Sustainable tourism development in context of destination management in a fast growing destination - a case of PHU QUOC Island, Vietnam

Hieu Minh Vu

Doctoral thesis

A study of the sustainable tourism development, a case of Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Abstract:

Tourism industry is widely acknowledged as the crucial influencer to the rapid andsignificant development of the current world and becomes one of the largest andfastest growing economic sectors in the world. Vietnam, a developing country, is a peaceful and favorite destination not only in South East Asia but also in the world.However, its tourism sector has revealed inadequacies in the development process,unsustainable development, and GDP contribution limit, etc. Among favoritedestinations in Vietnam, Phu Quoc island of Kien Giang Province in Vietnam ownsthe great potentials and invaluable resources for tourism development.Nonetheless, Phu Quoc tourism has been also encountering difficulties and facingwith several hidden drawbacks by its rapidly fast growth. The general objective ofthis study is to examine a conceptual framework for sustainable development intourism industry context, to develop guidances on how to make tourism moresustainable in an already mass tourist destination, to establish overall directionsand suggest effective tourism strategies or policies for Phu Quoc towardssustainable tourism development. To achieve those objectives, this study surveys allrelated theories of UNWTO, and many scholars on sustainable tourism developmentto be the academic foundations and triangulation research method is employedwhich consists of the secondary and primary data. Secondary data relies on vastsources, including Kien Giang department of tourism, statistical departments of KienGiang and Phu Quoc, annual all-level governmental reports, state-run businesses,information of officially-registered newspapers or media corporations in Vietnamand in the world. Primary data is the results of the surveys by questionnaires with230 local residents, 150 businesses, and 530 tourists. Furthermore, primary datagains from the semi-structured and in-depth interviews conducted in Phu Quoc withlocal residents, businesses, tourists, local authorities’ officers, and especially with12 experts who are stakeholders of Phu Quoc tourism as well. The results of thestudy will be useful sources for the Phu Quoc tourism development practice in thetourism planning, education, etc. Additionally, the study demonstrates theusefulness and reconfirms the fundamental model and related theory of sustainabletourism development in a concrete and special case of Phu Quoc. Furthermore, thisstudy sets out a new theoretical perspective by adding "politics" factor to theoriginal model of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, reconfirming thestakeholders’ involvement, impacting the tourism development negatively andpositively to the socio-cultural, environmental, and economical, reinforcing thevalue of mixed research method in the process of tourism development andsustainable tourism development not only to this area investigation and otherdestination which has similar contexts, and filling a notable gap in the literatureavailable on sustainable tourism development in Vietnam in the English language.

Abstract:

Tourism industry is widely acknowledged as the crucial influencer to the rapid andsignificant development of the current world and becomes one of the largest andfastest growing economic sectors in the world. Vietnam, a developing country, is a peaceful and favorite destination not only in South East Asia but also in the world.However, its tourism sector has revealed inadequacies in the development process,unsustainable development, and GDP contribution limit, etc. Among favoritedestinations in Vietnam, Phu Quoc island of Kien Giang Province in Vietnam ownsthe great potentials and invaluable resources for tourism development.Nonetheless, Phu Quoc tourism has been also encountering difficulties and facingwith several hidden drawbacks by its rapidly fast growth. The general objective ofthis study is to examine a conceptual framework for sustainable development intourism industry context, to develop guidances on how to make tourism moresustainable in an already mass tourist destination, to establish overall directionsand suggest effective tourism strategies or policies for Phu Quoc towardssustainable tourism development. To achieve those objectives, this study surveys allrelated theories of UNWTO, and many scholars on sustainable tourism developmentto be the academic foundations and triangulation research method is employedwhich consists of the secondary and primary data. Secondary data relies on vastsources, including Kien Giang department of tourism, statistical departments of KienGiang and Phu Quoc, annual all-level governmental reports, state-run businesses,information of officially-registered newspapers or media corporations in Vietnamand in the world. Primary data is the results of the surveys by questionnaires with230 local residents, 150 businesses, and 530 tourists. Furthermore, primary datagains from the semi-structured and in-depth interviews conducted in Phu Quoc withlocal residents, businesses, tourists, local authorities’ officers, and especially with12 experts who are stakeholders of Phu Quoc tourism as well. The results of thestudy will be useful sources for the Phu Quoc tourism development practice in thetourism planning, education, etc. Additionally, the study demonstrates theusefulness and reconfirms the fundamental model and related theory of sustainabletourism development in a concrete and special case of Phu Quoc. Furthermore, thisstudy sets out a new theoretical perspective by adding "politics" factor to theoriginal model of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, reconfirming thestakeholders’ involvement, impacting the tourism development negatively andpositively to the socio-cultural, environmental, and economical, reinforcing thevalue of mixed research method in the process of tourism development andsustainable tourism development not only to this area investigation and otherdestination which has similar contexts, and filling a notable gap in the literatureavailable on sustainable tourism development in Vietnam in the English language.

Keywords

Sustainable tourism development, Phu Quoc, Destination management

Keywords

Sustainable tourism development, Phu Quoc, Destination management

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 27. 8. 2018

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Ida Vajčnerová, Ph.D.

Mendel University in Brno

Faculty of Business and Economics

Doctoral programme / field:
Economics and Management / Business Management and Economics