FINDING MERSING’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LIVELIHOOD RESILIENCE MAPPING IN A MALAYSIAN TOURISM GATEWAY TOWN
Jarina Mohd Jani
Cher Chua-Lassalvy
Chee Shin Yee
DOI:
Keywords:
Resilience, Sustainable Livelihoods, Mersing, Johor, Tourism gateway town
Abstract
Mersing town is one of the main gateways to the spectacular and eco-diverse islands of Peninsular Malaysia. Under the recent Mersing District Local Plan, its economic development will widely be driven by the growth and development of the local tourism industry, placed under the Sustainable Destination framework. However, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic severely tested the town as tourism-related activity ground to a standstill during the government-imposed national Movement Control Order (MCO). This article shares the findings of a short-term study aimed to understand at ground level the drivers, strength, and resilience of this town, particularly its people, to bring forth some recommendations on how tourism development can be best achieved to benefit them. Using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, this study relied on in-depth interviews to capture the livelihood trajectories of a group of townsmen considered as Mersing’s success stories, as well as a perception and place-making survey to gain insights on public views of Mersing as a destination. Its findings revealed the resilience of this coastal town and its people in capitalizing on their livelihood assets not only to survive but also thrive thus far as a feeder-economy to various natural-capital-based industries in the past and at present. However, the Mersing townspeople are now ready to see their beloved home move to the fore in hosting visitors and sharing with them the Mersing way of life.
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