Human Capital Development and Psychology towards Empowering Orang Asli Jakun for Community based Ecotourism

Abstract

Community-based tourism is recognized as a catalyst for rural community development. The location of Orang Asli Jakun Kg Peta, is close to Endau Rompin National Park, which is the second largest national park in peninsular Malaysia, which certainly makes this community very relevant to eco-tourism activities. Although the community has been involved in tourism activities, the success of the project to empower the community is still at a moderate level, especially in generating economic activity. The issue of human capital development is an important focus for ensuring community readiness and the ability to plan and operate tourism activities. Thus, this study was conducted to obtain feedback from community members on human capital development, including the courses needed by those involved in tourism development and the approach of the training. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach, where semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection method. A total of six key informants were selected for this study, and the data from the interviews was analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The results of this study found that the majority of participants agreed that the development of eco-tourism is acknowledged to play a role in opening up new economic opportunities for the local community, although the program of building awareness about the impact of tourism on the community from economic, environmental, and cultural aspects needs to be further intensified. Koperasi Jakun Asli Peta Mersing Berhad was successfully established in 2017 with a membership of 65. Respondents stated that although the cooperative has been successfully established as a community-owned business entity, the activities carried out by the cooperative are still lacking due to Malaysia being hit by the COVID pandemic starting in 2020 and lasting until 2022, and now it has shown a change in terms of tourist arrivals. The result of the study acknowledged the need for cooperative leadership courses such as organizational management and administration, marketing, product and package development, preparation of financial proposals, technology, including digital, quality of service delivery, knowledge about the tourism industry, the impact of tourism, and soft skills courses such as English communication, negotiation, decision-making, network and partnership, and so on. The courses offered also need to be based on the level of competence, not one-off, and need to be certified. This study also revealed the need for a training approach that is more hands-on and based on experience, or experiential learning. The conclusion of this study is that human capital development is a critical component in determining the ability of community members to be actively involved in the planning and development of community tourism. The preparation of a bottom-up course, which is based on the needs of the community, needs to be given attention in course planning by the government agencies involved.

Keywords: Human Capital, Empowering, Community-Based Ecotourism