Home / Tourism Potential

Necessary Conditions for Developing Ecotourism


1.1.4. Necessary conditions for developing ecotourism

To develop sustainable tourism, the following conditions are required:

* Existence of ecosystems with high biodiversity

Maybe you are interested!

This is a decisive condition for the development of ecotourism, because ecotourism is a type of tourism based on nature, which can only exist and develop in places with typical ecosystems with high biodiversity. Biodiversity is the basis for creating attraction for tourists, thanks to which ecotourism can exist and develop. It can be said that without biodiversity, there can be no ecotourism.

* Management staff and tour guides must have professional qualifications and understanding of biodiversity.

Necessary Conditions for Developing Ecotourism

To develop ecotourism, it is necessary to have a team of tour guides who not only grasp knowledge about tourism but also have a certain level of understanding about natural ecological characteristics and local culture. They have the ability to propagate and explain to tourists about culture, history and biodiversity, contributing to raising awareness of tourists about the environment and biodiversity conservation.

Ecotourism requires tourism managers and operators to grasp and respect the principles of ecotourism. On the one hand, ecotourism managers are concerned with the profits generated by tourism, but on the other hand, they must pay attention to biodiversity conservation through activities of establishing cooperative relationships with managers of nature reserves and local communities in order to contribute to the long-term protection of natural and cultural values, improve life and enhance common understanding between local people and tourists (Nguyen Duc Hau, 2007). This is the fundamental difference between ecotourism and other types of tourism.

* Minimize negative impacts of tourism on the environment

Ecotourism activities often have negative impacts on nature and the environment. If there are no measures to limit negative impacts, the basis for sustainable development of ecotourism will be lost. Tourists will not come to places where


They do not have the opportunity to satisfy themselves about the discovery of biodiversity as well as other natural, historical and cultural values.

To limit negative impacts on the environment, ecotourism needs to calculate the number of visitors reasonably, ensuring harmony between the number of visitors and the environment. Ecotourism needs to comply with the regulations of capacity, calculate the number of visitors to a location at the same time to suit the physical, biological, psychological, social and management level of tourism workers.

* Satisfy the need to improve tourists' understanding

Satisfying tourists’ desire to explore and understand the experiences and knowledge of the nature of indigenous cultures is often very difficult, but it is a necessary requirement for the long-term existence of the ecotourism industry. Therefore, services to satisfy tourists’ understanding are of importance, second only to conservation work. What they have seen and discovered has a profound impact on their awareness, concepts, thoughts and feelings about the environment, society and community (Khoang Xanh - Suoi Tien Tourism Company, 2015).

1.1.5. Ecotourism development

Sustainable tourism development is demonstrated by: Community participation, environmental impact assessment, strengthening infrastructure construction to serve tourism development and stability and safety.

Developing eco-tourism needs to ensure the following principles:

Exploiting and using resources reasonably: Tourism activities are always associated with the exploitation of natural resources and ecosystems. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the reasonable use of resources for tourism purposes, not to use resources beyond the permitted limits.


Tourism development associated with biodiversity conservation: Sustainable tourism development is based on biodiversity. Therefore, tourism activities are always associated with biodiversity conservation.

Ensuring harmony of interests: Tourism brings great benefits, but sustainable tourism development must ensure harmony among stakeholders such as the interests of tourism businesses, the interests of communities, and the interests of the State.

Strengthening community participation: Sustainable ecotourism development requires community participation to create social consensus. The community needs to participate in decisions related to tourism development such as tourism planning, the implementation of tourism projects, monitoring tourism activities, and maintaining tourism infrastructure.

Enhancing the responsibility of stakeholders: Sustainable tourism activities are based on enhancing the responsibility of stakeholders and entities participating in tourism activities.

1.2. Ecotourism in the World

Yi-fong, Cheng (2012) in "Indigenous Ecotourism and Social Development in Taroka National Park and San-Chan Community, Taiwan" investigated the socio-cultural impacts of newly developed tourism on cultural, social and ecological conservation. The author concluded that different groups will benefit or be affected differently from ecotourism development. Tourism development in the national park may exacerbate inequalities and differences among groups within the community. Therefore, to develop a community-based ecotourism project, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of not only the relationship between local communities and the environment but also the political, economic and cultural issues that exist among communities, as well as between communities and the National Park Management Board.


