Resilience and non-linear change in island tourism

Perhentian Kecil, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, is predominantly a small-scale tourism destination, specifically for backpackers and independent travellers. Against the context of an aggressive drive by the state government to remove small-scale tourism development in favour of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hamzah, A., Hampton, M. P.
Format: Book Section
Published: Taylor and Francis Inc. 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/74763/
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84979499899&partnerID=40&md5=94bc1763d3337a3fd76cd2c81d53a0bc
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Description
Summary:Perhentian Kecil, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, is predominantly a small-scale tourism destination, specifically for backpackers and independent travellers. Against the context of an aggressive drive by the state government to remove small-scale tourism development in favour of formal and high-end resorts, this paper examines the local responses to the exogenous factors that had threatened the equilibrium, and hence sustainability, of the tourism systems on the island. The paper draws upon a longitudinal study with multiple visits over an extended period since the mid-1990s. Using insights from Resilience Theory, the paper argues that this island destination is an example of non-linear change rather than conventional resort evolution. The paper also discusses how the authors - as researchers - had to realign their research framework and approach to take into consideration the growing complexities of tourism development in small island destinations.