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Factors influencing tourist visitation in

marine tourism: lessons learned from


FRI Aquarium Penang, Malaysia
Salmi Mohd Isa and Lizana Ramli

Salmi Mohd Isa and


Lizana Ramli are both
based at the Graduate
School of Business,
Universiti Sains Malaysia,
Penang, Malaysia.

Abstract
Purpose - To establish tourist visitation to new tourism areas is in most cases dependent on tourists
behavior. Indeed, tourist visitation is considered among the primary components of the marine tourism
operation. Such behavior is usually enacted in the form of destination awareness, destination image and
motivation. Word of mouth is likely to influence tourist to visit. The purpose of this paper is to examine the
factors that may influence tourists to visit marine tourist destinations.
Design/methodology/approach - The study has utilized self-administered questionnaire survey and the
target population are the visitors that came to FRI Aquarium. The survey period was from August 2012
to September 2012. Total of 179 responses were collected during this period.
Findings - This study demonstrates that destination awareness, motivation and WOM are factors that
influence the tourist to visit the FRI Aquarium. Interestingly, destination image however, has shown
insignificant relationship with tourist visitation. WOM also found to be has a full mediating effect for
awareness towards tourist visitation. For example, before visit, visitor may require some information
beforehand and word of mouth is a direct medium to transfer the information. A key implication for FRI
Aquarium is that it might be wise to assess such variables for their marketing strategies.
Research limitations/implications - First, the sample was obtained from one marine aquarium in
Malaysia. The comparative studies between aquariums are important to understand if there are any
similarities and differences. It would be better to conduct the survey in other local aquariums such as the
Underwater World, Langkawi and the KL Aquaria, Kuala Lumpur. Second, a longitudinal study is
relevant to further investigate the factors that will influence the visitor visitation. Thus, future study should
gather data from those who had visited the aquarium several times. This approach might improve the
destination image results, which in this study shows insignificant relationship. That said,
acknowledgements of these limitations also suggest a new direction of future research.
Practical implications - FRI Aquarium is suggested to create more awareness to the public by placing
an advertisement via mainstream and social media. Hence, FRI Aquarium is suggested to design
environmentally marine life oriented educational programs in order to motivate and encourage more
visitors to visit the place.
Originality/value - In sum, this paper conjectures that an understanding of factors that influence the
tourist to visit the marine tourism destination are worthy of additional research. Consequently, the
findings help to understand how these factors can provide alternative sources of marketing to attract the
long-term economic sustainability of the FRI Aquarium in marine tourism.
Keywords Word of mouth, Malaysia, Motivation, Destination awareness, Destination image,
Marine tourism
Paper type Research paper

Received 10 April 2013


Revised 8 January 2014
Accepted 19 January 2014
The authors would like to thank
Mohamad Saupi Ismail for
giving them the opportunity to
conduct the study in the
Fisheries Research Institute
(FRI), Penang.

Introduction
The tourism industry has become the largest service industry in the global economy (Ferreira
et al., 2009; Som and Badarneh, 2011). In Malaysia, the industry has emerged as one of the
countrys key economic sectors. Malaysia is rich in natural and cultural diversity. Due to its
popularity, extensive findings demonstrate that Penang is the most visited state in Malaysia,
with almost six million hotel guests reported in 2012 (Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, 2012).

DOI 10.1108/IJCTHR-04-2013-0016
VOL. 8 NO. 1 2014, pp. 103-117, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
INTERNATIONALJOURNALOFCULTURE,TOURISMANDHOSPITALITYRESEARCH

j PAGE103

Penang, which is also known as the Pearl of the Orient, is well known
among
local
and
foreign tourists for its natural beauty and modern beach resorts. Since
Penang
is
an
island
surrounded by sea water, it has particularly strong potential in marine tourism
(Ghaderi
et
al.,
2012). Globally, the growth rate of marine tourism has been found to exceed
other
forms
of
tourism (Eagles and McCool, 2002). In relation to this, it has been
reported
that
marine
tourism has becoming increasingly competitive and even saturated (Yoon
and
Uysal,
2005;
Hui et al., 2007). Therefore, it is important for marine tourism destinations
such
as
Penang
to
attract more visitors. Aquariums are one of the most common marine
tourism
attractions,
where marine life is captive under artificial environments, thus
offering
visitors
an
under-water world experience. As aquariums become increasingly
attractive
experiences,
where tourists are able to simultaneously enjoy themselves and learn more
about
marine
life,
it is important to identify the factors that may further enhance their
attractiveness to tourists.

