Chapter Twenty-nine

February and April 1997. The study areas were in Chiangrai, Chiangmai, Uthaithani, Kanchanaburi, Petchburi, Nakorn Nayok, Surathani, Phuket and Krabi. The opinions of government officials towards ecotourism are in concert with the principles of the conservation of the environment. However, some government officials responded that there was no clear policy on ecotourism in place at present. The entrepreneurs opinions were significantly different from those of the government officials sampled. Some of the entrepreneurs interviewed had been trying to solve environmental problems and wanted to learn more about viable solutions for refuse, water shortages and pollution, toxic substances, recycled paper, as well as energy conservation. The results show that the government officials are significantly older and better educated compared to tourism entrepreneurs. The general characteristics of both the local community leaders and the local people are similar in regard to family structures, age, living standards etc. However, the community leaders are significantly better educated and have a higher social and economic status compared to the local people. Quite a few of the community leaders and local people thought that tourism as presently practised had improved their living conditions, although it had already caused problems, such as increasing the cost of living as well as the cost of land, noise pollution, water pollution, garbage and drugs etc. Most community leaders and the local people want to be involved in managing tourism in their area. Community leaders were eager to join forums to advance tourism efforts and to participate in problem-solving activities. However, few wanted to be involved in the industry itself (by, for example, providing bed and breakfast services). On the other hand, being providers of tourism services was something the local people desired. With regard to tourists, it was found that both domestic and foreign ones are similar in sex, age, marital status and education. However, more foreign tourists have higher incomes than the Thai tourists. The majority of both groups thought that tourists should take part in environmental conservation. More Thai tourists than foreign ones saw environmental destruction along walking trails (such as garbage and human excrement); and were more willing to donate money for conservation compared to their counterparts. The majority of the two groups wanted pamphlets and maps of trekking routes including dos and donts as the first priority. Foreigners tended to want qualified ecotour guides. They were willing to recommend to friends and relatives that they take an ecotour in Thailand. They were more likely to buy souvenirs compared to Thai tourists. Most of the differences between the two groups are not unexpected. Local people are likely to be more familiar with the local environment and, hence, notice degradation. Foreigners are likely to be attracted to souvenirs, which would not interest locals.

The Guidelines for Ecotourism Development in Thailand

Wanaporn Wanichanugorn

Introduction
Although the tourism industry has become a major source of national income in Thailand (and other countries), inevitably there are negative impacts on socio-economic and environmental conditions. A new concept of tourism called ecotourism has been introduced to Thailand. The concept is to create environmental awareness through tourism, to promote conservation and protection of limited resources in the interests of the sustainability of the tourism industry and, more importantly, the environment. Ecotourism is about studying the natural environment and the ways of life of local people with the aim of improving their quality of life. As the government considers the tourism industry a major source of national income, it is interested to analyse the opinions of relevant parties with regard to the translation of the ecotourism concept into practice in Thailand.