Yacob et al. (2011) in their study on "Tourists' Perceptions and Concepts of Ecotourism Development in Redang Island Marine National Park, Malaysia" interviewed 29 subjects, analyzed basic information of tourists to the National Park, tourists' perceptions and concepts of tourism resource management, conservation of ecotourism resources and tourists' perceptions of increasing revenue for the National Park from tourism activities. The study concluded that tourists' views and perceptions of environmental issues can be addressed on the basis of planning and management, therefore the management approach is likely to be successful if there is an opportunity for dialogue and exchange between managers and stakeholders. However, effective ecotourism planning, development and management must be one that addresses nature-based activities, incorporates environmental education and maintains ecological sustainability, benefits to local communities and creates visitor satisfaction. The study provides valuable recommendations for ecotourism resource management in the National Park. Therefore, the study has the potential to support the management of the National Park to improve ecotourism resource management and develop ecotourism development plans.

Bhuiyan et al. (2011) in the study "The Role of Government in Ecotourism Development: A Case Study in Coastal Economic Zones" affirmed that Government intervention is essential for developing countries in planning and promoting ecotourism activities. Specifically, in Malaysia, the main Government intervention in the field of ecotourism development is developing ecotourism products, promoting tourism accessibility, training, tourism promotion, sustainable tourism development... The study also recommends that the Government should develop an ecotourism action plan, build institutional capacity, invest in ecotourism projects in special-use forests, develop human resources... In particular, the Government should ensure the economic, social, cultural and ecological benefits of local communities through participation in ecotourism development.


Hill (2011) in his study "Ecotourism in the Peruvian Amazon: Integrating tourism, conservation and community development" proposed a number of key principles for successful ecotourism development in tropical forests. Specifically, these principles are enhancing community capacity through facilitating their participation in ecotourism activities, exchanging awareness between communities and tour operators, co-managing forest resources, combining training and tourism, and minimizing the impact of tourism activities on the environment and ecosystems. This study emphasizes the relationship between different beneficiaries or beneficiaries of ecotourism development. Ecotourism development in national parks may exacerbate inequality and differences between groups in the community. Therefore, to build a community-based ecotourism project, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of not only the relationship between local communities and the environment but also the political, economic and cultural issues that exist between communities, as well as between communities and the National Park Management Board.

Apostu and Gheres (2009) in their study on "Some proposals for the organization and development of ecotourism for special-use forests in Romania" analyzed the current state of ecotourism activities in Romania and showed that the shortcomings can be divided into two groups: shortcomings within the tourism industry and shortcomings in the management of special-use forests. For the industry, the problem arises from the failure of the promotion program for the ecological environment at all management levels, especially the absence of a program to disseminate information to the community in areas with high potential for ecotourism.

In special-use forests, a series of problems arise, but they do not originate from the impossibility of implementing this form of tourism, but from the fact that there is a lack of a reasonable management mechanism for the natural environment that has unique and important values ​​for maintaining ecological balance and protecting biodiversity. In the study "Ecotourism potential and ecotourism management in the lower Kavak River (Tay


Eastern Türkiye", Ozcan et al. (2009) found that a system of solutions is needed to maximize the potential of ecotourism. These solutions include building ecotourism infrastructure to meet the needs of tourists, implementing measures to prevent negative impacts of ecotourism activities on wild bird conservation, and placing billboards to promote information about the endemicity of bird species in conservation. In addition, although the ecotourism potential is very large, the study area is also affected by the activities of nearby people such as agricultural cultivation, livestock farming, and hunting. Therefore, agricultural activities that can have negative impacts on the development of ecotourism need to be eliminated.

Sambin et al. (2013) in the study "Sustainability of Ecotourism Resources in Taman Negara National Park: Contingent Valuation" assessed the economic value of ecotourism resources in Taman Negara National Park. The study also provided a framework of willingness to pay for ecotourism services in the park and concluded that visitors are willing to pay a higher entrance fee than the current fee.

