Development of Assessment Framework for Sustainable Ecotourism Management along Bang Pakong River by e-Delphi Technique
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Abstract
Ecology and environment are important tourism resource. Tourism operators should have effective assessment that are suitable with local contexts using principles, criteria, indicators and verifiers that lead to truly sustainable ecotourism. The objectives of this research was to develop the assessment framework for sustainable ecotourism management along Bang Pakong River by e-Delphi technique for 3 rounds. It is a mixed-method research which combined between qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative data were taken from information given by the 20 ecotourism experts and practitioners in an open-ended questionnaire which later used for content analysis. The obtained principles, criteria, indicators and verifiers were then used to develop a closed-ended questionnaire to elicit quantitative data from the same group of experts. It was found that the assessment framework for sustainable ecotourism management along the Bang Pakong River by e-Delphi technique consisted of four dataset principles namely: 1) environment principle has 2 criteria, 7 indicators, and 27 verifiers; 2) ecological principle has 3 criteria, 10 indicators, and 38 verifiers; 3) management and service principle has 2 criteria, 9 indicators, and 35 verifiers; and 4) economy principle has 3 criteria, 8 indicators, and 30 verifiers. It can be concluded that the developed assessment framework for the ecotourism management along Bang Pakong River can be used in assessing the ecotourism management along Bang Pakong River and other rivers of similar features.
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