Exploring Tourists’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Willingness to Pay on Biodiversity Conservation: Insights from Kinabalu Park, Borneo

Tourists visiting Kinabalu Park, Borneo, show strong willingness to contribute financially to biodiversity conservation. Over half of the surveyed respondents—both local and international—expressed a desire to pay for conservation efforts, with average contributions of RM5 per person for locals and RM84.05 for international tourists. The study used the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate this willingness, incorporating five bid prices tailored to each group. Principle Component Analysis revealed that environmental attitudes significantly influence tourists' preferences for biodiversity conservation over social factors. These findings highlight the potential for ecotourism to support financial planning and governance in conservation programs at Kinabalu Park.

Musa, F., Ahmad Nasir, N. S., Jaunis, O., & Mohd Hamdan, D. D. (2021). Exploring Tourists’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Willingness to Pay on Biodiversity Conservation: Insights from Kinabalu Park, Borneo. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 736(1), 12045. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/736/1/012045