Assessment of Tourists' Satisfaction on Sustainable Practices in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan (PDF)

“ASSESSMENT OF TOURISTS’ SATISFACTION BASED ON SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN DOT-ACCREDITED DESTINATIONS IN THE CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, BULACAN” A Research Paper Presented to College of Touri...

“ASSESSMENT OF TOURISTS’ SATISFACTION BASED ON SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN DOT-ACCREDITED DESTINATIONS IN THE CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, BULACAN” A Research Paper Presented to College of Tourism and Hospitality Management ICI COLLEGE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course RESEARCH IN TOURISM By: ALVERNIE TARINAY JR. ERICA MAE DASING MICA ARABELLA GIRON KIMBERLY GHAILE SAMBAJON JHUN ANDREI SOLIVERES CRISELE TANTIANGCO Sept, 2024  1 Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction Tourism is a vital component of the economy of the Philippines, contributing significantly to the country's gross domestic product and generating employment opportunities. As a response to the unprecedented growth of tourism, the use of sustainable tourism practices was observed. (L, 2021.) According to a survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of domestic tourists visiting Central Luzon, where San Jose del Monte is located, increased by 4.4% from 2018 to 2019. In the Tourist Arrival Report of the City Tourism Office of San Jose del Monte (July, 2024.), the city garnered 78, 353 local and international tourists. As the tourist arrivals boost in the city, the growth of DOT Accredited Tourist Destinations was also anticipated. Despite this increase, San Jose del Monte remains an underrated destination for tourism. Hence, the assessment of tourist’s satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Tourist Destinations is essential. In a recent study of Sayfullayeva (2022), in order to promote sustainable tourism, it should achieve satisfaction for tourists through providing awareness on sustainability issues and the promotion of sustainable practices among tourists. Ashmelash and Kumar (2020), explored the implication of tourist satisfaction towards sustainable tourism development. The study concluded that tourists were satisfied with the hospitality, attractiveness and treatment of tourists although showed dissatisfaction on different issues: accessibility, lack of information provision , unfairness on entrance fees and safety. The study also revealed that satisfied tourists tend to  2 establish a pleasant insight towards tourist destinations which affects sustainable tourism development. Building on the insights from the study, this research seeks to assess the satisfaction of tourists based on sustainable practices of DOT Accredited Destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte. Through assessment, this research can provide valuable insights for the local city tourism office to improve tourist satisfaction in the city. Theoretical Framework/Conceptual Framework Figure 1. Tourism Satisfaction Index at the Sectoral Level Theory (Song, et. al, 2020)  3 Tourism Satisfaction Index at the Sectoral Level Theory suggests that the specific non-service attributes of a destination will reflect on the overall level of the satisfaction of a tourist on the destination and it is a vital measurement for tourist experience. In the context of this study, Tourists’ satisfaction based on sustainable practice as a non-service attribute will serve as an important element for assessing DOT-Accredited Tourist Destinations in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The researchers used Tourism Satisfaction Index at the Sectoral Level Theory model as the Conceptual Framework which study the assessment of tourists’ satisfaction based on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, the objective of the study and how the goal of the study will be attained. Statement of the Problem The main objective of this study is to evaluate the level of satisfaction of tourists based on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Tourist Destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte. Specifically, this study aims to determine the underlying statements: 1. What is the profile of the respondent in terms of: 1.1 Age 1.2 Sex 1.3 Origin of Tourist 2. How may the expectation of tourist on Sustainable Practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations be described in terms of:  4 2.1 Overall Expectation 2.2 Customization 2.3 Reliability 3. How may perceived performance of Sustainable Practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations be described in terms of: 3.1. Overall Performance 3.2 Customization 3.3 Reliability 4. Does perceived performance on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations significantly affect the level of tourist satisfaction? 5. Does the expectation of the tourists on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations significantly affect the level of tourist satisfaction? 6. What is the Level of Tourist Satisfaction on Sustainable Practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations? Hypotheses of the Study H01 :The expectation on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations does not significantly affect the level of Tourist satisfaction. H02 :The perceived performance on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited Destinations does not significantly affect the level of Tourist satisfaction.  