Local residents’ perception on ecotourism in Cucphuong National Park, Ninhbinh Province, Vietnam

Ecotourism development has become a prominent approach to address socioeconomic concerns in a conservation context. This research attempts to investigate the importance and relevance of ecotourism and assess the awareness and understanding of ecotourism among the local residents in Cucphuong National Park. A structured qualitative interview was used to collect data in five villages in Cucphuong National Park by interviewing the head of the households who knows about ecotourism activities and the impacts. The research showed that most of respondents had positive awareness about ecotourism, especially households who have family member(s) working in tourism industry. The ecotourism development contributed much for local residents’ improvement in employment, infrastructure, hospital and education. Besides that, the negative impacts of ecotourism activities were also pointed out as the high fluctuation of price for substantial local products, huge amount of garbage at the peak season or weekend, disappearance of natural sights and replacement of new tourism spots. The information can help local authorities, planners and community decision-makers to have a deep and precise view about local perception toward ecotourism in order to suitable policies and long-term plan for improving local living condition and natural resource conservation.