Research proposal analysis of factors affecting sustainable tourism development in ha long bay

¢ Definition of sustainable tourism: At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the World Tourism Organization UNWTO gave the definition:

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY

Semester 1, Academic Year 2022-2023

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

DEVELOPMENT IN HA LONG BAY

ADVISOR:

TRAN QUANG MINH, Ph.D

STUDENTS:

1 Lê Thị Yến Linh - 19DH130471

2 Ngô Bích Uyễn Nhi - 19DH130118

3 Phan Ngọc Bảo Trâm — 19DH130026

HCMC, November 2022

Task Assigned To Each Member Of The Group

Chapter 1: 1.5-1.6; Find the documentation for the

1 Lê Thị Yên Linh Chapter 3: 3.4-3.5: assigned part

Questionnaire Synthesize Chapter 2 Chapter 1: 1.3-1.4; Find the documentation for the

2 | Ngô Bích Uyên Nhi Chapter 3: 3.3: assigned part

Questionnaire Synthesize Chapter 3 Chapter 1: 1.1-1.2; Find the documentation for the

3 | Phan Ngọc Bảo Trâm Chapter 3: 3.1-3.2; assigned part

Questionnaire Synthesize Chapter | Examiner’s comment

Examiner 1 Examiner 2

1_| Lê Thị Yến Linh 19DH130471

2| Ngô Bích Uyên Nhi 19DH130118

3 | Phan Ngọc Bảo lrâm | 19DH130026

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Quang Ninh is a province in the Northeastern region of Vietnam, which possesses many strengths in terms of geographical location and resources, especially mineral resources, seaports and tourism resources Along with the general trend of the country and the world, in addition to focusing on developing a long-standing traditional industry such as coal mining industry or shipping services, tourism is also identified as

a one of the key industries contributing to the economic development of Quang Ninh According to the statistics of the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism, in 2019, the total number of tourists to Quang Ninh reached 14 million, up 14% compared to 2018 Of which, international visitors reached 5.7 million, an increase of 15% compared to 2018, the total revenue from tourists reached nearly 29,487 billion VND

Quang Ninh is a locality with attractive tourism potential and is the tip of the Northern Vietnam Tourism Growth Triangle With Ha Long city being one of the three peaks of the economic growth triangle of the Northern Delta region, Ha Long City has

a particularly favorable position, being an important gateway to the sea of the Northern Delta and the Midlands Northern mountains Ha Long City is adjacent to the South of China and the vast Asia-Pacific region The land is favored by nature with many valuable resources, especially Ha Long Bay - one of the new seven natural wonders of the world Ha Long Bay is known as one of the famous tourist attractions of the province, has twice been recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage in 1994 and 2000 to honor the value of landscape, geology and constructions and wonderful creation of creation This has created the land of Quang Ninh in general and Ha Long City in particular with new strengths for tourism development

Ha Long Bay is a unique heritage because this place contains important vestiges

in the formation and development of earth's history, is the cradle of the ancient Vietnamese people, and is also a work of art of nature with the presence of thousands

of rocky islands of all shapes and sizes, with many interesting caves gathering into a

world that is both vivid and mysterious In addition, Ha Long Bay is also home to a high concentration of biodiversity with typical ecosystems along with thousands of extremely rich and diverse species of flora and fauna This place is also associated with the heroic historical and cultural values of the nation

Ha Long Bay stands out with its beautiful system of rocky islands and caves There are two types of islands in Ha Long: limestone islands and schist islands, concentrated in two main areas, the southeast of Bai Tu Long Bay and the southwest of

Ha Long Bay This is the oldest image of the terrain with geological tectonic age from

250 to 280 million years, the result of the process of lifting and lowering many times from the continent to a sea depression The process of Karst erosion and weathering almost completely creates a unique Ha Long in the world

