Page 629 - MARSIUM'21 COMP OF PAPER
P. 629

608

            According to Oz (2014) findings in his study, social media is being used both for in daily lives 96 percent and for travel-related activities
            95 percent. Nowadays, consumers easily explore the internet and websites to select the best tourism destination for them to choose based
            on their preference and many other factors. Consumer use social media at any stage of their travel phases not just during pre-travel stage
            (Fotisetal, 2012) but also during and post-travel. According to Department of Statistics Malaysia, the travelling trend of domestic tourism
            in Malaysia 2019 is visiting relatives and friends, shopping, holiday, entertainment or attending special event or sport, and medical treatment
            (Mahidin, 2020). Digital communication and information channels and websites where active consumers  involve in activities that may be
            consumed by others in real time anywhere are referred to as new media such as Facebook, YouTube, Google, and Twitter (Hennig-Thurau,
            Malthouse, Friege, Gensler, Lobschat, Rangaswamy, & Skiera., 2010). Holt (2016) states that present companies use social media to form
            direct relationships with customers by connecting in real time and sharing great stories with them. Social media is a prominent strategy for
            most businesses not just in tourism industry, to be used for marketing and integrated communication channel with the target audience. As
            social media platform develops, tourism businesses will face more opportunities and challenges (Oz, 2014). To improve their brand on social
            media, businesses invested big amount of money for it. Despite this, only a few companies have sparked significant customer interest on the
            internet (Holt, 2016). In this study, one of Cooperatives Commission of Malaysia (SKM) Facebook page is being studied on the effectiveness
            of its advertising to be a destination selection for ecotourism and agrotourism lovers.

            ■  1.1 CASE COMPANY INTRODUCTION






















                                              Figure 1: Johor state district economic cluster


            Johor is the southernmost state in Malaysia and also one of the states that is highly contributing to the country’s economy development in
            other sectors. In the Johor Economic Structure by Sector announced by Johor State Economic Planning Division, service sector contributes
            RM68.5 billion in 2019. Johor has 10 districts in total consisting Johor Bahru, Pontian, Muar, Tangkak, Batu Pahat, Segamat,  Kluang,
            Mersing, Kota Tinggi and Kulai which respectively have their own specialty in contributing to the National GDP such as logistic, agriculture,
            manufacturing and ecotourism itself. As stated in Figure 1, the main tourisms in Johor are ecotourism, agrotourism, beach tourism, heritage
            tourism, and lifestyle and challenge-based tourism. 6 out of 10 districts in Johor has ecotourism as their specialty or strength of its district.
            This concludes that Johor is a destination that ecotourism lovers would put focus on when choosing their holiday destination.

            Kong Kong Laut Village is a fishing village located in Pasir Gudang, Masai, Johor. Kongkong village is filled with heritage and flora and
            fauna but yet to be explored to the maximum. This village is a promising ecotourism and agrotourism destination as it has many types of
            mangrove, many seasonal fruits and different bird species. Kongkong Tourism and Koperasi Kampung Sungai Latoh  Kongkong established
            from 2013 simultaneously due to suggestions from Johor district office. They offered any village that willing to be upgraded using their
            village strength. This initiative is parallel to Iskandar Malaysia (IRDA) plan in development that time. For ecotourism attractions, there are
            cruise tour (Pulau Juling, Sungai Johor, Selat Medana, Sungai Serai), experience sea activities, group events (CSR), visit charcoal wood
            process center, and many more. For agrotourism, fresh fruits are better served fresh on its seasons, which is one of Kongkong village specialty.
            Besides, one of the attractions of Kongkong village is the Kongkong floating chalet and raft house accommodation which is different from
            other village accommodations offered as well as a hotspot for anglers. With unlimited effort by Puan Salbiah Haji Yahya, Eco Tourism
            Manager of Kampung Sungai Latoh Kongkong Masai Bhd, Kongkong village evolved from traditional village into a tourist village in Johor.

            From the establishment of Kongkong Tourism, this village has been receiving love and support from both locals and international eco lovers.
            Puan Salbiah received help and knowledge on better ways to manage Koperasi Kampung Sungai Latoh Kongkong from respective local
            authorities.

            1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT





                                                                                                                     608
   624   625   626   627   628   629   630   631   632   633   634