Factors Affecting Tourism Destination: A Case Study in Ha Tien City, Vietnam

On the basis of theories of tourism, services, rational choice theory and previous empirical studies, the study proposes a research framework including 6 factors affecting tourists’ decisions when choosing Ha Tien as a destination to visit. The research sample was carried out by surveying by questionnaire with 100 tourists who visited Ha Tien City. Evaluation of the reliability of the scales shows that the destination information factor has not yet ensured the reliability of the scale. Regression analysis shows that there are 3 out of 6 independent factors that most influence tourists’ decision to choose when choosing Ha Tien as a tourist destination. In which, environmental and landscape factors have the most influence on tourists’ decision to choose Ha Tien as a destination. As a result, the article proposes some solutions to contribute to attracting more and more tourists to Ha Tien City.

Extrapolating potential crop damage by insect pests based on land use data: examining inter-regional generality in agricultural landscapes

ContextInter-regional relationships between landscape factors and biological responses under natural conditions are important but difficult to predict because of the differences in each landscape context and local environment. ObjectivesTo examine the inter-regional variability in relation to landscape factors and the biological response of an insect pest, we extrapolated a damage prediction model (‘the original model’) for rice using land-use data. We hypothesized that the original model would be applicable to new regions, but the predictive accuracy would be reduced. We predicted that adjusting the parameter coefficients would improve model performance (‘the adjusted model’). MethodsA field experiment was conducted in two regions that had a similar landscape context with the original region, in different years for each region, for four years in total. The proportion of rice damage and surrounding land-use within a 300-m radius was investigated. ResultsWhen ‘the original model’ was assigned to combined data from the original and extrapolated regions, the relationship between observed and predicted values was statistically significant, suggesting that there was an inter-regional common relationship. The relationship was not statistically significant if the model was applied only to the new regions. The adjusted model improved by 14% compared with the original model.ConclusionsThese results imply that in this pest–crop system, a common inter-regional biological response to arthropods is likely because of landscape factors, although local environmental factors must be considered. Application of such relationships is needed to identify or prevent pest hazards by offering region-wide management options.

Extrapolating potential crop damage by insect pests based on land use data: examining inter-regional generality in agricultural landscapes

ContextInter-regional relationships between landscape factors and biological responses under natural conditions are important but difficult to predict because of the differences in each landscape context and local environment. ObjectivesTo examine the inter-regional variability in relation to landscape factors and the biological response of an insect pest, we extrapolated a damage prediction model (‘the original model’) for rice using land-use data. We hypothesized that the original model would be applicable to new regions, but the predictive accuracy would be reduced. We predicted that adjusting the parameter coefficients would improve model performance (‘the adjusted model’). MethodsA field experiment was conducted in two regions that had a similar landscape context with the original region, in different years for each region, for four years in total. The proportion of rice damage and surrounding land-use within a 300-m radius was investigated. ResultsWhen ‘the original model’ was assigned to combined data from the original and extrapolated regions, the relationship between observed and predicted values was statistically significant, suggesting that there was an inter-regional common relationship. The relationship was not statistically significant if the model was applied only to the new regions. The adjusted model improved by 14% compared with the original model.ConclusionsThese results imply that in this pest–crop system, a common inter-regional biological response to arthropods is likely because of landscape factors, although local environmental factors must be considered. Application of such relationships is needed to identify or prevent pest hazards by offering region-wide management options.

A Contribution to Soil Fertility Assessment for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

Soil fertility must be viewed as a dynamic concept that involves the constant cycling of nutrients between organic and inorganic forms. In this context, it refers also to supply adequate amounts of water and aeration for plant growth. Soil fertility under arid and semi-arid lands is constrained not only by limited water availability but also by small organic matter contents. Most fertility assessment systems are based on organic matter contents as the main parameter. However, crop experiments from various irrigated arid and semi-arid soils indicate that productivity is less- affected by organic matter contents than assumed. Therefore, we propose a new soil fertility system for dryland soils. It is a rule-based set of algorithms, mainly using additions and subtractions. Soil, climate, and landscape factors are integrated to calculate the numerical value of fertility for a given soil. We expect the system, which is focused on soil properties that keep or increase optimum soil moisture (such as texture), to be applicable in arid and semi-arid lands and to provide more realistic estimates of fertility regarding agricultural purposes. The manuscript will provide an outline of the main aspects of the system, illustrated by various case applications.

Site-Specific Determinants and Remains of Medieval City Fortifications as the Potential for Creating Urban Greenery Systems Based on the Example of Historical Towns of the Opole Voivodeship

The article discusses the natural and historic heritage of medieval towns in the Opole Silesia region in the context of their ability to take advantage of their potential for sustainable development, especially in tourism. The chosen environmental, urban, architectural, and landscape factors were compared through this aspect and subjected to a multidimensional comparative analysis. The research studies applied mostly archival materials, contemporary topographic maps, statistical data, and both landscape as well as urban field studies. As a result, the studies indicated that the natural conditions of the locations, the preservation level of the urban system along with its development trends, and the areas of the old fortifications with their accompanying greenery constitute these towns’ very value and identity. As they combine elements of nature and culture, they may serve as the basis for development of tourism, which is likely to contribute to the social and economic revitalization of the region itself. What may play a major role in the quest for sustainable development are the urban greenery systems to be designed based on former fortification areas, city greenery, and natural environmental resources, which have been integral elements of these towns over many past centuries.