Perception Of An Eco-Park Through Service Innovation Concept For Eco-Tourism Industry

Abstract

Eco-park is a short form of Ecological Park. It is exploited as an amusement park without hampering its natural environment so that the biodiversity remains unaffected there. Generally, an area of a forest is demarcated and brought under intensive management for this purpose. Sometimes forest areas having special natural features are selected as eco-park. Flora of the concerned area gets preference for such consideration. However, protection and preservation of both flora and fauna get top priority. Moreover, efforts to attract and entertain tourists can also be seen in the eco-parks. Eco-park is not only a mere component of forest management. It encourages the enjoyment of the beauty of the jungle as well as the acquisition of first-hand knowledge of its ecology, in particular the growth and production of flora and fauna. Beauty provided by nature is open to tourists to the Bahang Gulf of Penang as a research site in this research. This paper discusses principles that can be applied to any planned eco-park using a clear service innovation evaluation process. At the end of this research, the services offered at Teluk Bahang Forest Eco-park were enhanced on the basis of qualitative feedback from the respondents.