Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.37741/t.73.4.9
Exploring Tourist Behaviour and Interaction With User-Generated Content on Social Media: A Case of Sarawak’s National Parks and Nature Reserves
Sandra Ying Ying Khoo
; Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
May Chiun Lo
; Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Abang Azlan Mohamad
orcid.org/0000-0001-6266-8450
; Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Abstract
This paper examines the behaviour of tourists and their interaction with user-generated content on social media platforms in the context of Sarawak's ecotourism attractions, particularly its national parks and nature reserves. As the tourism industry shifts towards a more sustainable approach, understanding how tourists engage with digital technologies and social media can provide valuable insights for destination management organisations and tourism operators to market and promote ecotourism offerings effectively. Through a quantitative approach, 657 sets of questionnaires were collected from the national parks and nature reserves in Sarawak, as listed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. The SPSS v27.0 and WarpPLS 8.0 software were used for descriptive analysis and hypothesis testing, respectively. It was revealed that weak ties and tourism ties in user-generated content have a positive and significant impact on the destination image. In contrast, the destination image was found to have a positive and considerable influence on revisit intention. The findings offer practical implications for destination management and marketing strategies to leverage user-generated content and social media to enhance the overall ecotourism experience.
Keywords
user-generated content; social media; destination image; revisit intention
Hrčak ID:
337349
URI
Publication date:
31.10.2025.
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