1.2 Reasons for choosing the topic

As one of the new seven natural wonders of the world, Ha Long Bay with more than 3,000 natural islands rising out of the water has become a very special highlight, attracting a large number of tourists to visit each year In recent years, Ha Long Bay attracts more than 5 million tourists to visit and relax each year, thereby contributing to creating more jobs and generating revenue for the local budget Currently, Ha Long Bay is known not only as a potential place with a developed economic market but also

as a famous tourist destination with majestic beauty, touching people's hearts According to Quang Ninh Newspaper, it was reported that the number of tourists

to Ha Long Bay 2019 reached 4.4 million arrivals, of which international visitors were nearly 2.9 million arrivals, an increase of 6% over the same period in 2018 Only counting The number of visitors to Ha Long has helped Quang Ninh's tourism surpass that of other localities, just behind Hanoi These impressive growth figures show that

Ha Long Bay is always leading as a tourist attraction not only of Quang Ninh but also

of Vietnam ("Development of Ha Long Bay tourism towards sustainability”, 2018) Along with the above report, according to Ms Nguyen Huyen Anh, Deputy Head

of Ha Long Bay Management Board, the strong development of tourism, besides the

positive side, also creates pressures for heritage conservation Too many tourists focus

on visiting a few places, such as: Thien Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot, Titop have exceeded the allowable load threshold of attractions, affecting tourism resources Overcrowded tourists lead to the situation that some caves on the bay are losing their natural and unspoiled beauty; the living habits of some species in the Gulf also change, even there is a risk of species decline

Through this study, we can determine the current situation of tourism development in Ha Long Bay, and at the same time study the factors affecting the sustainable tourism development here, thereby proposing and orienting solutions to protect and develop tourism in Ha Long Bay effectively Stemming from the practical reality and urgency of the problem, our group chose the topic: “Analysis of factors affecting sustainable tourism development in Ha Long Bay” for our research

1.3 Problem Statement

Tourism is known as a smokeless industry, which is expected to be one of the spearhead economic sectors of Vietnam in recent years In the present industrialization and modernization of the country, Quang Ninh tourism has been gradually asserting its position in regional economic development and promoting the image of a beautiful Vietnam to international friends

However, in recent times, when Ha Long tourism industry develops in parallel with industries that are already strengths, a problem is how to promote the synthesis of both industry, services and tourism without affecting the environment, ensuring that Ha Long Bay tourism develops in a sustainable way is a top concern of central and local leaders Ha Long Bay is facing great environmental challenges when under pressure from the massive development of coastal urban areas, industrial parks, services, seaports and a part of people's consciousness In addition, more than 500 cruise ships and hundreds of other transport ships operating in the bay have also adversely affected the sea water quality of the bay

Besides, in Ha Long Bay, the planning management of some tourist areas and attractions of Ha Long is still not strict; leading to organizations, individuals and enterprises investing and exploiting improperly according to the planning In addition, the work of ensuring security and order, environmental sanitation and managing service activities still has many problems such as: the phenomenon of coercing customers to buy goods, take pictures, and ask for money is still a problem in many tourist areas The coordination to ensure security and order among all levels and branches is not tight, in some places, they still expect and rely on the police force, to create a bad image about the people and destination of Ha Long Bay Before the economic benefits that Ha Long brings, the question that needs to be answered is how

to protect and develop tourism and enhance the value of a Heritage in the right direction associated with environmental preservation and socio-economic development

of the province

It is known that Quang Ninh has been making efforts to implement the master plan of Ha Long Bay approved by the Prime Minister since 2002 The investment in natural heritage works must be ensured factors to preserve landscape and requirements for sustainable development Quang Ninh tourism industry develops the Quang Ninh tourism development planning for the period 2011-2020, with a vision to 2030, which refers to the harmonious development of tourist centers, tourist areas, and tourism activities on the bay and on the shore, whereby the principle of sustainable development is put on top Therefore, the focus of this study is to understand and analyze the factors affecting tourism development in Ha Long Bay in particular and contribute to promoting tourism in Quang Ninh province in general

1.4

1.5

Scope of Research

Scope: Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province

Research subject: Factors affecting sustainable tourism development in Ha Long Bay

