Impact of tourism development on the local livelihoods and land cover change in the Northern Vietnamese highlands

Thi Thu Huong Hoang (), Anton Van Rompaey, Patrick Meyfroidt, Gerard Govers, Kim Chi Vu, An Thinh Nguyen, Luc Hens and Veerle Vanacker
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Thi Thu Huong Hoang: VNU- University of Science
Anton Van Rompaey: K.U. Leuven
Patrick Meyfroidt: Université Catholique de Louvain
Gerard Govers: K.U. Leuven
Kim Chi Vu: VNU
An Thinh Nguyen: Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment
Luc Hens: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO)
Veerle Vanacker: Université Catholique de Louvain

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2020, vol. 22, issue 2, No 36, 1395 pages

Abstract: Abstract In the 1990s, some districts in the Northern Vietnamese highlands were opened for international tourism. The development of tourism was expected to bring a new income source to remote mountain areas. This paper analyzes the association between tourism development, local livelihoods and land cover change at the household level. Sa Pa district was selected as a case study. In 25 rural villages within Sa Pa, 487 households were interviewed. This allowed us to classify rural households in three livelihood types: (1) full-time farming, (2) farming with limited involvement in tourism and (3) farming and major involvement in tourism activities. Next, the association between tourism and land cover change at the household level was quantified. The results show that the introduction of tourism increased the living standard of the ethnic minorities and led to more intensive farming systems with forest regrowth on abandoned fields. Nevertheless, the involvement in tourism is location dependent.

Keywords: Tourism development; Rural livelihoods; Land abandonment; Ethnic communities; Vietnam; Highlands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-018-0253-5

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