Study area
Penang is located in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. It covers of
an
island
with
an
area about 285km2 and a strip on the mainland known as Seberang Perai
with
an
area
of
737km2. The island is connected to the mainland via the Penang Bridge and
also
by
ferries.
The states population is about 1.5 million, comprising a mix of religions,
ethnicities
and
cultures. Apart from being a famous destination locally (Ghaderi et al., 2012),
Penang
is
also
a well-known destination for foreign tourist due primarily to its myriad modern
beach
resorts,
inland forests, ethnic cultures and heritage sites (see Table I); More recently,
the
state
has
experienced a growth in marine tourism.
The FRI aquarium has a total of 25 tanks showcasing the large variety of
marine
life.
Apart
from fish, there is also a display of different types of corals and sea
anemones.
The
aquarium
aims at both introducing marine tourism to the local and international tourists.
Currently,
FRI
is in search of alternative sources of marketing to ensure its longterm
economic
sustainability. Among possible alternatives includes the establishment of
visitation
pattern,
since it is considered a relatively reliable and potential source of increasing
the
market
share
of the marine tourism industry.

Development of the research hypotheses


Establishing tourist visitation to a new tourism area is, in most cases,
dependent
on
tourist
behaviour. Indeed, tourist visitation is considered among the primary
components
of
marine
tourism operation. Such behaviour is usually enacted in the form of
destination
awareness,
destination image, and motivation. As noted by Kiss and Bichler (2008),
word-of-mouth
(WOM) is likely to influence tourists to visit. Our study comprises the first
attempt
to
examine
the factors that may influence tourists to visit marine tourism destinations.
Destination awareness
The concept of destination awareness is mostly investigated under the
topic
of
tourism
decision processes (Woodside and Lysonski, 1989; Goodall, 1993).
Awareness
might
not
always lead to purchase because it acts as product curiosity (Fesenmaier
et al., 1993).
Table I Domestic and international tourist arrivals to Penang from 2005 to 2010
Year

2005
4,351,909
2006
4,715,234
2007
5,186,611
2008
6,307,468
2009
5,960,329
2010
5,990,864
2005-2010
32,512,415

2,267,532

52.1

2,084,377

47.9

2,562,978

54.4

2,152,256

45.6

2,787,260

53.7

2,399,351

46.3

3,496,293

55.4

2,811,175

44.6

2,982,687

50.0

2,977,642

50.0

2,942,544

49.1

3,048,320

50.9

17,039,294

52.4

15,473,121

47.6

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Tourist
International total

Local total
Overall total

Gartner (1993) viewed awareness as what someone knows or thinks they


know
about
a
destination. Meanwhile, Woodside and Lysonski (1989, p. 8) described
awareness
as
unaided recall from long-term memory and aided recognitions. However,
Pike
(2002)
referred to it in a tourism context as the destination that first comes to mind
when
an
individual is considering taking a trip. In relation to this, Gartner and Ruzzier
(2010)
argued
that the dimension of awareness and image is important for first-time visitors.
They
claimed
that without awareness, a destination may not be chosen by a person that has
an
intention
to
travel. Konecnik and Gartner (2007) have included awareness as one of the
dimensions
in
the customer-based brand equity model. Their study demonstrated that
cognitive
image
and conative image constituted an awareness dimension used to measure
Slovenias
awareness to German and Croatian tourists. They found that awareness it is
an
important
dimension in their model. Therefore, in order for a tourism destination to be
known,
it
must
create greater awareness (Milman and Pizan, 1995) because awareness can
be
heard
and
recognised.
Further, Gartner and Ruzzier (2010) also claimed that, in the absence of
awareness,
a
destination may not be chosen by a prospective traveler. In the destination
choice
process,
one of the sets of destinations that are considered by a traveler is the awareness
set.
This
set
is made up of all destinations that come to the mind of a potential tourist when
they
think
of
going for a vacation. Moreover, Milman and Pizan (1995), in their study, also
found
that
awareness is a necessary element before a person builds a desire and
eventually
buys
a
product or service. In relation to this, Woodside and Sherrell (1977), in their
study,
argued
that awareness is a first and necessary step leading to destination
visitation.
Thus,
destination awareness builds a desire before the tourist eventually visits a
place.
Destination image
According to Lopes (2011), although a person might have not been to a
particular
place,
they are still able to have the destination image in their mind based on
information
that
they
have received. Destination image is a mental representation of a place of
interest
(Lawson
and Baud-Bovy, 1977; Fakeye and Crompton, 1991; Bigne et al., 2001). An
early
study
by

Gunn (1988) suggested that image formation happens in seven stages.


