Public governance in rural ecotourism: The case of developing economy

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Abstract

Over the past decade, global studies on ecotourism provide an illuminating hope for economic development (Sangpakil, 2017; Kim, Xie, & Cirella, 2019; Wahono, Poernomo, & Kusumah, 2019). However, fewer of these studies work on rural ecotourism. With hopes on the potentiality of rural ecotourism in Quirino Province, this research delved into the management bearings of rural ecotourism. Primarily, it trails the various management practices of ecotourism attractions and significant differences in the responses thereof including problems encountered in this management journey. Anent to, employed descriptive approach. Data were obtained from a survey questionnaire and were statistically analyzed through SPSS. Revealed thereof, management responsibilities on ecotourism sites are most practiced. Interestingly, among these practices training for tourist personnel, facilities, services and infrastructures, cultural heritage, and marketing seemed to be substantial and need attention. Also, problems, such as few numbers of tourist arrival noted, lack of equipment for recreational activities in ecotourism sites, and lack of parking areas were the factors that require attention. With these aforementioned revelations, a proposed sustainable development plan was moulded.

Keywords: Rural Ecotourism, Economic Development, Economic Landscape, Quirino Province, Ecotourism

Authors’ individual contribution: The Author is responsible for all the contributions to the paper according to CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) standards.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements: The author would like to express the sincerest gratitude to the following persons who helped significantly in completing this study. To the Professors of the Lyceum of the Philippines University, to the Faculty and Staff of the College of Industrial Technology in Nueva Vizcaya State University, and Quirino State University for their valuable suggestions, assistance, and guidance during the preparation and until then completion of this study.

JEL Classification: O13, Q01, Q23, Z30, Z32

Received: 13.01.2021
Accepted: 21.05.2021
Published online: 24.05.2021

How to cite this paper: Dagdag, D. T. (2021). Public governance in rural ecotourism: The case of developing economy [Special issue]. Journal of Governance & Regulation, 10(2), 269–289. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv10i2siart8