati, R., Adisa, A. F., & Caturiani, S. I. (2021). Stakeholder synergy for sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 3(1), 53-60. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v3i1.1236
  24. Tehseen, S., Hossain, S. M., Ong, K. Y., & Andrews, E. (2024). Sustainable Tourism in a Changing Climate: Balancing Growth and Environmental Responsibility The Need for Sustainable Tourism in an Era of Global Climate Change: Pathway to a Greener Future (pp. 69-94): Emerald Publishing Limited.
  25. Timothy, D. J., & Boyd, S. W. (2015). Tourism and trails: Cultural, ecological and management issues (Vol. 64): Channel View Publications.
  26. Tosun, C. (2000). Limits to community participation in the tourism development process in developing countries. Tourism Management, 21(6), 613-633. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(00)00009-1
  27. Waligo, V. M., Clarke, J., & Hawkins, R. (2013). Implementing sustainable tourism: A multi-stakeholder involvement management framework. Tourism Management, 36, 342-353. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.10.008