Cac tác động nhận thức của du lịch trường hợp vịnh hạ long việt nam

Promoting Healthy Menu Choices Electronic copy available at http ssrn com abstract=2599949 International Journal of Tourism Sciences, Volume 14, Number 2, pp 145 169, 2014 Tourism Sciences Society of Korea All rights reserved The Perceived Impacts of Tourism The Case of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Long Hong Pham Vietnam National University, Vietnam ABSTRACT A study was undertaken among the residents in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, Vietnam, to examine the perceived impacts of tourism and to explore resi.

The Perceived Impacts of Tourism:

The Case of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Long Hong Pham

Vietnam National University, Vietnam

ABSTRACT: A study was undertaken among the residents in Ha Long Bay, Quang

Ninh, Vietnam, to examine the perceived impacts of tourism and to explore residents’ support for tourism development In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 residents The findings show that, on the whole, respondents viewed tourism positively and displayed strong support for tourism development They were generally in favor of tourism that contributes economically and socio–culturally to Ha Long Bay They were, however, slightly ambivalent about the environmental impacts of tourism Based on the findings, this paper discusses the implications of the research, and the direction for future studies

Keywords: Residents’ perceptions; tourism impacts; support for tourism development;

Ha Long Bay; Vietnam

* * Ph.D Lecturer, Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences & Humanities, Vietnam National University, Vietnam E-mail: phamhonglong@gmail.com

Introduction

Tourism development has been identified as an effective way to revitalize the economy of a destination, whether rural or urban (Chen & Chen, 2010) However, the tourism industry relies heavily upon local residents’ goodwill, participation and support (Andriotis, 2005; Yoon, Gursoy, & Chen, 2001) Tourism, therefore, should be developed according to the local residents’ needs and desires An understanding of local residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts and their attitudes toward tourism development is fundamental for the success and sustainability of any type of tourism development (Allen, Long, Perdue, & Kieselbach, 1988; Gursoy, Chi, & Dyer, 2009; Kuvan & Akan,

2005; Lankford & Howard, 1994; Yoon et al., 2001) Although a wealth of

research has examined residents’ perceptions as well as their attitudes towards tourism impacts and tourism development, especially in developed countries, these are still a relatively new concern for tourism researchers and scholars of developing countries such as Vietnam In Vietnam, to date, few studies of this kind have been attempted, except for those by Long (2011) and Long and Kayat (2011)

This research paper represents preliminary findings from a study of residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts and their support for tourism development in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh, Vietnam There are three main objectives of this research paper:

i to examine residents’ perceptions of overall tourism impacts,

ii to explore residents’ support for tourism development, and

iii to make recommendations for tourism policy for the study area

Literature Review

Tourism has been referred to as a “goose that not only lays a golden egg, but also fouls its own nest” (Julio, 2001) Like many other industries, it is often used as a national or regional development tool (Jackson, 2008; Liu & Var, 1986) However, tourism development without proper planning and integration with local values and environment can result in socio-cultural, environmental and economic damage to the host population (Lee, Li, & Kim, 2007; Tatoglu, Erdal, Ozgur, & Azakli, 2002)

In general, tourism development within a host community often impacts the

community both in negative and positive ways These impacts are often classified into economic, socio-cultural and environmental tourism impacts

(Allen et al., 1988; Chen & Chen, 2010; Jackson, 2008; Kuvan & Akan, 2005;

Liu, Sheldon, & Var, 1987; Liu & Var, 1986; Long, 2011; Long & Kayat, 2011; Long, Perdue, & Allen, 1990; Nepal, 2008; Pérez & Nadal, 2005)

In fact, empirical research identifying tourism impacts as perceived by residents is vast Earlier researchers have suggested that despite the availability

of research on residents’ perceptions as well as attitudes towards tourism and its impacts, it is necessary to conduct research on this topic in other geographical locations, in different settings, and over a period of time in order

to not only reinforce earlier findings but also identify and explore other factors that may influence the host residents (Andriotis, 2004, 2005; Cavus & Tanrisevdi, 2003; Haralambopoulos & Pizam, 1996; Kuvan & Akan, 2005;

