• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.423-444
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• 2013

Tourism in Thoi Son Islet has been the advanced model for rural tourism in the Mekong Delta region since the 1990s. The continuously rising number of tourists, however, has also created problems that affect sustainable rural development. To understand these problems, this research analyzed how rural tourism has been operated through the methodology of a stakeholder network. After investigating the network among key stakeholders (Ho Chi Minh travel agencies (HCMTAs), local travel agencies (LTAs), and local residents, the result showed that in the current model, HCMTAs and LTAs have played the role of connectors, working as hubs to shift tourists (demand) to match local residents (supply), with the networking being dominated by signed contracts (formal networks). The networks between LTAs and local residents are both formal and informal. Inter- and intra-networks among local residents are dominated by informal networks of established working relationships based on networks of family, friends, and neighbors. Moreover, this research has found that there is no cooperating network among LTAs. Among owners of tourist sites was not also found cooperating network. The primary motivating factor for these stakeholders is price competition; this has led to a disproportionately small share of revenue for local stakeholders, with most tourism revenue going to HCMTAs. Additionally, because of the high competition among local stakeholders, this results in local stakeholders having little or no negotiating power when conducting business with HCMTAs. Meanwhile the Tien Giang Tourism Association is inefficient in fostering cooperation among local stakeholders to increase their negotiating power.