Tourism signatures and moderating effect of by-products in building Sarawak state destination image - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 203

and features in the earth that are being conserved
and protected for future generations and directly
related to the tourism industry as tourists nowa-
days are seeking for natural attraction.
Nature tourism is denotes as travelling to a des-
tination to experience natural places that involve
activities such as sightseeing, wildlife viewing,
beaches, lakes, waterfalls, national parks, fish-
ing and other nature activities (Silvennoinen &
Tyrväinen, 2001). Weiler and Hall (1992) described
the largest components of nature tourism goes to
national parks and conservation reserves.
Owing to the large ethnic groups and home of
adventure and nature, Sarawak state is having the
most exotic flora and fauna in Malaysia (Hamzah,
2004). Out of many natural attractions in the state,
Semenggoh Wildlife Center, Bako National Park
and Matang Wildlife Centre are among the highest
tourists' receipts and this directly boosts Sarawak
as nature tourism destination (Sarawak Tourism
Board, 2014).

form perceptual/cognitive evaluation of destina-
tion attributes subsequent to an exposure to vari-
ous information sources such as symbolic stimuli
(promotional efforts through media), social stimuli
(WOM and recommendations) and information
acquired from previous visitation.
Essentially, a primary image is formed through
either personal experience or actual visit to the
destination. The destination image formed by the
latter has the propensity to be more realistic and
complex as opposed to the one formed through
secondary sources of information (Gartnerand &
Hunt, 1987; Pearce, 1982; Phelps, 1986). Phelps
(1986) makes a proposition that the image formed
by organic, induced and autonomous sources
of information is dubbed as secondary image.
Another assertion by Beerli and Martin (2004) has
it that the secondary sources of information play
a pertinent and crucial role in forming cognitive
dimension of image. More importantly, Baloglu
and McCleary (1999) stressed that the variety, the
amount and type of information sources are prox-
ies for cognitive evaluation of images.
The process of image formation can be con-
ceived as a continuum of separate agents or forces
that generate a specific result either independ-
ently or in combination to form a destination
image unique to an individual (Gartner, 1994). It
is further affirmed that the detailed breakdown of
agents is vital because destination selection itself
is a process of narrowing alternatives from an ini-
tial opportunity set of all possible destinations to
an evoked set of approximately three destinations.
This contention is indeed, in support of the gen-
eral consumer behavior theory (Howard & Sheth,
1969). Moreover, destination images are impera-
tive to the process of narrowing alternatives and
they act as pull factors toward the final selection.

2.5 Relationship between by-products and tourism
Wicks et al. (2004) postulated that local by-products
are a traditional crafts, local souvenirs, miniature,
food products, merchandise and other items that
represent the local culture and purchased by tour-
ists at a particular destination. Yüksel and Akgül
(2007) argue local by-products in addition to signa-
ture products are part of numerous reasons tour-
ists travel to a destination. It is becoming common
practices that tourists when traveling to any par-
ticular destination will purchase local by-products
as memories or gift for family members or friends
(Reisinger & Turner, 2000). They further posited
that when traveling domestically, tourists are nor-
mally spent 2/3 from their total cost purchase of
the local by-product of a particular destination
while 1/5 was spent when traveling internationally.
Yüksel and Akgül (2007) stated that local by-prod-
ucts such as souvenirs or holiday postcard in addi-
tion to other tourism products create and building
the image of Turkey; Ali-Knight (2011) therefore
deduce the local by-products in addition to the
core tourism products could moderate the image
of a particular country or destination.

3 SIGNATURE TOURISM PRODUCTS,

BY-PRODUCTS AND SARAWAK
DESTINATION IMAGE

Out of many states in Malaysia, Sarawak also
known as Bumi Kenyalang (Lands of the Horn-
bills) is particularly rich in diversification of pri-
mary tourism products such as culture, heritage,
caves, national parks, mountain, forest, exotic
foods, longhouses, nature and wildlife. Owing to
diversification of primary tourism products, the
Sarawak Tourism Board (2014) is continuously
promoting its tourism signature products like cul-
ture, adventure and nature or simply known as
CAN to the local and international tourists (Sang-
gin, 2009). These core or Sarawak signature tour-
ism products are claimed to have strong influenced
in attracting local and international tourist to the

2.6 Destination image
Beerli and Martin (2004) named three key factors
that influence image formation: 1) stimulus factors
(information sources); 2) previous experience and
distribution and 3) personal factors (psychologi-
cal and social). Information sources are the main
stimulus factors that have an effect on the form-
ing of cognitive perceptions and evaluations. Um
and Crompton (1990) asserted that individuals