TOURIST SELECTION FACTORS ON SELECTED SERVICE SECTORS WHEN VISITING THE CITY OF KINABALU, SABAH

This study discusses the determination of tourist selection factors for selected service sectors when visiting Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. There are four selected service sectors that are the focus of tourists including the accommodation sector, the transport sector, the food and beverage sector and the shopping sector. In general, studies on the selection factors of tourists towards this service sector are still lacking and very limited in being studied by researchers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of tourist selection in Kota Kinabalu. The research method used is quantitative. The respondents in this study consisted of 280 domestic tourists who visited Kota Kinabalu. The results of the study found that the most important factor influencing tourists in choosing the service sector is the price or cost factor which is the cheapest and worthwhile which is as much as 24 percent. While the service factor recorded a moderate value with 10 percent and the privacy factor recorded the lowest value with only 6 percent. This clearly shows that price or cost is the main factor influencing the choice of domestic tourists in Kota Kinabalu. The issue of increasing prices of goods at the moment has also reduced the purchasing power of households, especially involving the B40 group and some of the M40 group. This at the same time causes them to have to change their spending patterns such as choosing or using cheap goods or services because they now have to make plans before spending. Determining these factors allows stakeholders in the tourism sector to determine which packages or services are suitable for tourists, especially domestic tourists. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of tourists' selection of the service sector is important in the development of the tourism industry.