5 Scope and Limitation This study will cover the assessment of Tourists’ satisfaction based on sustainable practices on different DOT-Accredited Tourist destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte. Bulacan. The study provides a comprehensive assessment of DOT-accredited destinations that practice sustainability that will help evaluate the level of tourists’ satisfaction. With limited sources and scope, this study is bound to achieve its goals with the help of local tourists ranging from 18-50 years old - who visited DOT-accredited tourist destinations in San Jose del Monte City, located in the southeast of province of Bulacan, in the first 6 months of 2024. Significance of the Study This study is beneficial to understand the assessment of tourists’ satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Furthermore, this study will also benefit the following: City Tourism Office. This study will provide data that may help the city tourism office to plan on improving the DOT-accredited tourist destinations in the city. Tourists. This study will allow tourists to gain interest in different DOT-Accredited tourist destinations in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Community. This study will help the community to be more knowledgeable on sustainable practices in DOT-accredited tourist destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan  6 Future Researchers. This study will allow future researchers to utilize this research as a reference and guide in their future research. Definition of Terms Assessment - the process of collecting and evaluating data about tourists' satisfaction on Sustainable Practices. City Tourism Office - office in the city of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan that provides information about tourist destinations in the area. DOT - Department of Tourism. Satisfaction - a state of being fulfilled or content. Sustainable Practices - acts made to maintain the overall quality of DOT-accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.  7 Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter presents the literature and studies related to the study conducted by the researchers. Sustainable Tourism Sustainable Tourism is the only type of tourism that acknowledges the place of social return as a priority and as a guide of well-being on the destination visited by tourists; and the exclusive economic return that depends on the tourist activity that provides adequate income for the local population when it comes to employment, wealth and accessible resources. (Fernández, 2018). In the past decade, interest in studying the impact of sustainable tourism development on economic growth has been growing (Gomez, et al., 2021). According to Ralota (2021), through ensuring sustainability of tourism, this implies spreading a high level of awareness and commitment on stakeholders as regards to sustainable practices and quality assurance. Sustainable Tourism may discover a better opportunity at Sustainable Development (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2020) although it has been trying for years to put itself as an answer for the negative characteristics in which tourism development frequently receives criticism (Sharpley, 2020). According to Fernando, et al., (2020), in order to ensure sustainability, regulation must help the unintended consequences that erode sustainability, through the help of community leadership and capacity management.  8 Role of Sustainable Tourism in Tourist Satisfaction According to Sayfullayeva (2021), sustainable tourism development needs to maintain a high level of satisfaction on tourists’ needs, assurance for significant experience, raising awareness on sustainability issues, and promulgate sustainable practices. Tourist Satisfaction In the tourism industry, tourist satisfaction is a sensitive issue that needs to be recognized as a driving force towards tourists’ loyalty in a destination. (Adinegara, et al., 2021). Tourist satisfaction acts as an intermediary that promotes post-trip behavior intentions (Kim, et al., 2021). Among the crucial factors, satisfaction is considered as a one of the important key factors that indicates what the trip has meant for the tourist. (Castro, et al., 2020). Definition of Sustainable practices It refers to the practices and strategies that focus on reducing negative social and environmental impacts while promoting the overall health and well being of communities and ecosystems (Privitera, et, al., 2023). It also involves implementing strategies that enhance the visitors’ satisfaction while minimizing the problems on the environment and local communities. Kinds of Sustainable Practices According to Sharma (2023), the main objective of sustainable practices is to preserve our natural environment and ecosystem. These practices include preservation of natural resources, conserving energy and water, minimizing waste, supporting local economies, preserving cultural heritage, promoting eco-friendly accommodations, and encouraging tourist  9 and local communities to be more responsible (Kruger & Dal Magro, 2021). By prioritizing these kinds of practices, tourism operators can improve tourist satisfaction while contributing to the preservation and promotion of natural and cultural resources. Roles of Sustainable Practices Sustainable practices play an important role in improving tourist satisfaction through meeting the needs of tourist and local communities while preserving culture and environment. (Hosseini, et al., 2018). According to Huang et al., (2019) sustainable practices not only benefits the environment, it also improves the quality of life of the residents which can lead to a more authentic experience and satisfaction for tourists. By focusing on sustainable practices, destinations can make a meaningful experience that affects the tourists. It not only increases satisfaction but also builds connection and loyalty, ensuring the long-term success of the tourism industry. The global tourism industry is still expanding and as it expands, there’s a growing recognition for the need of sustainable practices that helps equalize between the preservation of the environment and economic prosperity. As a response to the growth of global tourism, there