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Concept of National Parks, Nature Reserves, Historical-Cultural-Environmental Areas and Garden Areas


The words (or phrases) that appear most frequently in the definitions are used to draw out the most common points of the DLST definition. The results are as follows:

Table 1.1: Statistics of DLST definition


The name of the word (phrase) or content referred to in the definitions

Number of mentions

Percentage of total 85 definitions (%)

Location where ecotourism takes place (wild, remote natural areas...)


53


62.4


Concerning conservation


52

61.2


Culturally relevant


43

50.6

Benefits to local communities

41

48.2


Education


35

41.2

Sustainable

22

25.9


Influencing factors


21

24.7

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Concept of National Parks, Nature Reserves, Historical-Cultural-Environmental Areas and Garden Areas


Based on development based on nature, there are many names similar to eco-tourism such as:

- Nature Tourism

- Nature – Based Tourism

- Green Tourism

- Environmental Tourism

- Indigenous Tourism

- Sensitized Tourism

- Adventure Tourism

- Responsible Tourism



2 Article “A Content analysis of ecotourism definitions” by David A.Fennell


- Cottage tourism

- Sustainable Tourism

Although similar in meaning, there are still differences between ecotourism and the above types of tourism. These are:

- Ecotourism emphasizes education and responsibility for the environment. Therefore, organizing ecotourism activities requires a high sense of responsibility from both organizers and visitors.

- Ecotourism visitors are not only nature lovers but also people who want to share the responsibility of preserving nature and culture.

- Developing ecotourism will minimize the negative impacts of tourists on the cultural environment, ensure that localities enjoy the financial benefits brought by tourism activities and focus on financial contributions to nature conservation.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) gives some common characteristics to identify ecotourism 3 :

- Forms of nature-based tourism, the main purpose of tourists is to learn about nature and traditional cultural values ​​in those natural areas.

- Includes environmental education and interpretation activities.

- Organized by professional organizations and small-scale enterprises in host countries for small groups of tourists. Foreign travel companies of different sizes can also organize, operate or advertise ecotourism tours for limited groups of tourists.

- Minimize negative impacts on the socio-cultural and natural environment

- Help protect natural areas by:

+ Bring economic benefits to organizations, communities and local governments for conservation purposes.

3 Source: International year of ecotourism 2002 of World Travel Organization (WTO) and United nations Environment Programme (UNEP). On December 1, 2005, WTO was renamed UNWTO.



local.

+ Provide employment and income opportunities for communities


+ Enhance understanding of preserving cultural values ​​and

nature for both locals and tourists.

Vietnam Definition (Tourism Law, 2005):

“Ecotourism is a form of tourism based on nature, associated with local cultural identity with community participation for sustainable development” .

In general, ecotourism is fully understood as a type of tourism based on nature and indigenous culture. Ecotourism products and resources are first of all nature, without nature there would be no ecotourism. On the other hand, ecotourism is inseparable from ecotourism education. Ecotourism activities aim to raise people's awareness of living in harmony with nature; exploring, enjoying and contributing to conservation and sustainable development efforts. In addition, the active participation of local communities and indigenous cultural values ​​are also important factors contributing to the creation of ecotourism.

1.2.2. Concept of ecotourism planning

Tourism planning can be simply seen as the act of developing a plan in advance to assess the current situation, forecast future possibilities and from there propose the most suitable action program to help develop tourism activities at destinations .

Ecotourism planning is the work of designing a network planning diagram of ecotourism areas and ecotourism routes based on the typical characteristics of the ecosystems of national parks, nature reserves, historical - cultural - environmental forests, gardens, and infrastructure .

In theory, tourism development in a specific area requires planning. According to the marketing perspective on the product life cycle, any tourist destination goes through the stages of formation, development, saturation, and decline. That also means that every tourist destination will tend to develop up or down. The fluctuation depends largely on the consumers, which are the tourists.


Thus, in every tourist destination there are potential factors to destroy itself. To achieve long-term benefits, it is necessary to find ways to extend the life cycle of tourism products, that is, to be able to predict potential risks to help cope with negative changes. Activities to implement these contents are development planning.

Planned tourism development brings the following benefits:

- Set goals and policies to find solutions to achieve goals.

- Tourism development will be combined with the protection and rational exploitation of natural resources and human resources for the present and for the future.

- Create unity in overall tourism development in relation to other economic sectors.

- Create a basis for making decisions on tourism development.

- Optimize and balance economic, environmental and social benefits contributed by the tourism industry, minimizing negative impacts that tourism activities may cause.

- Provide basic instructions on the arrangement of infrastructure, technical facilities,...

- Create a basis for regular control and maintain development orientation

tourism development

1.2.3. Ecotourism planning standards

1.2.3.1. Ecosystem

Ecotourism and biodiversity are the foundation for developing ecotourism. On the other hand, ecotourism emphasizes the meaning of environmental education. Without these natural elements, there will be no ecotourism. Therefore, the conservation and maintenance of the diversity and stability of natural ecosystems is extremely important. This standard specifies that the promotion of ecotourism types must be appropriate to the natural environmental conditions of each region.


1.2.3.2. Efficiency

The development of ecotourism needs to be effective in many aspects to ensure sustainable development, including achieving economic, social and environmental effects. Beneficiaries need to be calculated so that the development process achieves the desired results.

