Exploring the Relationship Between Last-Mile Connectivity and Visit Intention Among Rail Tourists

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between last-mile connectivity and visit intention among rail tourists by investigating the significance of transport accessibility in influencing tourists’ awareness and intention to visit nearby attractions around Electric Train Service (ETS) railway stations in Malaysia. A quantitative research design was employed using a structured questionnaire distributed through Google Forms to ETS passengers aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire consisted of six-point Likert-scale items and open-ended questions to capture respondents’ perceptions and experiences regarding transport accessibility and attraction visibility. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics in IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, while content analysis was applied to the open-ended responses to identify common themes. The findings indicate that respondents generally agree that convenient and clearly available transport options, including feeder services, e-hailing availability, and clear route information, contribute to greater awareness of nearby attractions and increase tourists’ intention to explore areas beyond the railway station. However, the study is limited to selected ETS stations in Peninsular Malaysia and relies on self-reported perceptions, which may not fully represent actual visitation behaviour. Despite these limitations, the study provides useful insights for railway operators and tourism stakeholders by highlighting the importance of improving last-mile connectivity and transport information visibility to strengthen the role of ETS stations as effective tourism gateways in Malaysia.