is a shift towards sustainable practices that may help the pursuit of economic growth with the importance of environmental conservation. Sustainable tourism practices are important for alleviating the negative environmental impacts that are connected with tourism including pollution, habitat degradation and overexploitation of natural resources. (L, 2022.). In a journal of IGI Global (2023), it is important for tourist attractions to have marketing strategies and sustainable practices in order to be competitive when it comes to identifying and  10 increasing attractiveness for travelers and tourists that are finding a variety of activities and experiences that makes them in a close proximity to natural events and man-made attractions. Department of Tourism DOT or Department of Tourism is an executive national government in the Philippines, they’re the one who is responsible for promoting the tourist destinations in the country, not just locally but also internationally, (Ignacio, 2019). The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) leads the establishment of stringent standards towards accreditation and evaluation of businesses that aims to uphold high levels of quality on all tourism-related facilities and services, while consistently promoting the Philippines as a healthy, premier and secure travel destination (Elmedulan, 2024). Importance of DOT to sustainable practices According to Radilla, et al., (2019) DOT helps balance tourism growth with environmental preservation and cultural heritage by raising awareness and implementation of tourism initiatives. As a government agency who is responsible for developing and regulating tourism in the country, DOT also monitors the implementation of sustainable practices in accredited destinations by inspecting them regularly.  11 Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY Research Design This study will use descriptive-correlational research design to identify the sample and phenomenon features. This research will summarize vast sources of information and apply a well-established standard which means that the research can be replicated, analyzed, and compared with similar studies. Moreover, this study will include the understanding of viewing and experiencing different factors that will help the study be more certain and significant as it will seek to determine the assessment of tourists’ satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT-accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Participants and Sampling Procedures The respondents who will answer the survey questionnaire will be based on convenience sampling. The respondents of the study are the local tourists that visited DOT accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan within the first six months of 2024. Instrument of the study The study will be conducted through an online survey questionnaire; one of the most popular data collection instruments. The survey form is a self-made questionnaire survey that will be validated by (3) validators. That is based on the statement of the problem of the study. The questionnaire will be sent out to the respondents via social media. The questionnaire consists of (4) parts. Part I includes the profile of the respondents. Part II consists of the expectation of tourists on sustainable practices in DOT accredited destinations in terms of: overall expectation,  12 customization and reliability. Part III contains the perceived performance of tourists towards sustainable practices in DOT Accredited destinations in terms of: overall expectation, customization and reliability. The last part determines the level of satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT- Accredited destinations. Data Gathering Procedure The researchers will be asking (45) questions to the respondents through an online survey questionnaire. Each question has its own significant means that can help the researchers determine the level of tourists' satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT-accredited destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The corresponding questions will be asked to elaborate more on the research questions which will be beneficial to the study. The data gathering procedure will start by identifying the target population, which will be the tourists who visited DOT Accredited Destinations in the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The study will employ an online survey questionnaire that will be developed to collect data from the target population. The questionnaire will consist of (45) questions that will focus on the level of tourists' satisfaction on sustainable practices in DOT-Accredited destinations. The survey will be distributed to 50 respondents through different channels such as social media platforms and email after which the responses will be compiled and analyzed using statistical software. The data will be presented in the form of tables and charts and a descriptive analysis will be conducted to summarize the findings. Lastly, the results of the study will be used to draw conclusions and recommendations for the local tourism office of the City of San Jose del Monte,  13 Bulacan on how to utilize tourists' satisfaction as an element for improving DOT-Accredited destinations in the city. Informed consent will be obtained from all respondents. Data Analysis and Statistical Treatment To determine the effect of perceived performance and overall expectation based on sustainable practices to tourist satisfaction, appropriate descriptive statistics will be employed. 1. Weighted mean will be used to describe SOPs 2 and 3 as interpreted below: 2. Mean and Standard Deviation will be utilized to assess the tourists’ level of satisfaction as interpreted below: 3. The regression analysis will be generated to determine the effect of perceived performance and overall expectation to tourist satisfaction. 14