*Lesley Hiew Soon Sang, Sharifah Rahama binti Amirul

Abstract: Kinabalu Park is one of the most popular destinations in Sabah, Malaysia. Malaysia’s tallest mountain has increasingly gained popularity due to government initiatives aimed at attracting more visitors. Additionally, efforts have been made to create employment opportunities for the local communities. The purpose of the current study is to analyse the ways in which the services provided by Kinabalu Park have contributed to development of visitor attraction and satisfaction within the tourism sector. Interviews were conducted with mountain guides to collect qualitative data. The findings reveal that guides associated with mountain climbing in Kinabalu Park acquire professional and personal development in communication, decision making, problem solving, analytical and people management skills. The mastery of these skills is beneficial in enhancing the quality of climbing and tourism services provided to visitors which ultimately, will increase their satisfaction with the destination.

Keywords: Mountain guides, visitor satisfaction, local communities, training, Kinabalu Park, professional development