The development of sports tourism towards residents of Langkawi Island, Malaysia - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 183

Although development in sports tourism provides
incentive for conservation of natural resources, it
destroyed natural environment caused by construc-
tions of hotels and other tourists' facilities.
Significantly, residents of divorced/widow status
perceived positive economic development in sports
tourism as it helped to present culture to tourists
in an authentic way, and also helped the locals to
learn tourists' cultures. Conversely, they felt that
the development of sports tourism benefited the
non-islanders as more job opportunities are avail-
able in Langkawi Island. Although it increased
traffic congestion as identified by Zhou and Ap
(2009), it provides incentives for historical resto-
ration, and also exposed tourists to local cultures.
Nevertheless, the married residents complained
that developments in sports tourism change the
local traditions and culture. These findings com-
plement Brida et al.'s (2011) revelation that tour-
ism gave the residents opportunities to meet people
and learn their culture.

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7 CONCLUSION

Langkawi Island is listed among the ten best
islands in Asia (“Langkawi among top islands in
Asia”, 2014). LADA was established to inspire,
implement, expedite, and execute socio-economic
development in Langkawi. The identification of
the lists of economic, socio-cultural, and environ-
mental impacts could facilitate LADA in plan-
ning the strategies for future developments of
the island. These considerations are important as
LADA needs the local communities' supports for
sport tourism development which could enhance
the quality of their life. Future studies could focus
on the long-term sports tourism impacts. Specific
study on the attributes of international sports
events could contribute to positive development
in promoting Langkawi Island as an international
sports tourism destination.

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