Scope of time: To get the most accurate research and results, the information and data in this study will be collected and surveyed during the period from 2012 to present

Significance of the Topic

In recent years, thanks to the growth of the tourism industry, the trend of sustainable tourism development in Vietnam has also been increasingly focused Therefore, understanding about sustainable tourism development will also contribute to improving efficiency in planning long-term development strategies for tourism in Ha Long Bay

Determining the factors affecting sustainable tourism development is an important content to help develop tourism activities in Ha Long Bay, thereby making accurate assessments of the current situation and proposing positive adjustments for factors that directly affect sustainable tourism in Ha Long Bay

1.6 Research Objective

The study aims at the following objectives:

To find out and evaluate the current situation of tourism development in Ha Long Bay

To identify and comprehensively analyze the factors affecting sustainable tourism development in Ha Long Bay comprehensively

To propose solutions for sustamable tourism development in Ha Long Bay

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1, Literature Review in the world

¢ Definition of tourism:

According to the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is defined as ‘a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal

or business/professional purposes The tourism industry is one of the most dynamic and fast growing economic sectors in the world

¢ Definition of sustainable tourism:

At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) gave the definition:

“Sustainable tourism is the development of tourism activities to meet the current needs

of tourists and indigenous people while preserving and embellishing resources for future tourism development Sustainable tourism will have a plan to manage resources

to satisfy people's economic, social and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity and biodiversity, the development of ecosystems and support systems for human development”

According to the World Conservation Union (World Conservation Union, 1996):

“Sustainable tourism is environmentally responsible travel and visit to natural areas to enjoy and appreciate nature, accompanying cultural features (which can be both past and present) in a way that is conservation-recommended, has low visitor impact and offers benefits for active economic participation - society of the local community.” According to World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2013), “Sustainable tourism is the development of tourism activities to meet the current needs of tourists and indigenous people while paying attention to the conservation and improvement of resources for the development of tourism activities in the future Sustainable tourism means having a resource management plan to satisfy the economic, social, and

aesthetic needs of people while maintaining cultural integrity, biological diversity and life support systems, and essential ecological processes.”

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2015) defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”

Through tourism, sustainable development can be achieved by: enabling the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, empowering local communities through capacity-building programs, and improving life and economic stability; a more responsible community by protecting and conserving natural resources; greening practices through the use of renewable resources to combat climate change; and fostering cultural diversity, peace, and understanding (UNWTO 2020)

¢ The principles of sustainability in tourism

Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

" Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity

" Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter- cultural understanding and tolerance

"Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.”

(From Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook, first edition, 2013, Enhancing capacities for Sustainable Tourism for development in developing countries, pp 15- 16)

¢ Factors affecting sustainable tourism development

The development of sustainable tourism in the region is influenced by many factors such as tourism infrastructure (Chen & Chen, 2011), the participation of the local community (Tsung, 2013; Greg & Derek, 2010), the participation of tourism businesses (Maia et al., 2005), the involvement of the local government (Lisa, 2012; Muhammet et al., 2010), the system of tourist transport (Hollier & Lanquar, 1996), etc Therefore, this study aims to identify three pillars for the development of sustainable tourism in the region: economy, culture, society and environment The factors affecting activities to develop sustainable tourism in the region include both macro factors and micro factors

In term of economic benefits, tourism brings large income into a local economy

in the form of goods or services payment (UNEP, 2003; UNWTO, 2012), generates employment and earning opportunities for local residents (Chen & Chen, 2010) Additionally, for host community, tourism development provides opportunities to develop their own businesses such as travel agencies, bars, pubs, restaurants, accommodation services, (Ismail & Turner, 2008; Nunkoo & Ramkissoon, 2010; Jaafar & Maideen, 2012; Long, 2014) Furthermore, tourism plays an important role in infrastructure developments such as roads, bridges, sewage projects, museums, craft centers and enhance the standard of living of the host citizens (Andriotis & Vaughan, 2003; Kuvan & Akan, 2005; Lee et al., 2007) On the socio-cultural aspects, tourism contributes to the nation development, promotes exchanges, and enhances understanding among nations and people (Bersales, 2005; Tovar & Lockwood, 2008)

On the contrast, many studies (e.g., Andriotis, 2004; Huttasin, 2008; Tovar & Lockwood, 2008; Chen & Chen, 2010; Long, 2014; Long & Kayat, 2011) reported that many destination’s residents suffer price inflation Tourism development can impact

negatively on socio-cultural, environmental and economy due to lack of planning and integration with local values and environment (Tatoglu et al., 2002; Lee et al., 2007).

