Abstract
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the land use and natural resources for future sustainable ecotourism site planning using GIS as a tool. The study is based on 2007 land use land cover data and ecotourism suitability data which are then integrated with other GIS datasets to evaluate the land use and natural resources at a district level in Surat Thani province. The final step of this study was the prioritization of the area that is best suited for ecotourism in assessing ecotourism sustainability in Surat Thani province. The result is useful for tourism facilities development and ecotourism resource utilization where ecotourism could be more developed. Additionally, the results can be used for managers and planners working in local and central governments and other non-governmental organizations. These integrated approaches cover complex and universal issues such as sustainable development of ecotourism, biodiversity conservation and protected area management in a tropical and developing country such as Thailand. Moreover, it is believed that this study can be used as a basis for evaluating the suitability of other areas for ecotourism. In addition, it may also serve as a starting point for more complex studies in the future.
Highlights
Tourism is a highly complex activity and requires tools to assist in effective decision making to come to terms with the competing economic, social, and environmental demands of sustainable development [1]
This study investigated Surat Thani to prepare ecotourism planning for sustainable development involving GIS as a tool for evaluating and monitoring the natural resources, especially potential ecotourism sites
This study demonstrates a methodology for identifying potential ecotourism sites using GIS and analytical hierarchical process (AHP) as case study of Surat Thani province, Thailand
Summary
Tourism is a highly complex activity and requires tools to assist in effective decision making to come to terms with the competing economic, social, and environmental demands of sustainable development [1]. This study investigated Surat Thani to prepare ecotourism planning for sustainable development involving GIS as a tool for evaluating and monitoring the natural resources, especially potential ecotourism sites. GIS is an integral part of spatial planning to identify the suitability of sites based on existing land resources which can be integrated with non-spatial information (i.e., socio-economic, government policy, etc.) by decision makers [31]. The study aims to evaluate and monitor the natural resources used for ecotourism site selection on the land ecosystem of Surat Thani province using GIS. Ecotourism planning is needed for sustainable tourism development in Surat Thani by guiding regional land use decisions that provide the greatest benefits in terms of conservation of biodiversity and other ecosystem services
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