Sheldon & Var, 1984; Smith & Krannich, 1998; Yoon et al., 2001)

According to Cevat (2001), every study of tourism impacts is unique because it is related to its own characteristics, which makes it difficult to derive its worldwide validity This implies the need for the study of tourism impacts

on residents in each specific region

While most of the previous studies used quantitative approaches to explore residents’ perception of tourism impacts This current study uses a qualitative approach to examine the impacts of tourism development as a trade-off between local residents’ perceived benefits (i.e positive impacts) and costs (i.e negative impacts) Positive and negative impacts are included in three dimensions – economic, socio-cultural, and environmental

Area of Study

The site selected for this study is Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province, which is located in the North-East of Vietnam (See Figure 1) It is an area of superlative natural beauty It is also a treasure house of unusual and unique geomorphic features, ecosystems and bio-diversity There are many sites of historical significance and archaeological remains in and around the Bay, and it

is strongly represented in myths and legends of the Vietnamese people (Galla, 2002) Ha Long Bay has been recognized twice, in 1994 and 2000, by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage area for its universal value of landscape and geology In addition, it has been recently voted (2011) as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world

Ha Long Bay is an important site both economically and culturally for Vietnam, and has played a significant role in the development for the country

as an international tourism destination It is one of Vietnam’s premier tourism destinations (Hien, 2011) According to figures from the Cultural Office of Ha Long City, during 2002, 1.7 million people visited the Bay By 2011, there were more than 4 million annual visitors, 50% being foreigners (Ha Long, 2012)

Figure 1 Location of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam Source: Mark (2009)

In spite of the tremendous expansion of the Ha Long tourism industry and the knowledge that the attitudes and perceptions of local residents are vital for the success of tourism, little is known about the local residents of Ha Long Although, there appears to be substantial research on tourism activities in Ha Long Bay, no published research has, so far, dealt with the residents’ perception of the impacts of tourism and their attitudes towards and support for tourism development in Ha Long Bay Hence, there is a need for a study that

will build on the existing, albeit limited body of knowledge concerning these issues

Method

In–depth interviews

In–depth interviews were conducted with Ha Long Bay residents to find out how they perceived the impacts of tourism The questions were open–ended and the interview was informal and semi–structured The main advantage of in–depth interviews is that they provide a better understanding of respondents’ thinking and attitudes on some issues that could be achieved with structured interviews (Hernandez, Cohen, & Garcia, 1996) Veal (2011) concludes that one of the benefits of the unstructured interview is that it allows the interviewer

to interact with respondents in a conversational setting so as to reach the heart

of the subject under investigation Semi–structured interviews are generally the most useful, in that they allow full exploration of the topic and yet retain a degree of structure, which ensures that most of the information obtained is relevant and manageable (Veal, 2011)

In fact, these interviews made it possible to explore certain themes and nuances, further enriching the data

Sampling and sample size

The sampling strategy adopted in this study was a purposeful one It thus utilized non–probability sampling (Jennings, 2001; Veal, 2011) From a positivist research perspective, it could be argued that the main weakness of purposive sampling is that the researcher’s subjectivity can introduce bias in the selection of the subjects for the sample (Kalsom Kayat, 2000) However, if the criteria for selecting the sample are established beforehand and the researcher strictly adheres to the criteria, this problem can be minimized

In purposeful sampling, an appropriate sample size for the study is one that adequately answers the research questions Thus the researcher decides when enough participants or units have been sampled (Ramchander, 2004) This occurs when there is redundancy with regard to data In this study this was achieved after conducting 11 interviews The cut–off is not predetermined, but emerges from the research process and concurrent data analysis

