Ecotourism planning in Lantau Island using multiple criteria decision analysis with geographic information system.

Hong Kong has great potential to develop ecotourism as an alternate tourism experience. In order to provide visitors with satisfaction and conserve and sustain natural resources, a comprehensive zoning plan is indispensable to identify areas for various purposes and activities. Geographic information system combined with multi-criteria decision analysis procedure can be used to formulate these plans in an objective and efficient way. This study used this approach to objectively identify potential sites for various ecotourism activities and tourism development potential in Lantau Island, Hong Kong SAR. The results were then used to evaluate the Lantau development plan proposed by the government. By integrating with quality conservation information, the island was further classified into four zones namely sanctuary, nature conservation, outdoor recreation, and tourism development through multi-objective analysis. The results showed that proposed sites for various recreational activities are of medium to high suitability, while other potential sites with high suitability were revealed. In addition, sites with conflicting objectives and those required further protection were also identified. The results can be used as an unbiased guide for Lantau development. This study also demonstrated ecotourism planning and development can be practically supported by geo-information tools combined with proper multi-criteria decision analysis procedures based on which better decision can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]