Based
on
the
stages, he created a destination image framework, which consists of two
levels,
namely,
organic images and induced images. Organic images are images or
information
from
resources that have not been directly linked to destination promoters such as
geography
books and school lessons, magazines, television, WOM, news, movies,
newspapers
and
other media. It is a potential tourists impression of a destination before
visiting.
Induced
images are images projected or influenced by destination promoters
and
tourist
organisations using planed marketing and communication methods such
as
travel
brochures or advertisements. It is not only formed by promotional material,
but
also
by
actual visitation to the area.
Later, Gartner (1993) claimed that destination images are formed by cognitive,
effective
and
conative. These three components interrelate to determine the overall image.
Cognitive
component is the sum of a persons knowledge about a destination, which may
be
organic
or
induced. This is the awareness, knowledge or belief that people have about a
destinations
attributes. Affective component represents an individuals feeling toward a
destination
(Baloglu and McCleary, 1999). The conative component is the outcome of the
cognitive
and
effective stages and decides a persons intention. According to the latest
guidelines
for
tourism marketing (Lopes, 2011), the development of the image of a tourist
destination
is
based on consumer rationality and emotion and also as a result of two main
components:
Perceptual and cognitive - the destination image is evaluated by the
attributes
of
its
resources of attractions which motivates tourist to visit the destination; and
Affective
referring to feelings and emotions raised by tourist destinations. The overall
image
of
the
destination is a combination of both components.
Hunt (1975) demonstrated how important a destination image is in
influencing
tourist
visitation to a particular destination. The selection of destination processes
of
potential
tourists has been demonstrated by destination image factor (Hunt, 1975;
Gunn, 1988).

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Similarly, Baloglu and McCleary (1999) demonstrated the relationship of


visitation
intention
with variety of information received, will induce the destination image.
Destination
image
has
also been shown to be closely tied to the cognitive image component, as it
leads
to
visitation
(Gartner and Ruzzier, 2010). Thus, destination image is also important in
determining
tourist
decisions to visit.
Motivation
Research has found that motivation is one of the most important travel
decision-making
factors (Valle et al., 2006). Swanson and Horridge (2006) defined
motivation
as
a
set
of
needs that makes a person become involved in tourist activities. An
important
framework
to
examine the motivations on tourist visitation behaviour is the push-pull
framework
introduced
by Dann (1977). This concept explained that people travel because they
are
pushed
and
pulled to do so by forces. Crompton (1979) emphasised further that both
push
and
pull
factors shape tourist motivation and in choosing a vacation destination. He
grouped
and
isolated nine travel motivations, namely, escape from mundane, exploration,
relaxation/rest,
prestige, regression, and enhancement of kind ship relationship,
facilitation
of
social
interaction, education and novelty. The first seven are categorised under
push
forces/factors
and the remaining two are categorised under pull forces/factors. Travel
motivation
is
also
a
multi-motive dimensional as reviewed by Van der Merwe et al. (2011). Their
research
shows
that different travel destinations have different travel motives for a person
before
he
decides
to choose a travel destination. Travel motivation is also a multi-motive
dimension,
whereby,
a
person might have more than one motive in choosing a destination.
1. Motivation Push Factors. Push factors refer to intangible, intrinsic
desires of individual
travelers (Uysal and Hagan, 1993). It could be the individual travelers
desire to escape,
rest and relaxation, health and fitness, adventure, prestige, and/or social.
It is suggested
that individuals are pushed by motivation variables to make travel
decision. Push factors
are those that push a person away from their home and influence a
persons decision to
take a vacation. Thus, the push motivations are useful for explaining the
desire for travel. It
is considered to be socio-psychological motivations that predispose the
individual to
travel.

2. Motivation Pull Factors. Pull factors are external motivation factors to


travel (Uysal and
Jurowski, 1994). They are based on the attractiveness of the
destination. It is the
attractiveness of the destination and tangible characteristics such as
beaches and
cultural/historical resources, among others, that motivate a person to
travel (Uysal and
Hagan, 1993). It is also a travelers perception and expectation such as
novelty, benefit
expectation and marketing image of the destination. According to
Bansal and Eiselt
(2004), it is a region-specific lure that pulls a tourist towards a destination.
Pull motivation
is useful for explaining the actual destination choice. Pull factors are those
that attract the
individual to a specific destination once the decision to travel has been
made.
Based on the theory of planned behavior (TBP) by Ajzen (1991), this study
argues
that
destination awareness, destination image, and motivation will influence the
tourist
visitation
rate. Given the well-established theoretical rationale, the following
hypotheses
are
advanced
for empirical testing:
H1. A significantly higher level of destination awareness will lead to
significantly higher
tourist visitation in marine tourism.
H2. A significantly higher level of destination image will lead to
significantly higher
tourist visitation in marine tourism.
H3. A significantly higher level of motivation will lead to higher tourist
visitation in marine
tourism.
Word-of-mouth (WOM)
Arndt (1967) defined WOM as oral, person-to-person communication
between
a
receiver
and a communicator, when the receiver is perceived as non-commercial,
regarding
a
brand,
product or service. Meanwhile, Westbrook (1987) defined WOM as the
means by which