Interview guide

An interview guide (see Appendix for the full version) was developed for use during the in–depth individual interviews The guide was organized to help the researcher answer the research questions using a semi–structured interviewing technique The questions in the interview guide were translated to Vietnamese as the interviews were conducted in that language Since a qualitative approach was employed, the interview guide was not strictly followed The order and specific wording of questions varied from interview to interview However, the guide helped the interviewer to continually focus the interviews on topics relevant to the research objectives The respondents were free to expand on each topic as they saw fit, and to relate their own experiences The interviewer intervened only for clarification or further explanation

Interview process

Depending on the respondents’ preference, the interviews were conducted either at the respondents’ home, office, place of business or at a public place such as a coffee shop or restaurant Each interview began with several minutes

of chatting between the interviewer and respondent to establish a comfortable rapport The interviewer then explained the goals of the research Respondents were asked for their voluntary participation and were reassured that their identity and responses would be kept confidential Respondents were also asked

if the interview could be recorded In cases where respondents consented, tape recordings were made, which enabled the interviewer to pay close attention to discussions; transcriptions of recordings were made later

Interviews with respondents lasted from 30 minutes to one hour The interviewer used a copy of the interview guide to keep the respondents on track

At the end of each interview, the interviewer summarized the key ideas given

by the respondents and the respondents were asked to confirm these points Respondents were thanked for their participation and instructed how to contact the research team if they had additional questions and comments

Data analysis

For this study a content analysis method was followed to understand the procedures and importance of qualitative data analysis Qualitative data collected through interview schedules WAs coded, and repeated themes (responses) or concepts recorded until saturation was achieved (Veal, 2011)

Recorded interviews were transcribed and coded into themes already established in the interview guide The essence of the analysis procedure returns to the terms of reference, the research problem and research questions, and undergoes sorting and evaluations based on the information gathered in relation to the questions posed (Finn, Elliott-White, & Walton, 2000)

Results

The researcher chose to analyse the content of the in–depth interviews holistically and to report the recurring themes in their original form so as to reflect a real–world setting Responses were divided into themes

Profile of respondents

The interviews were conducted from October 15 to October 25, 2011, with

an average interview time of approximately 40 minutes A total of eleven respondents were selected to participate in the interview, including three television reporters, two hotel receptionists, two restaurant owners, one high school teacher, one golf course manager, one accountant, and one government officer Among the respondents, six were female and five were male, aged between 24 and 55 All of the respondents were Kinh Eight respondents were born in Ha Long, while three were born elsewhere Six were married, while five were still single In terms of education level, two acquired high school degrees, three held college degree, five held university degree and one had received a masters’ degree The monthly income of all respondents was above 3,000,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong) Eight respondents reported that they have been living in Ha Long since they were born, two had lived there for ten years, and only one had come to Ha Long just one year before The socio–demographic description for each interviewee is summarized in Table 1

Table 1 Socio–demographic description for each interviewee

No Age Gender Ethnic

Place

of birth

Marital status Education

Monthly household income

Job status

Length

of residency

in Ha Long

1 32 Male Kinh Other Single College 10,000,000VND Golf course

manager

Only 1 year

2 47 Female Kinh Ha

Long Married

High school 5,000,000VND

Restaurant owner Since was born

3 55 Female Kinh Ha

Long Married

High school 6,000,000VND

Restaurant owner Since was born

4 25 Female Kinh Ha

Long Single University 5,000,000VND

Hotel receptionist

Since was born

5 27 Male Kinh Other Single College 4,500,000VND Hotel

receptionist 10 years

6 36 Male Kinh Ha

Long Married Master 5,000,000VND

High school teacher

Since was born

7 24 Female Kinh Ha

Long Single University 3,000,000VND

Television reporter

Since was born

8 25 Female Kinh Ha

Long Single University 5,000,000VND

Television reporter

Since was born

9 31 Male Kinh Other Married College 5,000,000VND Television

11 48 Male Kinh Ha

Long Married University 5,000,000VND

Government officer

Since was born

Perceived benefits

In general, the respondents thought that tourism has brought many benefits

to Ha Long Bay Table 2 summarizes the positive perceptions of tourism revealed by the interviews The following sections discuss the perceived benefits in more detail

