658 / 2024-09-18 20:34:56

Development Path of Island Ecotourism Based on Human-Sea Interaction

Ecotourism destinations; human-sea interaction; sustainability evaluation; questionnaire survey

Many small islands, favored by tourists for their beautiful landscapes, the diversity of natural habitats (coral reefs, sandy beaches, and shores), and exotic appeal, have become important island tourism destinations. The development of island tourism has injected new vitality into the regional marine economy. However, studies show that the natural coastal and marine environments may be negatively affected by various tourism activities.

Faced with the dual pressure of resource conservation and economic development, the challenge of overcoming development bottlenecks without sacrificing the ecological environment has become a key issue. Sustainable development is the process of seeking a balance between resource conservation and development, requiring subsystems or various specific indicators to collaborate, promote, and coordinate with each other, thereby forming a virtuous cycle of development. For an ecotourism destination, the point of balance varies depending on the stage of tourism development at each destination.

This study utilizes criteria and indicators (C&I) to propose a set of sustainable evaluation methods for ecotourism destinations based on Perception. The questionnaires are designed according to the index system of sustainable evaluation. Taking Malaysia's Pulau Perhentian and China's Weizhou Island as examples, the method is verified and the coordinated development path of island resource protection and ecotourism in two marine parks is proposed according to the results of sustainability evaluation.