Chase et al. (1998) also applied a similar method in the study "Demand for Ecotourism and the Principle of Price Discrimination in National Park Entrance Fees in Costa Rica". However, Costa Rica et al. not only proposed a framework of willingness to pay but also built a demand function for ecotourism for national parks and assessed the elasticity of demand according to income. On that basis, the study calculated the fee level to maximize revenue and analyzed the application of the principle of discrimination to ecotourism management in national parks. The author also concluded that the current entrance fee level does not accurately reflect the willingness to pay of visitors.

Thus, the research on ecotourism and ecotourism in national parks and natural resource conservation areas by foreign authors shows that the management and


Ecotourism exploitation requires unified management and ecotourism resources in national parks are very valuable resources and need to be effectively exploited for ecotourism, ecosystem conservation and local community development.

However, ecotourism activities also impact forest ecosystems and natural resources. Studies have also confirmed that ecotourism is a link in sustainable development, a resource for sustainable development, but it requires a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach, good planning and strict implementation guidelines to ensure sustainable operation. The development of ecotourism but lack of funding and human resources has left resources unprotected in many NRs, especially in developing countries (David Western, 1999). They also believe that the above problems can begin to be resolved if there are appropriate structures to allocate tourism revenue to the NR system (Héctor Caballos - Lascurain, 1999).

1.3. Ecotourism in Vietnam

In Vietnam, ecotourism has also received attention since the 1990s of the 20th century. Research projects on ecotourism have also been carried out since then, specifically:

Nguyen Thi Tu (2006) in her research "Solutions for developing Vietnam's ecotourism in the integration trend" analyzed in detail the conditions for developing Vietnam's ecotourism and the trend for developing Vietnam's ecotourism in the integration trend. However, the author has not clarified the potential for ecotourism in national parks and natural resource conservation areas as well as the management and exploitation of this tourism potential.

Nguyen Dinh Hoa (2006) in the study "Tourism - current situation and solutions for development in Vietnam" analyzed the conditions and solutions for tourism development in Vietnam but did not highlight this activity in Vietnam.

The study by Hoang Hoa Quan and Ngo Hai Duong (2005) on "The current status of ecotourism activities in Vietnam and development orientation" has clarified the current status of ecotourism activities in Vietnam, but has not yet mentioned much about the relationship between tourism development and sustainable development.


At the International Conference on "Building a national strategy for ecotourism development in Vietnam" held in September 1999, organized in coordination with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, UICN, ESCAP and sponsored by SIDA, many presentations were made about the experiences and realities of ecotourism development in many places such as:

- A solution for developing ecotourism and conserving Ba Vi National Park and surrounding areas by author Vu Dang Khoi (2004). The author has proposed solutions for developing ecotourism in Ba Vi National Park and the method the author used is qualitative method.

- Similarly, the research on building a business strategy for ecotourism products in Ba Vi National Park by author Nguyen Van Hop (2007) analyzed the current situation of ecotourism product business in Ba Vi National Park and from there proposed business strategies for ecotourism products here. However, the method in Nguyen Van Hop's research also only used qualitative methods.

- Biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecotourism development in Ba Vi National Park and the market economy buffer zone by author Nguyen Duc Hau (2006). In this research work, the author mainly mentions biodiversity conservation and the relationship between biodiversity conservation and ecotourism development.

- Characteristics of ecotourism and the business potential of this type of tourism in national parks and nature reserves of Vietnam by author Nguyen Van Manh (2000). In this study, the author analyzed the aspect of exploiting tourism potential in national parks to develop ecotourism. The author clarified the tourism potential in national parks in accordance with the nature and characteristics of ecotourism, but did not specify how to exploit this tourism potential.

The research results at the conference have clarified the basic contents of ecotourism in Vietnam, which are useful bases for the development of ecotourism in Vietnam. However, there are very few research works on ecotourism in Vietnam.

Comment


Agree Privacy Policy *