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consumers communicate their opinions to others in an unofficial way after they


have
used
a
product or taken a service. Eventually, WOM influences other peoples
purchasing
behaviour
(Kim, 2009). WOM can be projected as either positive or negative. Positive
WOM
occurs
when testimonials of good news and endorsements of the organisation are
uttered
(Buttle,
1998). It is when a person encounters satisfactory services; positive WOM
will
happen
(Susskind, 2002).
In relation to this, Kiss and Bichler (2008) commented that WOM is one type
of
marketing
technique. This technique has been used to increase brand awareness by
self-replication
and message diffusion. This shows that there is a relationship between
awareness
of
the
product or destination when a person has been exposed to informal
information
such
as
WOM. Informal sources such as relatives and friends have been shown to
influence
image
formation among tourist destinations (Crompton, 1979; Beerli and Martin, 2004).
This
shows
that images were induced by the use of WOM as well. Sundaram and
Webster
(1999)
suggested that consumption experiences and motivation are closely related in
the
process
of WOM transmission. Moreover, a study by Godes and Mayzlin (2004) found
that
there
was
a positive feedback mechanism between WOM and product sales. They
found
that
WOM
leads to more product sales, which, in turn, generate more WOM and, ultimately,
more sales.
Similarly Milman and Pizan (1995) found that the negative comments that
visitors
hear
from
others could create low interest in visitation. According to Jeong and Jang
(2011),
positive
WOM also plays an important role in projecting a positive image which leads to
intention
to
behave. Bojanic (1996) argued that it is important to have a positive
image
in
tourist
decision-making. In addition, Allsop et al. (2007) commented that
communication
such
as
WOM can persuade by reason and motivate by emotion. According to them,
research
that
was done on consumer motivation and decision-making can maximize
personal
relevance
on the cognitive and emotional dimensions. Therefore, WOM is an important
source
of
information prior to visit, which has an impact on tourist visitation.
Following this rationale, therefore:
H4a. The higher the level of WOM, the better the relationship between
destination

awareness and tourist visitation in marine tourism.


H4b. The higher the level of WOM, the better the relationship between
destination image
and tourist visitation in marine tourism.
H4c. The higher the level of WOM, the better the relationship between
motivation and
tourist visitation in marine tourism.

Methodology
The study utilized a self-administered questionnaire survey, with the target
population
being
visitors to the FRI Aquarium. The survey period was from August 2012 to
September
2012.
A
total of 179 responses were collected during this period. However, 30
collected
survey
questions were excluded from the analysis due to high percentage of
incomplete
responses
to the questions. All of the questions were adapted from previous related
studies
(see
Table II).
The survey questionnaire consisted of six major sections. The first
section
included
questions on the tourist profile, such as gender, age, education, income
and
mode
of
transportation to the aquarium. The next five sections were developed to
assess
the
respondents level of agreement on awareness, destination image, motivation,
WOM,
and
visitation to the FRI Aquarium. A total of 42 items were selected for all five
sections
(see
Table III). The items used a five-point Likert scale, where 1 Strongly
Disagree;
2 Disagree; 3 Neither Agree or Disagree; 4 Agree; 5 Strongly
Agree.
All
data
collected were analysed using the SPSS software version 2.0. The data were
tested
for
descriptive analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis
and
regression
analysis.