Economic benefits

Among the benefits described, economic benefits were most frequently mentioned by respondents All of the respondents, regardless of their socio–demographic characteristics, mentioned that tourism had brought more employment and earning opportunities to Ha Long A high school teacher

remarked “The tourism industry has been developing very fast in Ha Long in recent years Though I am not working in the tourism industry, I see many people working in this industry, such as having jobs in hotels, restaurants, tourist’s boats and junks, or working as tour guides, hawkers” The spin–off

effects of increased earnings were also mentioned by respondents A lady who

works as an accountant for a bank in Ha Long stated “When there is tourism, there is employment When there is employment, there is income…Income has definitely increased” These findings correspond with the results of many other

research studies, which have found that tourism creates employment and earning opportunities for local residents (Belisle & Hoy, 1980; Chen & Chen,

2010; Faulkner & Tideswell, 1997; Lee et al., 2007; Liu & Var, 1986; Rudež &

Vodeb, 2010; Schofield, 2011)

Respondents also indicated that besides bringing more employment and earning opportunities, tourism development in Ha Long has also created opportunities for local residents to develop their own businesses Travel agencies, bars, pubs, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts have developed Many hawkers are selling art and crafts, as well as local cuisine A young girl who

works for a local television station remarked “I was born and raised in Ha Long…over time I have seen many local people opening their own businesses due to tourism development” Business and entrepreneurial opportunities for

local people are tourism impacts normally described in the literature Many authors have also found that tourism opens up new business opportunities for local residents (Chen & Chen, 2010; Huttasin, 2008; Nunkoo & Ramkissoon,

2010; Tovar & Lockwood, 2008; Yoon et al., 2001)

Another perceived benefit of tourism frequently mentioned by respondents

is “improved infrastructure” Seven of the eleven respondents mentioned that they observed a remarkable improvement in infrastructure in the last 15 years

An elderly lady who runs a restaurant said:

“Though tourism in Ha Long Bay has been famous for many years, development has rapidly increased in the last ten years Before, the road along

Ha Long Bay was not good, and nothing was developed at all, but now, you can see a very nice road, a magnificent bridge, many new buildings, restaurants, shopping places and taverns I think tourism has led to the development of infrastructure, new facilities and amenities”

In fact, tourism in Ha Long Bay has played a significant role in the

development of Quang Ninh province and for the country as an international tourism destination Large sums of money have been spent to develop roads, bridges, sewage projects, museums, and craft centres Thus, there is no doubt that the present study found most respondents expressing the perception that improved infrastructure in Ha Long Bay has been due to tourism development The increase in job and income opportunities created by the tourism industry has also improved the standard of living for some respondents in Ha

Long Bay, as was mentioned by a hotel receptionist: “Tourism creates jobs for many people in Ha Long Bay and I think their living standard and quality of life may become better based on their jobs” When asked if her living standard/quality of life was better due to tourism development, she replied “Yes,

I used to work in a post office, but that job was very boring, so I gave it up and began to work for this hotel My income is not really high, but I feel it’s very interesting to meet many people from all over the world…” This finding

coincides with the findings of Akis et al (1996); Andereck and Vogt (2000);

Andriotis and Vaughan (2003); Belisle and Hoy (1980); Haralambopoulos and

Pizam (1996); Huttasin (2008); Kuvan and Akan (2005); Lee et al (2007); Liu

and Var (1986)

The other perceived economic benefit of tourism was economic growth and

an increased local budget For example, a golf course manager expressed “In

Ha Long, besides the mining industry and fishing industry, tourism is another important source of income for the city…The economy of Ha Long is well developed because of tourism”, and a government officer remarked “Due to tourism development in Ha Long Bay, the local budget has been increased”

school teacher spoke of this, “tourism is another way of bridging people, cultures and languages” His comment was often repeated by other

respondents A female respondent working for a local television station also

shared a similar thought, “You see, Ha Long Bay has attracted a lot of tourists, many of them are foreigners When tourists come, they come with their cultures…So, if local people would like to provide services for tourists, they have to better understand tourists and vice versa”

