EVALUATING THE TOURIST’S MEMORABLE TOURISM EXPERIENCES (MTEs) IN MELAKA WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

• Main Authors: Mahfud, Indra Wijaya, Abd Rahman, Nur Hidayah
• Format: Proceeding Paper
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: G Geography (General); GV Recreation Leisure
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/109424/1/ICLET%20ID%20103.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/109424/2/ICLET%20ID%20103.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/109424/3/ID-103_ICLET-2023.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/109424/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Memorable Tourism Experiences (MTEs) tourist indicators that have been developed to examine the tourist experience in a tourist destination. This concept has been implemented in different tourism destination contexts such as in heritage sites and even in ecotourism destinations. It explores the various elements and factors that contribute to creating memorable experiences for tourists. However, there is limited research that has been conducted on the concept of memorable tourism experiences, especially in the context of Melaka World Heritage Sites. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE) in Melaka World heritage Site. The research methodology involves collecting data from 117 domestic tourists who have experienced the Melaka World Heritage Site through an online survey. The findings indicate that various factors contribute to the overall experience of MTE (tourist’s memorable tourism Experiences), These factors include elements such as hedonism, novelty, local culture, refreshment, meaningfulness, involvement, and knowledge. The outcomes of this study have shown that the factor of ‘Meaningfulness’ was considered as the most important factor that influenced the Memorable Tourism Experiences (MTEs) while knowledge is the least preferred memorable tourism experience (MTE), in Melaka World Heritage Site. The results contribute to improving the understanding of how tourism operators and destinations can strategically design and deliver memorable experiences to meet tourists' expectations and to enhance their overall tourism experience.