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Table II Summary of research instruments


No.
of
Variables

Source
questions

Awareness

Milman and Pizan (1995); Konecnik and Ruzzier (2006);


Konecnik and Gartner (2007); Gartner and Ruzzier (2010)

6
Destination image

Echtner and Ritchie (1993); Konecnik and Gartner (2007);


Gartner and Ruzzier (2010); Qu et al. (2011)

13
Motivation

Yoon and Uysal (2005); Van der Merwe et al. (2011)


16

Word of mouth

Jeong and Jang (2011)


4

Visitation performance Jeong and Jang (2011)


3

Results
Several aspects of our analysis are worthy of mention. First, the profiles of the
respondents
were
analysed. This was aimed to gather general information on the respondents.
Based
on
the
analysis, 52 per cent of respondents were male and 48 per cent were female.
The
majority
of
the respondents were aged between 25-34 years (38 per cent). Half of the
respondents
were
high school or diploma leavers. Thirty four per cent of the respondents
worked
in
the
private
sector, followed by 29 per cent working as government servants. Most of
the
respondents
income levels ranged from RM1,000 to RM5,000 per month (72 per cent).
The
overwhelming
majority of respondents came to the aquarium via their own transportation
(83 per cent).
Second, the scree plot was also been used as a base to select a number
of factors to be taken into the analysis. Due to the small sample size in this
study, this method will not provide precise result. Three factors were
identified and 15 items were retained for further analysis. Results of the
analysis after elimination of 20 items showed an improvement in
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measurement to 0.85. The Bartlett test remains
significant ( p 0.00). The three factors accounted for 61 per cent of total
variance.
Third, for the validation measure, principal component analysis was
conducted.
Varimax
rotation was conducted towards all three independent variables,
namely,
awareness,
destination image and motivation. On initial factor analysis, the KMO was
0.82,
which
was
deemed acceptable for further factor analysis. Thirty five questions were

analysed
for
factor
analysis. Items were deleted if they exhibited low factor loadings (# 0.40),
had
high
cross
loading (. 0, 40), or if they had low communalities (, 0.40) (Hair et al.,
1998).
Items
were
removed one by one until no further deletion was needed. On final analysis,
15
items
were
maintained for further analysis. Results of the analysis after elimination of 20
items
showed
an improvement in KMO to 0.85. The Bartlett test was significant ( p 0.00).
Three
factors
were identified on analysis, which accounted for 61 per cent of total
variance.
The
three
factors were labelled as Awareness, Destination Image and Motivation.
Results
of
this
analysis are shown in Table IV.
Fourth, factor analysis was conducted on the mediator, which is the word-ofmouth.
One
of
the items needed to be deleted due to low communalities (, 0.40). After
deletion, KMO was
0.74. The Bartlett test was significant ( p 0.00). Total variance explained
was
83
per
cent,
with eigenvalue of 2.49. Finally, factor analysis was carried out on visitation.
No
deletion
of
items was required. KMO was 0.69 and the Bartlett test was significant ( p

0.00).
Total
variance explained was 69.2 per cent and eigenvalue was 2.08. Reliability
analysis
was
conducted to test internal consistency. Factors that exceeded 0.70 of
Cronbachs
Alpha
demonstrated good reliability (Hair et al., 1998). Analysis conducted shown
that
each
factor
had good internal consistency where each had a value of Cronbachs Alpha
of more than
0.7, except for awareness factor. This is explained due to the small number
of
items
for
awareness (three items). Gartner and Ruzzier (2010) had suggested that for
small
numbers
of items, 0.60 or 0.50 could be accepted as the alpha limit. Result of reliability
for
awareness,
destination image and motivation is as per Table IV. Correlation analysis
was
conducted
to
test the strength and direction of the linear relationship between all
variables.

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Table III Summary of questions


Code

Measurements

AW1
A state tourist destination
AW2
Exhibits coral reef life
AW3
Located in Batu Maung
AW4
Open daily except on Wednesday
AW5
A research oriented aquarium
AW6
Free entry for old citizens, disable person and children below 6 years old
DI1
Well known and famous
DI2
Well-advertised
DI3
Available via travel agency
DI4
Easy access via all types of transportation
DI5
Ample parking space
DI6
Entrance fee is among the cheapest of all zoos/aquaria in Malaysia
DI7
Friendly and helpful staff
D18
Surrounding is restful and relaxing
DI9
Has a clean image
DI10
Has a safe image
DI11
Exhibits many marine life species
DI12
Interesting and unique attraction/exhibits
DI13
Provides good information on its exhibits
MO1
Affordable tourist destination
MO2
Close to other surrounding area of attraction
MO3
Close to my home/relatives/accommodation
MO4
Increase education and learning experience
MO5
Enhance knowledge on marine life
MO6
Able to appreciate natural resources
MO7
Place for family recreation and/or having leisure time with someone special
MO8
Entertaining and fun place to go
MO9
Place where my friends/family/relatives had not been to
MO10
Able to rest and relaxing myself
MO11
Many activities for children
MO12
Convenient facilities, e.g. restroom, cafeteria, prayer room
MO13
Value for my money
MO14
To get away from demand at home
MO15
Exploring new travel destination
MO16
Spending time with my friends
WM1
Received good comments from others
WM2
I want to share my positive experiences with others
WM3
I want to give others the opportunity to have a good experience
WM4
I feel good when I share my experience with others
DVAR1
I am very satisfied with my visit to the Aquarium and would visit again and will recommend
DVAR2
In my opinion, this Aquarium should be supported and I will show my support by sharing my positive
experience to others
DVAR3
I would recommend this Aquarium to others

