Maintainability of a local government-instituted ecotourism development: The Tayak adventure, nature, and wildlife park in Rizal, Laguna, Philippines
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
FAO ;
Resumen
Descripción
Ecotourism is one key growth strategy of the Philippine Government. Expansion of ecotourism is often challenged by untapped natural resources and unique cultural/heritage assets. This situation is aggravated by the literary deficit where one important aspect has been often overlooked—the maintainability of small/medium-scale enterprises once in place at the local level. This paper explores and understands the sustainability of the TANAW de Rizal Park, an ecotourism enterprise of a fifth-class municipality. Based on a case study design, the paper delineates circumstances to fathom out local ecotourism development. First, leadership is top-down driven, but the bottom-up manner is more significant to ensure sustainability. Second, financial issue is complicated thus, the ideal is to continue the operation of government agencies and integrate commercial businesses. Third, the traditional Holy Week events are the town’s single-month focal point, thus extending supplementary activities on a regular and all-year-round basis can boost continued revenue. Fourth, the park is strategical if connected and/or associated with neighboring towns and nearby natural resources. Lastly, the park’s strengths are anchored on its unusual intermixing of assets, while its weaknesses are the risks of becoming a “white elephant project.”
Keywords: local government, Rizal municipality, small/medium-scale ecotourism, sustainable ecotourism
ID: 3486349