The use of the Delphi method with non-parametric analysis for identifying sustainability criteria and indicators in eval
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The use of the Delphi method with non‑parametric analysis for identifying sustainability criteria and indicators in evaluating ecotourism management: the case of Penang National Park (Malaysia) Marzieh Fallah1 · Lanndon Ocampo2 Accepted: 23 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract This paper attempts to develop criteria and indicators (C&I) for measuring the sustainability of ecotourism activities in Penang National Park (PNP) in Malaysia. In carrying out this objective, a Delphi process with Content Validity Ratios—a non-parametric tool—for generating a consensus for C&I sets was adopted with 30 academic and non-academic experts in sustainable tourism, ecotourism, and forestry. After four rounds of discussion, the panel members reached a consensus on a C&I set which consists of ecological (three criteria and seven indicators), social (three criteria and eight indicators), economic (two criteria and four indicators), and institutional (one criterion and two indicators) factors for ecotourism management. A consistency reliability test was also conducted, and the Cronbach’s alpha values of criteria and indicators were reported to be acceptable. This C&I set enables the provision of a suitable approach for managing ecotourism in a sustainable manner in Penang National Park. It can serve as an instrument for the sustainability evaluation and monitoring of ecotourism management in PNP by the Department of Wildlife and Tourism Organization in Malaysia. The proposed approach and the resulting C&I could be resonated with other national parks as ecotourism destinations with similar relevant characteristics of the PNP. Keywords Ecotourism · Sustainability · Criteria and indicators · The Delphi technique · Penang National Park
1 Introduction Ecotourism was first used in the late 1980s with the background of environmental preservation and sustainable development (Ceballos-Lascurain 1996; Diamantis 1999; Coria and Calfucura 2012). It is broadly defined along with the care for the integrity of the biophysical environment, providing economic viability and social responsibility in the long run (Hall 2011; Singh 2012; Pegas and Castley 2014). It supports the environmental conservation of vulnerable natural areas, as well as the generation of economic opportunities * Lanndon Ocampo [email protected] Marzieh Fallah [email protected] 1
Faculty of Environmental Studies, Department of Environmental Management and Planning, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia
Department of Industrial Engineering, Cebu Technological University, Corner M.J. Cuenco Ave. & R. Palma St., 6000 Cebu City, Philippines
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(López-Espinosa 2002; Dixon et al. 2003; Zhang and Lei 2012). Due to its coupling mechanism of environmental conservation and economic development, ecotourism has become a noteworthy initiative in the tourism industry (Vincent and Thompson 2002; Weaver and Lawton 2007) and is recognized as a sustainable way to develop regions with abundant tourism resourc
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