Bsc (Honours) Tourism Management
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Sheffield Business School BSc (Honours) Tourism Management Title The ecotourism development in Hong Kong Name Lai Po Chu Natalie Student No 91206692 Month Year April 2011 1 Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Business School Title The ecotourism development in Hong Kong FULL NAME Lai Po Chu, Natalie STUDENT No 91206692 Supervisor: MS. MONICA LAW In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management. Month Year April 2011 2 Acknowledgement I have many people to thank for this project: I would like to thank my Supervisor, Dr. Monica Law sincerely for her guidance with her tolerance, patience to get through the ongoing processing. Thank for her comments and inspiration. I am apologizing to her because I have given much troubles and problems during the progress. Also, I would like to thank my family. I know I have bad temper during working this project and they take my responsibility of doing housework. Moreover, they have to endure me for working in the night. Fortunately, they did not complaint at all. Finally, I would like to thank my friends. They help me a lot on the project while I come across difficult problems. They give me advice and suggestions to slove the difficulities. Moreover, I always grumble when I was tired and dejected and they cheer me up. Without their encouragement, I can not finish my project and graduate for my degree. I Table of Content Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................ I Table of Content ........................................................................................................... II List of Figures ............................................................................................................. IV List of Tables ................................................................................................................ V List of Abbreviation used ............................................................................................ VI Executive Summary .................................................................................................. VII Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Aims and objectives ..................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Definitions.................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Ecotourism .......................................................................................... 5 2.1.2 Sustainable development ..................................................................... 6 2.2 Four fundamental elements of ecotourism ................................................... 8 2.3 Key stakeholders on ecotourism .................................................................. 9 2.3.1 Government ......................................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Ecotourist ............................................................................................ 9 2.3.3 Local communities ............................................................................ 10 2.3.4 Non-profit groups .............................................................................. 12 2.4 Case study of other countries ..................................................................... 13 Chapter 3 Methodology 3.1 Research Method ....................................................................................... 17 3.1.1 Limitation .......................................................................................... 18 3.1.2 Checklist of data ............................................................................... 19 Chapter 4 Findings and Analysis 4.1 Visitor profile ............................................................................................. 20 4.2 Government bodies responsible for ecotourism ........................................ 21 4.2.1 Roles of Hong Kong Tourism Board ................................................. 21 4.2.2 Roles of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ........ 23 4.3 Environmental impacts of developing ecotourism .................................... 24 II 4.3.1 Ecology ............................................................................................. 25 4.3.2 Noise impact...................................................................................... 27 4.3.3 Waste impact ..................................................................................... 27 4.4 Sustainable development ........................................................................... 28 4.4.1 Carrying capacity ............................................................................. 28 4.4.2 Education .......................................................................................... 29 Chapter 5 Recommendations & Conclusion 5.1 Regular compile statistics on ecotourism .................................................. 31 5.2 Setting an integrated official website about ecotourism activities ............. 31 5.3 Put government in charge of accreditation ................................................ 32 5.4 Reinforce the concept of sustainable development .................................... 34 5.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 35 Bibliography III List of Figures 1. Sustainable Development Definition 7 IV List of Tables 1. A typology of participation 11 2. Tourist Management Principles Addressed in the Ecotourism Policy 16 3. AFCD’s responsibility 24 4. Application requirements for Tourist Guide 33 V List of Abbreviation used AFCD Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department CNTA China National Tourism Administration DMZ Demilitarized Zone EMA Ecological Mitigation Area HAD Home Affairs Department HKTB Hong Kong Tourism Board HKFYG The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups ROK Republic of Korea TIC Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong TIES The International Ecotourism Society WCED World Commission on Environment and Development\ YMCA The Young Men's Christian Association VI Executive Summary The focus of this study was the ecotourism development of Hong Kong. The study explored the impact of developing ecotourism on the environment and the factors that make ecotourism can be developed sustainable. Secondary research data and qualitative analysis are used for the intended method. Neil & Wearing (1999) is the major literature that supports the study. This literature investigates the impacts, potentials and possibilities of ecotourism. In a study carried out by the HKTB in 2001, 21 percent of visitors, amount to two million people, expressed an interest in taking part in ecotourism based activities. The largest age group who are interested in ecotourism belongs to 20 to 39 and 43% received university or above. They recognize country parks, marine parks and trails as ecotourism site. HKTB aims to market and promote Hong Kong as a travel destination worldwide and to enhance visitors' experience once they arrive. AFCD works for the conservation on natural environment. Through ecotourism development, the ecosystem of Hong Kong is well-conserved. There are hundreds of rare species can be found in Hong Kong’s ecosystem. However, some ecotourism activities caused irrecoverable consequence. VII Dolphin-watching is one of the activities can not be ignored. Noise pollution is another serious problem because it is very hard for many people to keep quiet. Tourists also litter and discharge pollution. Therefore, managing the carry capacity is vital to sustain ecotourism. However, there is no official visitors limit in ecotourism sites and the sites are overcrowded. The government should establish the carrying capacity. Also, Hong Kong Wetland Park and Geopark Park have been allocated many resources to implant the concept of sustainable development. To conclude, HKTB should conduct a comprehensive statistic of ecotourism every year and establish an integrated official website that includes all ecotourism activities with relevant information. Form an accreditation system and reinforce the concept of sustainable development are critical to manage ecotourism. VIII Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction Hong Kong has put a lot of resources to make the city of fantasy and commerce. According to HKTB (2010), 56% of tourists come to Hong Kong for vacation and 18% for business. However, there is no typical number showing the percentage of visitors who mainly focus on ecotourism. Although ecotourism may be minor part of overall tourism development, it has been speedy expanding and attracting tourists who are respectful of the nature environment (Heo et al, 2009). And Hong Kong is a destination which possesses rich natural beauty, from lush greenery to breathtaking landscapes. Statistics of HKTB in 2001 show that of the 13.7 million visitors, 24% expressed interest in ecotourism so it is a valuable chance for Hong Kong government to invest into ecotourism development. In 2002, ecotourism was designated as one of the specific market segments. The Wetland Park is Hong Kong’s first major ecotourism initiative opened in May, 2006. The Park plays the role of a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists. There are also twenty four country parks, four marine parks and