2.2, Literature Review in the region

¢ Definition of sustainable tourism

The Conference of Tourism Ministers of Southeast Asia - Pacific countries held in Vietnam (2004) introduced the concept of sustainable tourism: "Sustainable tourism 1s tourism development to meet the needs of the world present needs of visitors, the tourism industry and local communities without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, sustainable tourism is economically viable but does not destroy the environment but the future of tourism depends on it especially the natural environment and the social fabric of the local community

Sustainable tourism can be defined as taking full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts which address the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities (APEC, 2014)

¢ The principles of sustainability in tourism

" The concept of sustainable tourism development at the macro level in the province of Yogyakarta (Indonesia) essentially emphasizes three principles, as follows:

" Forward-environment (environmentally sustainable), emphasizing that the process of tourism development must be responsive and attention to efforts to preserve the environment (both natural and cultural), and able to prevent the negative impact that can degrade the quality of the environment and disturb the ecological balance

" To be socially and culturally acceptable (socially and culturally acceptable) which stressed that the development process can be socially and culturally acceptable by the local community

" Eligible economically (economically viable), emphasizing that the development process should be economically feasible and profitable

¢ Factors affecting sustainable tourism development

Jahan and Rahman (2016) have discovered that the main factors affecting sustainable tourism in Bangladesh include: Purchase incentives; Support services;

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Quality of service; Impacts of sustainable tourism; Participation of local people and related agencies; Level of responsibility; Natural resources and environment; Knowledge and caution of tourists However, Tuan and Rajagopal (2019) identify the scale of factors and constructs the observed variables for each factor: Economic factors; Social factors; Environmental factors; Element of sustainable tourism development

2.3, Literature Review in the nation/ city

¢ Definition of tourism

Tourism is a business that includes activities of organizing tour guides, production and exchange of goods and services of businesses to meet the needs of travel, food, accommodation, sightseeing, entertamment, learning and the needs of tourists Such activities must bring practical socio-political economic benefits to the tourism country and to the enterprises themselves (Tourism Research and Development Institute, Hai Phong Tourism Center Development Master Plan — Quang Ninh to 2010)

¢ Definition of sustainable tourism development

The concept of sustainable tourism development in Vietnam was given in the Law

on Tourism of Vietnam (2014): “Sustainable tourism development is the development

of tourism that simultaneously meets economic requirements - society and the environment, ensuring harmony between the interests of the subjects participating in tourism activities, without compromising the ability to meet the needs of tourism in the future

According to Phan and Vo (2017), the development of human beings was not only paid attention to the economic development but it also has to respect the necessary needs of the society and influence into the ecologic environment In other words, the sustainable tourism has to be planned carefully from the start of exploitation in order to bring back the benefits for the local community, respecting the culture, preserving the natural resources and educating tourists and also local community The sustainable tourism can create the economic and social characteristics as the popular tourism but

lãi

the benefits will be remained in the local community and natural benefits, the local culture values are protected professionally and have long-term vision as well as preserving values for the next generations

According to Tien et al (2019), sustainable tourism development must be related

to the conservation of tourism destinations and attractions, education and active participation of local people in tourism services creation, environmental sustainability awareness and multilateral supervision to avoid potential conflict of interests

e Factors affecting sustainable tourism development

According to many researchers, sustainable tourism development mainly revolves around three main pillars: economic development, environmental protection and local socio-cultural development (Ghosh, 2012; Phan Thi Kim Lien, 2013; Chau Quoc Tuan and Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, 2014; Truong Tn Thong, 2019)