Understanding Ecotourism
The main purpose of this analysis is to compare the opinions of six parties with regard to guidelines for ecotourism development in Thailand. The six parties are provincial government officials, entrepreneurs, community leaders, local people, Thai tourists and foreign tourists. Purposive sampling was used to select government officials (provincial governors, heads of TAT regional offices, chiefs of National Parks etc.), tourism business owners or managers, and community leaders (village headmen, teachers, etc). Simple random sampling was used for local people whose residences were around National Parks, forest parks and wildlife sanctuaries. As for the tourists, accidental sampling was used for those who had just finished trekking in National Parks, forest parks and wildlife sanctuaries. These areas were targeted because the TAT has a policy to upgrade trekking tours, so that they become ecotourism. The data collection was conducted through four sets of questionnaires and interviews with a total of 1000 respondents, between
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If we consider in more details the opinions of the various groups, we get a better understanding of the opportunities and the difficulties in developing ecotourism. We start with government officials. In the provinces, the lines of administration are vertical, from each agency up to Bangkok. This leads to a lack of coordination among government agencies in the same province. The government officials seem to be confused about their roles in tourism and environmental management. This has meant that any problems resulting from the tourism industry still wait for solutions. All tourism master plans prepared in the provinces have been developed by the TAT (or an organisation hired by TAT) without participation from local government officials and local people. There is no follow up so that the strategies can be adjusted to be more practical if that is desirable. High-ranking officials in the provinces do not play key roles as leaders in environmental and resource conservation. Information necessary to promote and manage ecotourism (geology, the function of forest ecosystems, history and the evolution of local communities, and their present socio-economic conditions including their ways of life) has not been organised and hence ecotourism does not develop as rapidly as it could. Another negative factor is that the laws governing preserved areas are outdated and the levels of fines and penalties are very low. Turning to the private sector, we find a wide range of issues and many problems which must be addressed. Entrepreneurs opinions towards ecotourism are poorly developed. This has led to conflicts between some entrepreneurs and government officials. The terms ecotour and ecotourism have been used in some tour operators brochures without concrete plans for environmental and resource conservation in the local community. Local tour guides are also taken advantage of, receiving low wages, whereas the price of an ecotour is very high. Some entrepreneurs are not taking the precautions required for tourists safety, for example by selling tours in the heavy rainfall period without measures to prevent accidents. Without planning, activities like rafting and campfires have already aggravated deforestation. Supplies of bamboo have become short and bamboo must be imported from Myanmar. Elephants, an important selling point of an ecotour, are over-used and have inadequate food to eat. Thai elephants are now endangered and may be extinct in the next 15 years due to loss of habitat. Captive breeding of elephants is still not successful. As tourists seek new experiences different from what they have at home, entrepreneurs assume that no sign of development should be seen in the local areas. In one case, even a transistor radio was kept out of tourists sight during their visit. Finally, some entrepreneurs said that only those tour operators who have close relationships with regional TAT officials would be strongly recommended to tourists. If we turn our attention to local communities, it is obvious that local people are concerned about the current negative impacts from the tourism
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industry: the high cost of living and expensive land, the rapid increase of garbage and drugs brought in by tourists and the rapid decrease of plants and animals in the area. With no knowledge of ecotourism, the local people do not understand its possibilities and they do not exercise their rights in managing resources in the development process. They would be pleased to provide a home stay for tourists, but they do not know where to begin and what the expected standard of services should be. As for local traditions, culture and the natural environment, local communities want to sustain them as they are something new for the tourists and in demand, but the communities need advice and leadership on how to do this. Local people want to help solve these problems. But, they need someone to initiate and set up a system for them. Leadership and knowledge of tourism are the missing ingredients at present. With no opportunity to participate in development in the past, local people have become very eager to join in the planning and management of ecotourism, for the sustainability of their way of life, the environment and the future. Then there is a range of other problems. There are very few signs or directions in English. This makes it difficult for tourists to travel by themselves. Tourists lack information, pamphlets and maps in English or other languages. Most tour guides are not fluent in English. Ecotourists who come across a big group of tourists making loud noises, or noticing litter have their enjoyment of trekking destroyed. And tourists find it annoying to be pressured into buying souvenirs. Finally, overdevelopment of tourist areas will certainly decrease a destinations attractiveness.

What Should Be Done?