The analysis had shown that all independent variables are positively
correlated to the dependent variable.
Regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship of each
independent variable towards the dependent variable. The result of factors
influencing visitation is shown in Table V. Based on the analysis, destination
awareness (b 0.149, p , 0.05) and motivation (b 0.623, p , 0.05) were
found to be in a significant positive relationship with visitor visitation.
However, destination image (b 0.095, p . 0.05) is found to be
insignificant. Therefore only H1 and H3 were supported.
Next, regression analysis was done on the independent variable with wordof-mouth.
Based
on the analysis, destination awareness (b 0.262, p , 0.05) and motivation
(b

0.580,

p , 0.05) had a positive relationship and significant effect on WOM.


However,
destination
image (b 2 0.094, p . 0.05) was shown to be insignificant. It is therefore
concluded
that
destination awareness and motivation have a positive and significant
effect
on
WOM.
Therefore, H4a and H4c were supported. Further, regression analysis was
done
on
WOM
with visitor visitation. The results show that WOM (b 0.826, p , 0.05) is
significant. It is

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Table IV Result of reliability analysis


Factor label
Communalities

Motivation

Increase education and learning experience


0.722
Enhance knowledge on marine life
0.743
Able to appreciate natural resources
0.604
Place for family recreation and/or having leisure time with someone special
0.588
Entertaining and fun place to go
0.688
Able to rest and relaxing myself
0.496
Convenience facilities, e.g. restroom, cafeteria, prayer room
0.480
Exploring new travel destination
0.515
Friendly and helpful staff
0.570
Surrounding is restful and relaxing
0.667
Has a clean environment
0.770
Has a safe environment
0.557
Exhibits coral reef life
0.647
Located in Penang
0.539
A research oriented aquarium
0.564
Eigenvalue
Variance (%)
Cumulative variance (%)
Cronbachs alpha

0.796
0.767
0.759
0.816
0.648
0.624
0.709
0.720
0.733
0.816
0.712
0.744
0.732
0.735
5.843
38.95
38.95
0.898

Independent variables
Standardized Beta
Regression result between factors influencing visitation
Destination awareness
0.149*
Destination image
0.095
Motivation
0.623*
Regression result between factors influencing WOM
Awareness

2 0.094
Motivation

Awareness

0.775

Table V Result of regression analysis

0.262*
Destination image

Image

1.740
11.60
50.55
0.775

1.569
10.46
61.01
0.613

0.580*
Regression result between
WOM and visitation Mediating
variable
WOM
0.826*

concluded that WOM has a positive and significant effect on visitor


visitation to FRI Aquarium. Therefore, H4 is fully supported.
Finally, multiple regressions were conducted to investigate the mediator
role
of
WOM
for
destination awareness, destination image and motivation towards visitor
visitation
to
the
FRI
aquarium. To verify the mediating effect of the variables, multiple
regression
analysis
was
conducted.
According to Baron and Kenny (1986) cited in Hsu et al. (2010), to claim
a mediating relationship, the following four conditions must be met:
1. The independent variables (in our case, destination awareness,
destination image and
motivation) must be in a significant relationship with the mediator (which, in
our case, is word
of mouth (Path A)) in the absence of the dependent variable (in our case,
tourist visitation).
2. The independent variables (i.e. awareness, destination image and
motivation) must be in
a significant relationship with the dependent variable (i.e. tourist visitation
(Path C)) in the
absence of the mediator (i.e. WOM).
3. The mediator (i.e. WOM) must be in a significant relationship with the
dependent variable
(i.e. tourist visitation) (Path B) in the presence of the independent
variables; and the

