| Abstract | Lao PDR, with 20 national protected areas covering 12.5 per cent of the country and many provincial protected areas, Laos has excellent natural environmental resources. These are important to conserve for tourism, watershed protection and other reasons. The present programmes for conservation of the natural environment have been continued and expanded. Community-based ecotourism development programs are particularly to support environmental protection. In recent years ecotourism has become an important phenomenon in the tourism industry. The demand for ecotourism sites is in part determined by uniqueness of the nature resources and cultural environments associated with the sites. Because there are many alternative uses for Lao's natural resources and cultural environments. A case study is in Phou Xang He NBCA. It is the mountainous area in the southern part of Laos. PXH area is nearby the national route No. 9 from Savannakhet to Vietnam or Vietnam to Thailand and it has many interesting tourists attractions such as: natural landscape, wildlife species, waterfall, cave, scenic forest, and different forms indigenous cultural lifestyle of ethnic groups locating in Phou Xang He NBCA. This research provides some information which protected area manager can use for effective ecotourism planning and development. More specifically, this research provided and enhances understanding of the current and future tourism needs in Phou Xang He NBCA. This was accomplished through and analysis of satisfaction of visitors, market promotion and description of the physical, biological, cultural, social and economic factors that influence the development of ecotourism in protected area. The survey 72 respondents of two ethnic groups such as: Lao Loum and Lao Theung live in and around the protected area, individual survey of 35 respondents such as: farmers, students, traders and drivers, survey 2 of tour operators in Savannakhet, and visitors survey of 114 respondents have been provided original information. The research results indicated that while ecotourism development in PXH, Savannakhet province has been provided alternative income to local people and employment to the country, the current tourism on PXH needs better planning in order to adequately develop the ecotourism concept which aims at supporting conservation efforts by linkage management of natural area with social economic development in local communities. The analysis of local communities' participation on ecotourism in PXH reveal that local communities are interesting on ecotourism program, but the local people have not skill and experiences on management. The analysis of visitors satisfaction and market trend to PXH illustrate that tourists have been interested ecotourism in PXH and they were willing to pay US$5-US$10 per day, but tourists in Savannkhet only transit have not stayed for long length. And the analysis of current tourism impacts have not happened except road construction, but protected area have been constrained with people live in and around the protected area because the living condition of them were depended on natural resources. The research identified seven factors as important for future ecotourism development on Phou Xang He NBCA: (1) Market trend, (2) Natural resources, (3) cultural resources, (4) government role, (5) private sectors role, (6) transportation, and (7) promotion and information. Based on the results, this study suggests Lao government should encourage local participation in ecotourism development. For this reason, it presents policy and strategic recommendations for enhancing local participation on ecotourism development. |