Does the tourist care? A comparison of tourists in Koh Phi Phi,
Thailand and Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
Rachel Doddsa∗, Sonya Rita Gracia and Mark Holmesb
aTed Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria
Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 3H1 Canada; bDepartment of Business Management, Ryerson
University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(Received 5 February 2009; final version received 20 July 2009)
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, and Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, are two islands in Southeast
Asia that face several developmental challenges associated with the rapid growth of
tourism. Both islands are part of a marine park, are small in size and have several
natural resources that need protection. They both face burgeoning tourist numbers that
have increased tourism infrastructure development and are leading to environmental
degradation. These islands have discussed ways to incorporate sustainability into their
management and marketing practices, and they have looked to tourists as a support for
change. This study examines the motivations, profiles and perceptions of tourists in
island destinations, their level of awareness of environmental issues there, the extent to
which they feel responsible about preserving or protecting their natural resources and
the role they may be willing to take in their management, including their willingness
to pay for environmental protection. The findings showed that the majority of the
tourists to both islands were young, had relatively high levels of income and were from
English-speaking nations. Tourists in both islands stated that they were willing to pay
for sustainability practices, but there were differences around who they felt should be
primarily responsible for implementing sustainability measures.
Keywords: visitor attitudes; tourist motivation; tourism impacts; sustainable tourism;