Natural or Reclaimed Coastal Areas? The Role of Environmental Awareness in Supporting Coastal Ecotourism

Objective – This study was undertaken to analyze the relationship between perceived negative impacts on land reclamation (LR) and support for coastal ecotourism within fishing communities (CE), with environmental awareness (EA) as the mediating variable. Methodology – This study utilized a convenience sampling technique to distribute questionnaires to 400 domestic tourists in coastal areas. Data analysis was conducted using Hayes’s PROCESS in IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS v25.0). Findings – Results showed that LR had a direct effect on CE [β= 0.183; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.095–0.270; P= 0.000 <0.05]. Furthermore, a statistically significant indirect effect between LR and CE via EA was also observed (β= 0.269; 95% CI =0.192–0.351; P= 0.000<0.05), indicating partial mediation. Novelty – These findings highlight that EA is important and essential to be promoted when considering sustainable development in both land reclamation and coastal ecotourism in fishing communities. Affected communities, usually with high environmental awareness, will comprehend the impacts of land developments and react to conserve the environment. In this case, as significant stakeholders with high environmental awareness, tourists are more inclined to support ecotourism, advocate for environmental conservation, and preserve local fishing cultures for appreciation. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: Q5, O13, P28, R5 Keywords: Sustainable development; land reclamation; coastal ecotourism; environment awareness Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Mahyudin, M.N.H.B.M; Kamaruddin, H; Hassan, M.S. (2024). The Legislative and Governance Framework of Wastewater in Malaysia, J. Bus. Econ. Review, 8(4), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.35609/jber.2024.8.4(4)