Tourist Perspectives on a Marine Protected Area in Nha Trang, Viet Nam: Implications of Cultural Differences

Abstract

"The Khanh Hoa Province People's Committee, the Ministry of Fisheries, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) are working to implement Viet Nam's first marine protected area (MPA) in Nha Trang Bay. The MPA plan calls for restriction of fishing and other extractive activities, control of pollution, and restrictions on uses of the area other than tourism and research. The plan also identifies tourism fees as the key element of a sustainable financing strategy. Depending on their magnitude and the demand for services, tourism fees potentially could limit the development of the industry, which in turn, would limit revenues needed to offset the decline of extractive industries. It is critical, therefore, to evaluate tourists opinions regarding perceived environmental problems in the proposed MPA, tradeoffs among policy objectives, and their willingness to pay for the MPA, including their preferences for different payment mechanisms.

"This paper reports the results of a survey of local, other Vietnamese, and foreign tourists to islands that will be included in the MPA. The majority of respondents (74 percent) thought garbage on the beaches, water pollution, or vendors were a problem, and 55 percent thought the MPA was a good idea. Foreign tourists were significantly more likely to perceive environmental problems than were Vietnamese tourists, and persons who agreed there were environmental problems were significantly more likely to support the concept of an MPA, despite the potential for possible economic effects with distributive consequences. Willingness to pay was positively correlated with income. Although foreign tourists were on average willing to pay more, a larger proportion of Vietnamese tourists were willing to pay some amount to support the MPA. Higher proportions of tourists preferred fees on boats and tourist attractions than fees on hotels and restaurants. Preferences for payment mechanisms were not dependent on citizenship. Instead, some evidence of a strategic pattern of preferences emerged, with wealthier individuals more likely to support user fees on tourist activities, and intensive users of tourist services more inclined to support new taxes.

"The results of this analysis are both encouraging and cautionary. The need for an MPA is clearly recognized by most tourists, especially foreign tourists, and most tourists are willing to pay modest fees to support the MPA. Given that education has significant impacts on both perceptions of problems and willingness to pay, educational programs may be an effective management strategy. It is unclear, however, whether willingness to pay for the MPA will be adequate for the many purposes that will require financial support. With careful planning, the needs and concerns of native and foreign tourists can be addressed and tourism can play a successful role in the implementation of the MPA."