As protected areas (National Parks, forest parks, wildlife sanctuaries etc.) and water catchments cover a large area of the provinces, there should be regional and provincial master plans, formulated by all interested parties, including local people. This will strengthen coordination and cooperation in resource allocation, utilisation and the provision of services. However, training is required. An integrated short-course on environmental management should be provided for government officials, entrepreneurs and representatives of the local people. The knowledge that comes from learning will help them reduce potential conflicts between resource utilisation and conservation. Also, environmental impact assessments should be conducted before a project commences. Indicators of ecosystems and socio-economic conditions need to be measured, and assessment undertaken of development both in the protected areas and their surroundings. This will enable administrators to adjust the development proposals to meet the inter-related goals of ecotourism growth, the well-being of local people and the sustainability of the environment and resources. As ecotourism businesses will be introduced in some already protected areas (such as National Parks), the existing laws and management practices must be revised, and the number of visits must be controlled. The relevant
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environmental policy and planning should be widely publicised, and a working group should be set up to regularly check environmental quality. A public hearing should be conducted before concessions are granted. This is because tourism resources do no belong to the local people only, but also to the Thai people as a whole, and all views need to be considered. As for the entrepreneurs, an environmental guarantee should be added to a tour operators deposit paid to the TAT. Furthermore, ISO 14001 or green accreditation (certification) should be implemented to assure quality services and to decrease environmental impacts. Tour guides should be trained and permitted to work in areas only where they have the appropriate level of knowledge. Moreover, an environmental watchdog group should be set up by the entrepreneurs in a province or in a region. This would be an industry ecotourism association which would develop and police the principles of its members. With regard to the local people, environmental education should be considered an urgent matter. More content on local environment issues should be included in formal education. Research about local socioeconomic and environmental conditions must be given support, so to enhance planning; and tour guide training in the local areas is required. In addition, cooperation among local owners of accommodation houses, tour businesses, and those involved in souvenir production and sales should be organised. This will allow these groups to set a reasonable price for all products. Moreover, the traditional economic sectors such as agriculture, cloth weaving and handcraft production should be supported by purchasing policies to strengthen the local communities. Finally, local participation in problem solving should be encouraged. As for the tourists, networks of regional and local information should be set up to offer tourists choices to visit different places, and perhaps control and spread the flock of tourists within Thailand. For this purpose, advance reservations should be made possible. Pamphlets and maps of trekking routes and other information should be available in various languages. Furthermore, tourists should be registered before trekking to allow for the monitoring of their safety and to provide information to measure carrying capacities of trekking areas. In concert with local villages, activities should be arranged which allow tourists to experience aspects of village life. Finally, a tourism fund for local education and environmental conservation, based on donations by tourists and entrepreneurs, should be initiated.

Figure 1: The Conceptual Framework

The Constitution: The right of local people to protect their resources, traditions and culture as well as to share the fruits from resources utilisation and management

The rapid increase of the world ecotourism market

Success and failures of ecotourism development in various countries UN Policy of Sustainable Development

The goal of The 8th Plan of National Socio-economic Development: the well-being of the people and their participation in all levels of development

TAT Policy of Sustainable Tourism by the conservation of traditions, culture and environment

Conceptual Framework

Conclusion
What needs to be done has to be put into a conceptual framework: first, taking into account those things which drive ecotourism and sustainable development (as in Figure 1); second, taking into account the role of all sectors (as in Figure 2).
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Figure 2: The Framework for Planning

Government sector sets policy, plans and decision making in resource management for sustainable development

Chapter Thirty

Sustainable Tourism Development in Vietnam

Nguyen Thuy Khanh Doan
Tourists are responsible during visits

The locals take part in planning, decision making and sharing benefits including from resource conservation

Ecotourism Development in Thailand

Introduction
With a huge base of relatively undisturbed natural resources, a rich history, and a long-established culture, Vietnam is becoming an attractive tourism destination in Asia. In 2000, Vietnam received over two million international tourists, raising it to the status of a major economic sector with a potential for significant beneficial outcomes. However, as a newcomer in the global tourism market, the country has many lessons to learn about the environmental impacts of tourism. To ensure sustainable tourism development, Vietnam needs to take urgent action to protect and preserve its natural resources. The following attempts to outline a general direction for sustainable tourism development in Vietnam, in the context of its current state of development. To do this, it will: (i) review tourism development in Vietnam in the last decade; (ii) argue its potential to become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Asia in the near future; (iii) identify possible environmental problems caused by such a development; (iv) argue that it should combine traditional mass tourism with sustainable alternative tourism, more particularly ecotourism, in its tourism strategies, with the latter as the long-term objective and finally; (v) review the main problems for such a strategy and propose some initial tasks.

Private sector Tour operators and hotels set green policy and conduct green tourism

It will only be within the constraints and opportunities of these frameworks that ecotourism in its full potential will come to be realised.

Tourism Booming in Vietnam

Experiences around the world show that there is a socio-economic rationale for developing countries to strongly support tourism as a key player in national development. In general, according to Jenkins (1997), tourism has an historical record of being a growth sector helping developing countries to: (i) earn foreign exchange (because the majority of international tourists come from developed countries with hard currencies); (ii) create jobs to meet their paramount employment needs (because tourism is a service industry
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