Thesis (BS Agribusiness Economics) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, May 2017

Because of its natural abundance and preserved culture, Davao City still has a lot of rooms for potential developments specifically in ecotourism or nature-based tourism. In particular, the UP Mindanao Marilog-Arakan Land Reservation was also seen to have a potential for such development not only because of its natural resources but also because of the existing preserved culture of the Obu-Manuvu tribe. This study has assessed its potential for developing a community-based ecotourism project by measuring the physical carrying capacity of the site and estimating the willingness-to-pay of potential visitors and tourists in the city. Using Boullon?s formula, it was found out that its physical carrying capacity appears to be 6,000 individuals. However, this is not recommended for implementation due to other biophysical, environmental, social and management aspects that are needed to be considered. This study also found out that the potential visitors and tourists WTP for the entrance fee is at Php90.85 on average which is higher than the current entrance fee of PhP 50. The factors influencing their WTP, which are statistically significant are the following: household income, monthly budget allocation for tourism activities, motivation to escape stress and noise of the city life, and the frequency of ecotourism spots visits. When biodiversity conservation is included, respondents are willing to pay an average of PhP 88 for biodiversity conservation. Majority are also willing to pay for the travel expenses which is pegged at PhP 290. With an effective management and proper distribution and organization of its community roles, the community-based ecotourism project may also provide a sustainable livelihood, aside from the agricultural production, to the indigenous peoples.