Perceptions of Tourism Impact and Tourism Development Among Residents of Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Abstract

This study’s objective was to investigate the Cuc Phuong National Park (CPNP) residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts and their level of support for tourism development in their areas. In April 2008, survey data were collected in 5 communes in CPNP. It was found that, in general, the surveyed residents perceived tourism impacts positively, especially the socio-cultural environmental impacts, and strongly supported tourism development. The study also revealed that residents’ socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender) and residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts (that is, whether they perceived positive/negative socio-cultural and environmental impacts) were likely to predict their level of support for tourism development in CPNP. As expected, the study reconfirmed the usefulness of the social exchange theory in explaining the residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts and their support for tourism development. Based on these findings, the concluding part discusses the study’s implications and provides suggestions for the future.

Keywords: residents’ perception, tourism impacts, social exchange theory, Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam