An evaluation of destination attractiveness for nature-based tourism: Recommendations for the management of national parks in Vietnam

Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Cuc Phuong, and Ba Be National Parks emerge as the most attractive destinations for nature-based tourism in Vietnam, outperforming 30 other national parks. This evaluation, using stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA) and PROMETHEE methods, identified these three parks as highly appealing across diverse preference structures, with Phong Nha-Ke Bang leading in over 95% of scenarios. The study also pinpointed 12 non-dominated parks, where trail quality was the dominant factor for an average supporter. A strong correlation between tourism attractiveness and visitor numbers underscores the potential for these parks to drive sustainable socioeconomic development while conserving natural resources. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers to refine marketing and management strategies, balancing ecological preservation with tourism growth.

An, L. T., Markowski, J., Bartos, M., Rzenca, A., & Namiecinski, P. (2019). An evaluation of destination attractiveness for nature-based tourism: Recommendations for the management of national parks in Vietnam. Nature Conservation, 32, 51–80. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.32.30753