Visitors perception of environmental impact induced by tourism and their willingness to pay to preserve environmental condition at Mu Ko Chumphon National Park | |
| Author | Pisit Tuntipisitkul |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.NR-12-16 |
| Subject(s) | Tourism--Thailand--Mu Ko Chumphon National Park Mu Ko Chumphon National Park (Thailand) |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-12-16 |
| Abstract | Mu Ko Chumphon National Park has been recognized as one of the most pristine national park in Thailand. Currently the park has not been well recognized yet among mainstream tourism. The study put a preliminary effort to investigate visitor characteristic, perception and WTP through questionnaire survey. A very high percentage of first time users and the willing to return rate indicated that visitor at MCNP would likely increase in the future. Visitor perception on environmental impact related issues of the park were analyzed. Interestingly, socioeconomic variables in age, income and education have no effect on perception regarding visitor evaluation and concern level of the park but the duration of stay shows a strong relation. Moreover, it was evident from the study that many visitors were not aware that their own presence can cause impact to the park. The study revealed conflict behavior that although most visitors would come for experienced nature features of the park and valued less crowded experience but many of them also demand more facilities building inside the park especially in group of visitor with low education level. In addition, we found that WTP of visitor was strongly influenced by variables of confidence level in authority& project, ages and origin of visitor. |
| Keyword | visitor perception; visitor characteristic; willingness to pay (WTP); environmental impact; conflict behavior; National Park |
| Year | 2012 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-12-16 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Jourdain, Damien |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shrestha, Rajendra Prasad;Grunbuhel, Clemens |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government;Asian Institute of Techchnology Fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012 |