¹Rizza Ramos-Gonzales, ²Dr. Pedrito Jose V. Bermudo

^1,2University of Perpetual Help System Laguna, Binan Laguna, Philippines

This descriptive correlational study aimed at determining the viability, prospects and challenges of ecotourism in Lobo, Batangas. It engaged 120 members of the people’s organizations involved in ecotourism. Majority of the respondents aged 56 to 59, male, a high school graduate, had been involved in ecotourism business for either 1 to 4 years or 5 to 8 years, and had attended 1 to 2 trainings. The level of viability of ecotourism in Lobo, Batangas was ‘very high’ with a weighted mean of 3.43. The respondents strongly agreed with a weighted mean of 3.38 to the prospects of growth and development of ecotourism in Lobo, Batangas. Likewise, they agreed with a weighted mean of 3.03 to the myriad of challenges encountered in their involvement in ecotourism. There was a significant difference in their understanding of the viability of ecotourism along marketing aspect, when grouped according to the number of years of involvement in ecotourism and number of trainings attended in ecotourism. The respondents with 5 or more trainings had higher appreciation of the level of viability of ecotourism in the locality than those with 1 to 2 trainings and those with 3 to 4 trainings. Members of the people’s organizations recognize the business prospects and abundant opportunities for growth and development for the community and its residents in the ecotourism sites despite the myriad of problems that beset them. Thus, the proposed action plan should be considered by stakeholders in the ecotourism business in Lobo, Batangas.

viability, prospects, challenges, ecotourism

1) Adeniyi, E. E., & Nwokorie, E. C. (2020). Tourists’ Perception of Ecotourism Development in Lagos Nigeria: The Case of Lekki Conservation Centre. Turizam, 25 (1).

2) Afritado, J. M. & Borbon, N. M. D. (2021). Expectations and experiences of tourists on attractions in Batangas Province. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 10 (1), 13 – 22.

3) Afroz, N. & Mahmud, S. (2017). Analyzing the Problem and Prospects of Ecotourism: A Review in Bangladesh. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 19 (5), 59 – 65.

4) Anastacio, N. J. C. & Brillo, B. B. C. (2020). Potentials for Ecotourism Development at the Tikub Lake: The Obscure Small Lake of Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 17 (4), pp. 53-58, 53 – 58. DOI: 10.3233/AJW200051.

5) Anup, K.C. (2017) Ecotourism in Nepal.The Gaze: Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, Vol. 8 No.1. 10.3126/gaze.v8i0.17827

6) Armando, H. (2017). An Assessment of the Viability of Marine Protected Areas in the Province of Iloilo as Ecotourism Destinations. [Doctoral Disseration, Iloilo State College of Fisheries]. https://repository.cpu.edu.ph/bitstream/handle/20.500.12852/1802/CHM_DM_HisuanAMJr_2017_Ab.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.

7) Barnes, M. L., & Sutcliffe, S. R. (2018). The role of shark ecotourism in conservation behaviour: Evidence from Hawaii. Marine Policy, 97, 27 – 33.

8) Belay, E. M. & Eyassu, A. W. (2018). Challenges of Natural Resources Conservation Management in Mekit Ecotourism Sites, Ethiopia. Research Journal of Social Science and Management, 8 (7), 61 – 71.

9) Blumer, A., Candrea, A. C., Constantin, C. P., Gabriela – Alpu, R., Ispas, A., PapucDamascan, V., & Suciu, T. (2021). Profiling Visitors to Romanian Ecotourism Destinations. Sustainability, 13 (5), 2958. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052958.

10) Borbon, N. M. D. & Ricafort, M. V. (2020). Status of marketing strategies towards tourist attraction and local products: In the case of Lobo, Batangas, Philippines. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 9 (7), 91 – 96.

11) Brillo, B. B. C. (2021). Initiation and establishment of ecotourism development: Pandin Lake of San Pablo City and Tayak Hill of Rizal, Laguna, Philippines. Geo Journal, 86, 2573 – 2586.

12) Chachava, N. T. & Khoshtaria, T. K. (2017). Prospects of ecotourism development in recreation areas of South Georgia. Annals of Agrarian Science, 15 (3), 312 – 317.

13) Chen, F., Huang, H., & Lai, M. (2020). Can marine park become an ecotourism destination? Evidence from stakeholders' perceptions of the suitability. Ocean and Coastal Management, 196 (1).

14) Chlachula, J. et al. (2021). Territorial assessment of the east Kazakhstan geo/ecotourism: Sustainable travel prospects in the southern Altai area. Geosciences (Switzerland). DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11040156

15) Choi, Y. E., Kim, M., Lee, J., & Song, K. (2017). Transformation Planning for Resilient Wildlife Habitats in Ecotourism Systems. Sustainability (9), 4, 487.

16) Choi, Y. E., Chon, J., Doh, M., & Park, S. (2017). Transformation Planning of Ecotourism Systems to Invigorate Responsible Tourism. Sustainability, 9 (12), 2248.

17) Collado, M. F. C. (2019). A Sustainability Framework of River-based Tourism in Panay Island. APJIHT, 8, 1 – 18.