1.2.3.3. Cultural identity

Traditional cultural values ​​need to be preserved and further promoted in the process of developing ecotourism. Exploiting cultural values ​​to achieve economic benefits at all costs will deplete resources and destroy development.

1.2.3.4. Fairness

It is necessary to ensure equality in the opportunity to use and benefit from ecotourism resources between the current generation and the future generation. The exploitation of resources must be appropriate and reasonable to ensure the ability to recover and regenerate as before, helping to maintain a good relationship of mutual benefit between humans and nature. Because the excessive exploitation of resources to serve the survival needs of humans in this generation can lead to the destruction of the living environment of the next generation.

1.2.3.5. Community

Creating more jobs and bringing benefits to local communities is not only a principle but also a goal that ecotourism aims for. When the benefits of local communities are ensured, the goals of conserving natural and cultural resources become feasible in the long term. Therefore, planning for ecotourism development needs to take into account the sharing of benefits as well as the active participation of local communities both in tourism activities and in the planning process.

1.2.3.6. Balance

This standard requires balance and harmony between factors in the process of exploiting and developing tourism. For example, between economy and environment, between tourism and agriculture, between types of tourism...


1.2.3.7. Development

After all, the promotion of ecotourism activities ultimately aims at improving the quality of human life. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the qualitative aspect of the growth process. The results of growth in ecotourism development must be clearly demonstrated in improving the material and spiritual life of the people. Growth does not mean exhaustive exploitation and destruction of the environment.

1.2.4. Concepts of National Parks, nature reserves, historical-cultural-environmental areas and garden areas

1.2.4.1. National Park

According to the definition of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN): “A national park is a natural area of ​​land and/or sea, designated to protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future generations, to exclude exploitation or occupation that is not friendly to the purposes of the area designation and to provide the basis for spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and sightseeing opportunities, all of which must be culturally and environmentally compatible” .

The purpose of the National Park is:

- Protect important national and international natural landscapes for scientific, educational and ecotourism purposes.

- Sustainably maintain natural or near-natural states, typical cultural areas, biological populations, and gene sources of species to ensure diversity and sustainability.

- Maintain natural landscapes, habitats of wild animals, and geomorphological areas of scientific and educational value.

- Development of sustainable tourism.

National parks not only have very high value in terms of protecting biodiversity and ecosystems, but are also a particularly attractive form of ecotourism resource.


1.2.4.2. Nature reserve: is a natural land area established to ensure natural succession, divided into 2 types:

- Nature Reserve : is a natural land area with high reserves of natural resources and biodiversity that is managed and protected to ensure natural succession and serve conservation and scientific research.

- Nature Reserve : is a natural area managed and protected to ensure habitat for one or more endemic or rare species.

1.2.4.3. Historical - cultural - environmental forest: is a forest with historical and cultural relics along with landscapes of aesthetic value or environmental protection, serving tourism, entertainment and relaxation, including:

- Areas with scenic spots on land, coast or islands.

- Areas with classified cultural heritage sites or landscapes such as waterfalls, caves, archaeological sites or private areas of traditional historical significance.

- Area for experimental research.

1.2.4.4. Garden: is a special form of agricultural ecosystem. Garden is a specialized area for growing fruit trees, flowers, ornamental plants... together with garden civilization, creating a unique type of ecotourism resource that is very attractive to tourists.

1.2.5. Requirements of ecotourism planning

1.2.5.1. Requirements on ecological factors

- The ecotourism area must truly represent a certain type of ecology, attractive enough to attract ecotourists.

- Need to master the indicators of self-cleaning ability of the system, pollution load capacity, capacity...

1.2.5.2. Requirements for ecological aesthetics

- The construction of technical facilities and infrastructure needs to be designed to harmonize and enhance the beauty of the natural landscape.


- Too many tourists also reduces the aesthetic appeal of ecotourism. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the classification of ecotourism tourists and the maximum capacity/visit so as not to affect the ecological aesthetics.

1.2.5.3. Economic requirements

- Developing eco-tourism must increase economic benefits for local communities, increase income, create jobs, and enhance the landscape environment.

1.2.5.4. Social requirements

- When exploiting national parks and nature reserves as ecotourism areas, attention must be paid to the cultural functions and customs and practices of local residents.

1.2.6. Principles of ecotourism planning

1.2.6.1. Principle of integration

The operation of ecotourism is closely linked to environmental protection and the maintenance of ecosystems, as well as the promotion of indigenous human values. In fact, the level of awareness of tourists in participating in conservation activities depends largely on ethics, education level, living habits, etc. Therefore, to do this, propaganda work needs to be determined to be long-term and systematic. Efforts need to be made to explain and educate tourists to improve their understanding and correct awareness of their conservation role so that they can integrate voluntarily and reasonably (to a certain extent because an overly enthusiastic integration attitude also causes negative impacts although this action may come from good intentions) into the natural environment, the socio-cultural environment and must accept their limitations, not change them to suit individual wishes.

1.2.6.2. Principle of scale

Ecotourism development relies mainly on biodiversity and ecosystems, but these complexes are quite sensitive to human impacts. Increasing the number of visitors in natural environmental areas to a certain level (scale) will exceed the tolerance limit of that area. The result can lead to changes, breaking the balance

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