Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
K.B. Shuib & H. Hashim
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
N.K. Bahrain
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
ABSTRACT: There is no doubt that heritage landscape like Bukit Melawati in Kuala Selangor is rich
in history and possesses unique character that attracts many local visitors and foreign tourists. However,
several literature has highlighted that there is a general public neglect of these valuable heritage due to
ignorance which has led to some historical and heritage sites being abandoned or damaged. This paper
presents the findings from a study on visitors' perception on Bukit Melawati as a significant heritage tour-
ism destination in the state of Selangor. Some 215 visitors responded to the questionnaire survey carried
out at the site. The findings from the study highlighted the tourism potentials and also the perceptions of
the visitors about the various monuments, relics and historical remains available at Bukit Melawati. Sev-
eral suggestions for ensuring a more sustainable tourism of the site are presented at the end of the paper.
Keywords
:
Visitors' perception, historic and heritage landscapes, sustainable tourism
1 INTRODUCTION
2
BACKGROUND OF BUKIT MELAWATI
The Kuala Selangor District Council's website (n.d.)
described the history of Bukit Melawati in Kuala
Selangor. The Sultan Ibrahim of Selangor had built
a fortress on the hill in order to protect the state from
the Dutch invaders at the end of the 17th century.
The Dutch forces at that time had already landed
further south and conquered Malacca. A heritage
landscape such as Bukit Melawati is significant in
the historical context of a particular area and has its
own background and story that makes it what it is
today. However, it is sad to know that such historical
places have not been getting the deserved attention
and interest from the people who visited them. The
visitors are neither aware nor concerned about the
existence of Bukit Melawati as an important herit-
age site that needed to be valued and appreciated.
Generally, the public tend to ignore these places due
to the lack of interest and knowledge. This paper is
aimed at understanding visitors' perception for the
heritage landscape at Bukit Melawati and to come
up with some proposed solutions to increase the
potential of tourism for such places. Visitors include
residents, local and foreign tourists. Bukit Melawati
steeped in history is significant and quite popular
especially among local visitors who comprised 86
percent of the respondents in this study. However,
being a local hotspot destination does not mean that
the visitors are aware of the importance in protect-
ing such valuable heritage.
Bukit Melawati or Melawati Hill is located in
Kuala Selangor, a small town on the west coast of
Peninsular Malaysia. This coastal town is about 65
kilometers northwest of Kuala Lumpur and 45 kil-
ometers northwest of Shah Alam, the state capital
of Selangor.
Administratively, Bukit Melawati functions as
the Kuala Selangor district capital. It is also the
major service center providing goods and services
for the surrounding residents, visitors and tourists.
Historically, Kuala Selangor was the stronghold of
the Selangor Sultanate in the late 18th Century.
Melawati Hill is important in the history of the
state because it has the advantage of overlooking
the Straits of Malacca, one of the major shipping
routes in East Asia. Some of the historical attrac-
tions of Bukit Melawati are the 200-year old fort
and the lighthouse at the top of the hill. Several
canons could also be found on the hilltop. Other
heritage monuments and remains on the hill are
the royal mausoleum, a legendary 100-step struc-
ture, an old rest house, an execution block (used
for beheading offenders) and a poisonous well. A
museum was built at Bukit Melawati to showcase
the various historical and cultural background of
Selangor and prominent heritage events of the
state. Besides the historical relics, visitors to Bukit
Melawati were also entertained by the existence of
surprisingly tame monkeys—the
Silver Leaf
and
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