18) Das, P. Kr. (2021). Ecotourism and Sustainable Community Development: A Case Study of Sillery Gaon, West Bengal. International Journal of Social Sciences. DOI: 10.46852/2249-6637.01.2021.3

19) De Leon, R. C. & Kim, M. S. (2017). Stakeholder perceptions and governance challenges in urban protected area management: The case of the Las Piñas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, Philippines. Land Use Policy, 63, 470 – 480.

20) DLA Piper (2018). DLA Piper global data protection laws of the world - World Map. DATA PROTECTION LAWS OF THE WORLD.

21) Ebisa, J. A., Escoto, M. G., Ocampo, L., & Ombe, J. (2018). Sustainable ecotourism indicators with fuzzy Delphi method – A Philippine perspective. Ecological Indicators, 93, 874 – 888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.05.060.

22) Erdogan, N. (2017). Critical Views of Mainstream Approaches on Ecotourism. Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies, 5 (1), 20 – 31.

23) Ezequias, J.E. (2020). Ecotourism challenges in Angola: Sustainable development trends. Journal of Tourism and Development. DOI: 10.34624/rtd.v0i34.22366

24) Fennell, D.A. (2020). Ecotourism. 5th Ed. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429346293 article=2524&context=scripps_theses.

25) Ghilardi-Lopes, N. P., Pedrini, A. D. G., & Rhormens, M. S. (2017). Implementation feasibility of a marine ecotourism product on the reef environments of the marine protected areas of Tinharé and Boipeba Islands (Cairu, Bahia, Brazil). Ocean and Coastal Management, 139. 1 – 11.

26) Gkoumas, A. (2019). Evaluating a standard for sustainable tourism through the lenses of local industry. Heliyon, 5 (11).

27) Global Ecotourism Network (2016). https://www.gstcouncil.org/ecotourism/

28) Gutyj, B. V., Hrymark, O. Y., Kalaitan. T. V., Kindrat, O. V., Kushnir, L. P., Stybel, V. V., Vovk, M. V., Yaroshevych, N. B. (2017). Ecotourism and sustainable development. Prospects for Ukraine. Ukrainian Journal of Ecology.

29) Hassan, Z. A. (2019). Critical Analysis of Stakeholders' Perceptions of Community Based Tourism Impacts in a World Heritage Site (WHS). PQDT - Global

30) Hwang, K. & Lee, J. (2018). Antecedents and Consequences of Ecotourism Behavior: Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals, Ecological Belief, Willingness to Pay for Ecotourism Services and Satisfaction with Life. Sustainability, 10 (3), 789.

31) Ibrahim, I., Rendy, R., & Zukhri, N. (2019). Ecotourism Among Dilemma Voluntarism and Ecological Commitment (A Review of the Challenges of Community-Based Environmental Tourism Development in Bangka Island). Research Gate.

32) Jaafar, M., Malik, S., Mohamad, D., & Salman, A. (2021). Ecotourism development in Penang Hill: a multi-stakeholder perspective towards achieving environmental sustainability. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 42945 – 42958.

33) Joushi, R. & Poudel, B. (2020). Ecotourism in Annapurna Conservation Area: Potential, Opportunities and Challenges. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 3 (4), 51 – 73.

34) Karmini, N.W (2020). Ecotourism management based on local wisdom in tenganan village, Karangasem Bali. International Research Association for Talent Development and Excellence. http://repo.unhi.ac.id/jspui/handle/123456789/952

35) Kunjuraman, V. (2021).Local community participation challenges in communitybased ecotourism development in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Community Development Journal. DOI: 10.1093/cdj/bsaa065

36) Le, G. et al. (2021). Factors of tourists’ perspective and awareness of insects based on demographics distribution in the tropical ecosystem. Serangga. https://ejournal.ukm.my/serangga/article/view/4877...

37) Lee, J. (2022). Managing conflict by mapping stakeholders’ views on ecotourism development using statement and place Q methodology. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 37.

38) Liegey, V., & Nelson, A. (2020). Exploring degrowth: A critical guide. Pluto Press. eBook ISBN: 9781786807601

39) Liliquist, M. (2020). What Is a Prospect? https://www.thebalancesmb.com/marketing-sales-prospect-1794386#:~:text=A%20prospect%20is%20a%20potential,step%20in%20the%20selling%20process. Retrieved om 02.02.22

40) Liu, J.Y., Li, Q.J., Sigley, G. & Quan. H. (2021). How will the cost change after transformation in public nature-based attractions? A framework and case study. Sustainability (Switzerland). DOI: 10.3390/su13116468

41) Madzunye, T., Nheta, D. S., & Tshipala, N. (2017). Profile of Ecotourists within the Capricorn District Municipality, South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 6 (4), 1 – 20.

42) Magio, K.O., Arguelles, E. G., & Guillen, E.M.C. (2017). Ecotourism and conservation in the Ruiz Cortinez Ejido, Los Tuxtlas. TEORIA Y PRAXIS. ISSN: 1870-1582

43) Magio, K.O. & Valdez, M.V. (2019). El ecoturismo en las reservas de la biósfera: Prácticas y actitudes hacia la conservación. PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural DOI: 10.25145/j.pasos.2019.17.00

44) Mallick, S. K., Rudra, S., & Samanta, R. (2020). Sustainable ecotourism development using SWOT and QSPM approach: A study on Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 8 (3), 185 – 193.