Another common socio–cultural perceived benefit of tourism was “the promotion of a good image of Ha Long Bay to foreign countries and foreign

tourists” For example, a golf course manager stated “Obviously, Ha Long Bay

is a famous place as it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, but tourism has helped to promote Ha Long Bay to other countries more famously as a destination for foreign tourists” A television reporter expressed, “…the image

of Ha Long Bay is improving” Other authors have also found such benefits at other tourism destinations (Perdue et al., 1990; Ramchander, 2004)

Tourism has increased residents’ pride in their culture (Huttasin, 2008; Tatoglu et al., 2002; Tovar & Lockwood, 2008) Indeed, increases in residents’

pride in Ha Long Bay were often mentioned by respondents when they were asked about the socio–cultural benefits of tourism A government officer’s

comment “tourism has our people interested in local arts and traditions” was

repeated by other respondents A hotel receptionist proudly spoke of this:

“In Ha Long, we have the Ha Long Bay summer carnival every year There are many foreign art delegations, coming from all over the world….Yes, it is really a great chance for Ha Long Bay people to show their culture to the outside world I think tourism has resulted in a renewal of cultural traditions and practices, song, dance, music, food and crafts”

Respondents also indicated that because of tourism “Ha Long Bay has more professional tour guides” and “local people have to learn foreign languages, especially English and Chinese, to communicate with foreign visitors, and that

is really good for Ha Long Bay people” as mentioned by a golf course manager

and a hotel receptionist, respectively

Environmental benefits

Survey data seems to indicate that tourism has brought few environmental benefits to Ha Long Bay when compared to economic and socio–cultural benefits However, some environmental benefits were mentioned by

respondents A television reporter remarked, “Tourism is good…and because tourists come to visit Ha Long Bay, it has helped local people to be aware of the preservation and natural upkeep of Ha Long Bay” Her comment was reinforced by a comment from a government officer “…Of course there are still many environmental problems we need to think about, but from my point of view, Ha Long is more beautiful and cleaner now”, he said, “imagine if there were no tourism, there would be no garbage collection programs But in fact, due to tourism development, we have more and more garbage collection programs and the sewage system has been improved”

Previous studies (Andereck & Vogt, 2000; Perdue et al., 1990) reported that

tourism improved the tourism destinations’ appearance Respondents in this study perceived that due to tourism development, the appearance of Ha Long is now better For example, a golf course manager expressed his thought about the appearance of Ha Long:

“…I have been living and working in Ha Long for over a year Previously I only came to Ha Long as a tourist I think Ha Long city has been changed for the better As you see, this place where I am working now is much better than before Before, it was just a hill of cane–brake, now it is a resort with a beautiful view facing the bay”

Table 2 Respondents’ positive perceptions of tourism

Main variables Sub variables

Economic

variables

More employment and earning opportunities Business/entrepreneurial opportunities for local people Improved infrastructure

Improvement of living situations/standard of living Economic growth

Increased local budget Socio–cultural

variables

Greater cultural exchange between tourists and residents Promotion of a positive image of Ha Long Bay to foreign countries and foreign tourists

Raised residents’ pride in Ha Long Bay’s cultures More professional tour–guides, improved level of languages (Chinese, English) among local people

Table 5 summarizes the results of the negative perceptions of tourism revealed by the interviews The following sections discuss the findings pertaining to the costs of tourism perceived by the respondents

Economic costs

According to Ap (1990), if tourism is perceived to create costs that impinge

on residents adversely, they may develop negative attitudes to tourism in their communities Although tourism has brought great economic benefits to Ha Long Bay, it has also brought costs

All respondents thought tourism development was responsible for price inflation For example, an accountant who works for a bank in Ha Long stated,

“The most negative side of tourism, from which I am also suffering, is price inflation Every day I go to market, I have to buy things at tourism prices I have been to many tourism destinations in our country and I observed that