The present paper aims to synthesize experiences of developing community-based ecotourism in some countries, analyze the operation of ecotourism in the North Central Vietnam and then extend some solutions to the sustainable development of the community-based ecotourism in Northern Central Vietnam. | 2 | Nguyễn Quyết Thắng & Nguyễn Văn Hóa Revisiting Community-Based Ecotourism Revisiting Community-Based Ecotourism in the Northern Central Vietnam NGUYỄN QUYẾT THẮNG* & NGUYỄN VĂN HÓA** ABSTRACT Ecotourism has witnessed the fastest growth among other types of tourism, and recently been generating substantial revenues for many countries. Although ecotourism has great potentials, it may not necessarily be a mode of sustainable tourism because it can be objected by local communities. As per this fact, a so-called community-based ecotourism has been developed. The present paper aims to synthesize experiences of developing community-based ecotourism in some countries, analyze the operation of ecotourism in the North Central Vietnam (henceforth called NCV), and then extend some solutions to the sustainable development of the community-based ecotourism in NCV. Keywords: Experience of development, community-based ecotourism, Northern Central Vietnam (NCV) 1. INTRODUCTION Together with the social development and tourism trends in the world, ecotourism has flourished, generating considerable revenues for many countries. In 2002, ecotourism helped the USA earn USD77 billion (LOHAS, 2005). According to the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), since the early 1990s of the 20th century, ecotourism has thrived rapidly in the tourism industry, reaching a growth rate of roughly 20 to 34 percent per annum (TIES, 2006). However, there is a menace to the nature reserves and sanctuaries caused by mass tourism, so issues related to the sustainable development of ecotourism have been taken into account in many countries. Nowadays, ecotourism must be studied in regard to nature preservation and social responsibility. As was defined by TIES, ecotourism is “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”. A true ecotourism is not identical to the natural tourism or mass tourism. Several ecotourism projects in the world
