Assessment of tourism entrepreneurs’ exposure to natural disasters: A case study of Ranau earthquake (2015)

Abstract

Earthquake is a destructive and unavoidable natural disaster. It struck Ranau District, Sabah in 2015 that caused severe physical damages. Vulnerability studies have been conducted following the earthquake yet focused on tourism context is still limited. Thus, a fundamental question asked is to what extent Ranau Tourism entrepreneurs were exposed to the 2015 earthquake event. This study aimed to explore the exposure of Ranau tourism entrepreneurs to the 2015 earthquake disaster. A qualitative approach was conducted through in-depth interviews, passive observation and secondary data. Thematic analysis was applied manually to organise the data, which was controlled by the Vulnerability Framework for Sustainable Tourism Development (VFSTD). As for the results, Ranau tourism entrepreneurs showed a significant level of exposure to the 2015 earthquake disaster which Source component revealed to have higher exposure level than Power component. Implicitly, it showed strength and weakness capitals fabricated within Ranau tourism entrepreneurs that characterise their exposure level to the 2015 earthquake disaster. Consequently, this study encapsulates important information for preparatory steps to embrace the impacts of the earthquake especially to Ranau tourism, in turn, enhance their development sustainability in the future. It is also recommended to further the vulnerability analysis for sensitivity and adaptation elements under this case.