THE IMPACT OF LIVELIHOOD ASSETS ON THE INCOME AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS OF HOUSEHOLD TOURISM IN SOUTHWEST VIETNAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2298/IJGI2501105BAbstract
The research explores the relationship between livelihood assets (human, natural, financial, physical, and social) and livelihood outcomes such as income and environmental awareness (EA) in household tourism in the Mekong Delta. The research employed quantitative and qualitative approaches, and samples were collected through questionnaires from household-scale tourism businesses in five districts of Can Tho province using a simple random sampling method. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is applied to analyze the cause-and-effect relationships between livelihood assets and outcome variables. The findings reveal that “Social assets” has the most significant positive impact on household tourism income, while “Physical assets” notably enhance EA. “Human assets” also play a crucial role in income generation, while “Financial assets” and “Natural assets” have a minimal influence on these outcomes. The study suggests that strengthening social networks, investing in eco-friendly physical assets, and enhancing human assets through training and development can promote sustainable household tourism. Significantly, it is recommended that future research refine the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) model by incorporating external factors like policies, institutions, and community dynamics to capture the complexities of household tourism better.
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