45) McCombes, S. (2020). Descriptive Research Design | Definition, Methods and Examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/descriptiveresearch/. Accessed 21March 2022.

46) Mejere, O., Jukneviciene, V., Raisutiene, J., Rupuleviciene, R., & Saparniene, D. (2022). Expression of Behavior and Attitudes toward Sustainable Tourism in the Youth Population: A Search for Statistical Types. Sustainability, 14, 473. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010473.

47) Michael, W. (2017). Environmentally Friendly Industries: An Examination of Ecotourism as the Solution to the Environmental Degradation Caused by the International Tourism Industry. [Honor’s Thesis, Johnson & Whales University]. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/303926342.pdf.

48) Miller, C. C. (2017). Challenges and Potentials of Ecotourism as a form of Conservation and Sustainable Development on Zapatera Island, Nicaragua. [Master’s Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences]. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/10096/1/miller_c_c_170406.pdf.

49) Mnini, P. & Ramoroka, T. (2020). Challenges of Ecotourism and Poverty Alleviation in South Africa. International Journal of Economics and Finance Studies, 12 (2), 321 – 334.

50) Mondino, E. & Beery, T. (2019). Ecotourism as a learning tool for sustainable development. The case of Monviso Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, Italy. Journal of Ecotourism. DOI: 10.1080/14724049.2018.1462371

51) Muboko, N., Mudzengi, B. K., Mutanga, C. N., & Gandiwa, E. (2020). Towards sustainable community conservation in tropical savanna ecosystems: a management framework for ecotourism ventures in a changing environment. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23, 3028 – 3047.

52) Müllera, S., Hucka, L., & Markovab, J. (2020). Sustainable community-based tourism in Cambodia and tourists' willingness to pay? Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies (2020) DOI: 10.14764/10.ASEAS-0030

53) Murray, J. (2020). What is business viability. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-business-viability-3884327. Retrieved on 02.02.22

54) Murungi, T.M. Mbugua, J., & Gitonga, A.K. (2020). Determinants of Sustainability of Community Based Ecotourism Development Projects in Kenya: A Case of Northern Rangeland Trust Conservancy, Meru County. International Academic Journal of Information Sciences and Project Management

55) Nigatu, T. F. & Tegegne, A. A. (2021). Potential Resources, Local Communities’ Attitudes and Perceptions for Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism Development in Urban Fringe Harego and Bededo Conserved Forest, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 39 (4), 1421 – 1429.

56) Petros, M.I. & Firew. A. (2020). Challenges and opportunities for ecotourism development: A case studyin dilla university botanical and ecotourism garden, South Ethiopia. Global Journal of Ecology. DOI: 10.17352/gje.000035

57) Pettinger, Tejva (2020. Degrowth - Definition, examples and criticisms https://www.economicshelp.org. Retrieved on 04.02.22

58) Ramaano, A. I. (2021), Potential of ecotourism as a mechanism to buoy community livelihoods: the case of Musina Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa, Journal of Business and Socio-economic Development, 1 (1), 47 – 70. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBSED-02-2021-0020.

59) Salera, J.P. et al. (2019). Community-Based Homestay Service: A Proposed Livelihood Project for the Dumagats. Abstract Proceedings International Scholars Conference. DOI: 10.35974/isc.v7i1.1571

60) Sarpong, G. O., Blankson, B. & Britwum, C.T. (2018). Residents’ views on benefits and costs of ecotourism projects: A study of bobiri forest and butterfly sanctuary in Ghana International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Systems, vol. 11 No.1

61) Serebryakova, N., Dorohova, N., & Isaenko. M. (2021). Current State and Prospects of Ecotourism Development in Russia. Actual directions of scientific researches of the XXI century: theory and practice. DOI: 10.34220/23088877-2021-8-4-77-86

62) Sharpley, R. (2022) Tourism and Development Theory: Which Way Now?, TourismPlanning & Development, 19:1, 1- 12, DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2021.2021475

63) Spacey, J. (2018). 30 Examples of Business Problems. https://simplicable.com/new/business-problems. Retrieved on 02.02.22

64) TIES (2019). What is Ecotourism? https://ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism/.Accessed 21 January 2022

65) Vitali, S. (2020). Sustainable tourism: the theory. https://www.sustainabletourismworld.com/sustainable-tourism-the-theory/ (accessed 21 March 2022)

66) Wondirad, A. (2020). Ecotourism development challenges and opportunities in Wondo Genet and its environs, southern Ethiopia. Journal of Place Management and Development. DOI: 10.1108/JPMD-12-2018-0109

67) Yu, S. B. (2020). Paraisong Nawala: Exploring Sustainable Ecotourism in the Philippines.[Bachelor’s Thesis, Scripps College]. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

Volume 05 Issue 05 MAY 2022

There is an Open Access article, distributed under the term of the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits remixing, adapting and building upon the work for non-commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.