Phan and Vo (2017) suggested that the development of the tourism industry had to

be ensured by the three following factors such as:

" Economic Sustainability: Creating the prosperity to all levels of the society and achieving the performance value for all economic activities;

" Social Sustainability: Respecting human’s rights and equality for all people;

« Environmental Sustainability: Protecting and managing the resources, especially the non-renewable resources, and valuable ones for human’s life

There are many factors affecting the sustainable tourism development in the destination: environment, order, safety and security, culture, institutions and policies, economy, people, adequacy of services recreation and parking, the ability to rent motorbikes and have a camping area at the beach, the adequacy of warning and rescue systems and jetties, tourist piers (Iruong Tri Thong and Nguyen Trong Nhan, 2019), tourism resources, technical facilities and infrastructure equipment, people, tourism services, tourism development policy and direction, community participation (Dao Thi Bich Nguyet, 2012), conditions of support services, quality of services, impacts of tourism, participation of local people and stakeholders, level of responsibility, natural resources and environment , visitor knowledge (Jahan and Rahman, 2016), perceptions,

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policies, disasters, natural environment, infrastructure (Islam, 2015), resources and provision, recreation and management, culture, security, hotel preferences, low costs (Diaz and Rodriguez, 2016), tourist attraction, accessibility, facilities, safety and security (Polnyotee and Thadaniti, 2014), social security and traffic accidents, economic development, waste status, local management policy, tourism development planning and distribution, cultural value, visitor return, satisfaction, commodity prices goods and services, warning and rescue systems; waste status, local government management, economic development and social order, cultural values, prices of goods and services, rescue and recreation systems (Le et al , 2018)

Regarding sustainable tourism development in Vietnam, Vu, Nguyen, Nguyen and

Le (2020) have identified seven factors that have influence The impact factors are sorted by the level of diminishing influence: social participation, state management capacity, quality of tourism services, quality of tourism human resources, infrastructure development, material tourism facilities, and tourism resources

e The basic goals of sustainable tourism development:

In order to develop tourism and build sustainable development principles, it is necessary to first define basic goals:

" Economic efficiency: Ensuring economic efficiency and competitiveness so that businesses and tourist attractions can continue to prosper and achieve long-term profits

" Local development: Maximize the contribution of tourists to the prosperity of the local economy in tourist destinations, tourist areas, including the portion of tourist consumption that is retamed in the area local

" Create jobs and raise incomes: Increase the quantity and quality of local jobs created by the Tourism industry and supported by the Tourism industry, without discrimination on gender or otherwise

" Social justice: There should be a fair and widespread redistribution of economic and social benefits from tourism to all those in the community who deserve it

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Satisfaction of tourists: Provide safe and quality services to satisfy the needs of visitors

Enhancing the functional role of tourism organizers: Engaging and empowering local communities to plan and make decisions on tourism management and development, in consultation with related parties

Social security: Maintain and enhance the quality of life of local people, including social organization structure and access to resources, life support systems, avoidance of degradation and exploitation overexploitation of the environment as well as society in any form

Preservation of cultural values: Respect and enhance the value of historical heritages, national cultural identities, traditions and special identities of local communities in tourist destinations

Nature protection: Maintain and improve the quality of the landscape, both in rural and urban areas, to avoid environmental degradation

Efficient use of resources: Minimize the use of rare and non-renewable resources in the development and implementation of tourism facilities, facilities and services

Protect the environment: Reduce air, water, land and waste pollution from visitors and travel agencies

Principles to ensure sustainable tourism development:

Exploiting and using resources rationally

Limit excessive use of resources and reduce waste

Tourism development must be associated with conservation of diversity Development must be consistent with the overall socio-economic development Share benefits with the local community

Encourage the participation of local communities in tourism activities

Regularly exchange and consult with local communities and stakeholders Focus on training and raising awareness about environmental resources Promote responsible tourism marketing

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