j NTERNATIONALJOURNALOFCULTURE,TOURISMANDHOSPITALITYRESEARCHj VOL.8NO.12014

PAGE 110 I

independent variables must be in a significant relationship with the


dependent variable in the presence of mediator.
4. If all of the previous conditions are satisfied, the effect of the independent
variable on the
dependent variable must be less in the third condition than in the second
condition (see
Figure 1).
In addition, Baron and Kenny (1986) cited in Hsu et al. (2010)
recommended
conducting
a
Sobel test to investigate if the mediator significantly influences an
independent
variable
to
the dependent variable. This is to test the significant change in the
coefficient
for
a
more
comprehensive and reliable test. Based on Table VI, the analysis shows
that
for
Model
2
(Path A), awareness (b 0.262, p , 0.05) has a positive and significant
relationship
with
word of mouth. Model 1 (Path C), shows that awareness (b 0.149, p , 0.05)
has
a
positive
and significant relationship with visitor visitation. Model 3 (Path B) shows
that
that
WOM
(b 0.826, p , 0.05) had a positive and significant relationship with
visitation.
Model
4
shows that the b is insignificant. These justify all four conditions discussed
earlier.
To
fully
verify this effect, a Sobel test was conducted and the result was significant
(
p
,
0.001).
Based on the results, it can be concluded that there is a full mediating effect
of
WOM
with
regards to relationship between awareness and tourist visitation.
Therefore
H4a
is
supported. However, WOM does not have any mediator effect for destination
image
towards
visitor visitation. Therefore H4b is not supported. Finally, based on the
analysis
it
was
found
that WOM partially mediates the relationship between motivation and
visitation.
Therefore
H4c is partially supported.

Discussion
Our study contains several interesting findings relevant to our
understanding
of
factors
influencing tourist visitation in marine tourism. We found through our
analysis
that,
when
framed in terms of influencing tourist behaviour, several factors are
significant to highlight.
Destination awareness and visitation
According to Milman and Pizan (1995), awareness can lead to interest and
eventually
to
trail.
In this study, respondents were asked about the aquarium itself as a marine
research

Figure 1 Mediating path

Table VI Results of mediating effect of WOM with regards to relationship between factors influencing
visitation
performance
Variables
(Path AB-C)
Destination awareness
0.021
Destination image
Motivation

Model 1 (Path C)

0.149*
0.095
0.157*
0.623*
0.245*

Significant value of dependent variables measurement


Model 2 (Path A)
Model 3 (Path B)

0.262*

Model 4

2 0.094
0.580*

WOM

0.826*
0.650*

Note: 0 shows insignificant and *p-value , 0.05

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VOL. 8 NO. 1 2014 I


AGE111
P

location with coral reef life exhibits. In addition, the survey also asked about
the
respondents
awareness of the location. Konecnik and Gartner (2007), in their study, found
that
people
are
often more aware about locations associated with appealing weather,
beautiful
natural
surroundings, and so on. These findings were consistent with the results
produced
from
this
study. The respondents in our study were aware that the FRI Aquarium is a
marine
research
destination which exhibits marine life. In addition, they were also aware that
the
aquarium
is
located in Batu Maung, Penang.
Destination image and visitation
The destination image was shown to have an insignificant relationship with
visitation,
which
was
something our variables did not predict. Respondents were asked to rate if
the
place
had
friendly and helpful staff, restful and relaxing surroundings, clean
environment,
and
safe
environment. These items of measurement could be answered appropriately if
the
visitors
had
visited the destination before. This is because the visitor will have to experience
the
destination
images before they are able to decide on a revisit. A prior study conducted by
Assaker
et
al.
(2011), concluded that destination image impacted revisits and influences
future
return
intention. Similarly, Qu et al. (2011), also found that the overall image of a
destination
was
perceived more positively by return visitors rather than by first-time visitors. In
relation
to
this,
the present study focused on first-time visitors to the aquarium. Thus,
further
investigation
needs to be undertaken by future researchers on revisit tourists to shed more
light on this issue.
Motivation and visitation
According to Hsu et al. (2010), motivation represents a persons
psychological
need
to
pursue a stated goal. Van der Merwe et al. (2011) demonstrated that for
marine
tourism,
relaxation and escape were among the chief motives in selecting a
destination.
Based
on
our
results here, motivation does play a role in getting people to visit a tourist
destination.
For
example, if a person is motivated to get away and relax, he is being
pushed
to
do
so.
This
result was consistent with previous studies, which suggest that tourists are
pushed
towards
the attraction by their motivation.
Mediating effect of WOM
This study also analysed the possible mediating effect of WOM on

