ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES, HOMESTAY RECOVERY PLAN AND STRATEGY INDICATORS IN POST COVID-19 KUNDASANG, SABAH, MALAYSIA

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss strategies and recovery plans for communitybased ecotourism and homestays following the Covid-19 pandemic Movement Control Order (MCO), particularly in Kampung Mesilou, Kundasang, Sabah. The spread of the Covid-19 virus has had a significant impact, particularly on the tourism industry in Malaysia and, more specifically, on the ecotourism sector in the state of Sabah. The implementation of MCO in Malaysia, which aims to restrict population movement, has had a negative impact on the tourism sector, as all of them were ordered to halt operations completely. As a result, the question of the strategies and recovery plans implemented by ecotourism and homestay operators to restore the ecotourism sector, particularly in Kampung Mesilou, arises. Therefore, the main research approach in this study is qualitative and based on primary data. The primary data used were the results of in-field informant interviews, which were supplemented by secondary data from journal articles. The study's findings revealed that after the government announced the relaxation of the MCO, the communities in the area took the initiative to re-promote their ecotourism activities widely through social media, etc. One of the entrepreneurs' strategies for attracting tourists in their shorter and medium plans is the addition of new ecotourism products and the improvement of the quality of homestay facilities recently.