visitation.
The
results
showed that WOM plays a significant mediating role for awareness. This is
because
in
order
for a visitor to be aware of a tourist destination, he/she needs to acquire the
information
from
numerous communication sources. The information could come from family
members,
friends,
or other sources such as the Internet and reviews by others who have
experienced
the
destination. Sheth (1971), cited in (Buttle, 1998), claimed that WOM was more
important
than
any other advertising mechanism in raising awareness in serving the decision
to
try
a
product.
Buttle (1998) added that WOM influenced a variety of conditions, such as
awareness,
expectations, perceptions, attitudes, behavioural intentions, and
behaviour.
This
possibly
explains why WOM partially mediates the relationship between motivation
and
visitation.
For
instance, when a student needs to conduct an assignment on marine
life,
they
will
be
motivated to visit an aquarium if they were told by their teachers that all
information
to
complete the assignment could be found in the aquarium. In addition, if a
visitor
is
satisfied
with his experience, he would want to share the experience with those who
are
close
to
him.
Due to that, he would be motivated to spread the news to assist others on their
decision
to
visit.
This is supported by Cheung and Lee (2012), who found that enjoyment of
helping
others
is
crucial in affecting consumers WOM intention. This could help others with
their behaviours.
However, WOM does not have any influence on destination image towards
visitation. This could be due to the fact that it is difficult for a person to
imagine a situation only by hearing about it, but without experiencing it. For
example, when a person says that there is a big fish exhibit in the aquarium,
the receiver might have different interpretations of the meaning of big.
They understand the word big fish based on what they had experienced
or what they had seen before. This is very subjective, depending on each
individuals assumptions and experiences. With this in mind, it is
understandable why WOM is largely irrelevant as a mediator for destination
image in determining visitation.

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PAGE 112 I

Conclusions
In this study, we demonstrate that destination awareness, motivation, and WOM
are
factors
that
influence tourists to visit the FRI Aquarium in Penang. However, destination image
was
shown
to have an insignificant relationship with tourist visitation. The findings
corroborate
with
earlier
research by Assaker et al. (2011), who concluded that destination image impacted
revisits
and
influenced future return intention. Similarly, Qu et al. (2011) also demonstrated that
tourists
view
image of a destination more positively by return visitor rather than by a first timer
visitor.
WOM
was also found to have a full mediating effect for awareness towards tourist
visitation.
For
example, before a visit, a visitor may require some information beforehand and
WOM
is
a
direct
medium to transfer the information. WOM is gradually being recognised as a
powerful
tool
in
affecting visitor choice. A key implication for the FRI Aquarium is that it might be
wise
to
assess
such variables for their marketing strategies. Thus, the FRI Aquarium can use
satisfied
visitors
as spokespersons for their destination. Our findings suggest the FRI Aquarium
can
benefit
by
knowing which form of WOM can help to improve their position in the market, as
well
as
harm
them. Hence, if two-sided WOM is used, FRI Aquarium will know how best to make
themselves
more persuasive when presenting the FRI Aquarium as marine tourism.
Limitations
Several limitations of our study should also be noted. First, the sample was
obtained
from
one marine aquarium in Malaysia. Comparative studies between aquariums are
important
to
understand if there are any similarities or differences. Future researchers
might
wish
to
conduct a similar survey in other local aquariums such as the Underwater World
in
Langkawi
and the KL Aquaria in Kuala Lumpur. Second, a longitudinal study might be
helpful
to
further
investigate the factors that influence the visitor visitation. Therefore, future
studies
should
gather data from those who have visited the aquarium on multiple occasions.
This
approach
might also improve the destination image results, which in this study was
shown
to
have
an
insignificant relationship. That said, acknowledgements of these limitations
also
suggest
a
new direction of future research.
Recommendations
FRI Aquarium might wish to create more awareness among the public by

placing
an
advertisement via mainstream and social media. They should promote the
aquarium
as
a
reference centre for those who want to know more about marine life. This will
eventually
pull
and
push those who are interested in marine tourism. Schools are the best place to
incorporate
this
approach. Public talks should be given to school children to instil awareness and
motivate
them
to visit. Moreover, FRI Aquarium should encourage visitors who are satisfied with
their
visit
to
give good recommendations and convey their satisfaction to others. A platform,
such
as
a
web
site where visitors can express their satisfaction and share their experiences,
should
also
be
provided. Therefore, it is suggested that FRI Aquarium design marine lifeoriented
educational
programs in order to motivate and encourage more visitors to visit
By promoting the place as destination for learning and leisure, marine
tourism is likely to produce long-lasting changes in tourist behaviour.
In sum, we conjecture that an understanding of factors that influence tourists to
visit
marine
tourism destinations are worthy of additional research. Consequently, we
hope
that
our
findings will help further our understanding on how these factors can provide
alternative
sources of marketing in order to attract long-term economic sustainability
of
the
FRI
Aquarium in marine tourism.

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