CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

INTRODUCTION

Tourism and hospitality industries are one of the fastest

and continuous growing industries in the world, it caters a

wide variety of services when it comes to human needs and

wants. Tourism industry is one of the leading service and

work provider in the world as of 2016 survey (Department of

Tourism, Philippines). In line with this, numerous degree

programs in the tourism and hospitality field are offered

by different universities and colleges. Tourism is vital to

the well-being of many countries, because of the income

generated by the consumption of goods and services by

tourists, the taxes levied on businesses in the tourism

industry and the opportunity for employment and economic

advancement by working in the industry.

As a hospitality and tourism management student, we

encountered different socio demographic profile of a person

in our life. The said profile was changes from time to time

as the tourist getting older and their expectation varies

on their stimulus to travel. The fact that people change

and evolve means we have to adapt and improve ahead of

them. People like us nowadays, uses social media or google

1
to find out what is the best place to visit, and specially

we look in through the internet to find out what is the

place known for. So as a hospitality and tourism

professional our job is to guide them in their chosen

destination and to make them have the best vacation they

ever had.

A tourist attractions and destinations are place of

interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent

or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical

significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and

amusement (en.m.wikipedia.org). People usually visited a

destination to relax, to escape or for leisure. Tourists

rates destinations base on what they see, what they have

get, and what they have been experience during their stay

in the place. Therefore, a destination should constantly

innovate to meet the internal and external requirements to

satisfy tourists.

“The experience of Tourism Student in selected Tourist

Destination” is our topic for the research about tourism

student experiences exploring Nueva Ecija. In this research

we will have a survey about the socio demographic profile

of the students who already visited the tourist

destinations of Nueva Ecija. We gather all the tourists’

2
opinion, comment and suggestion base on their experience.

In this strategy we will have the idea on what to improve,

enhance, develop and maintain in most frequent destination

visited.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The researcher aims to identify the tourist

preferences in destinations of Nueva Ecija.

1. How may socio demographic profile of the respondents

be described in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Sex

1.3 Most frequent destination visited

2. How do the respondents assess the tourist destination

in Nueva Ecija in terms of:

2.1 Good physical Orientation

2.2 Information to assist in a planning visit

2.3 Programs to ensure visitor comfort and

safety

3
 2.4 Strategies to manage and alleviate crowding

and congestion

3. How may the tourist rate their experience in visiting

tourist destination in Nueva Ecija in terms of:

3.1 Physical environment

3.2 Human interaction

3.3 Individual characteristics

4. What were the suggestions of the visitors to improve

the tourism experience in Nueva Ecija’s selected

destination?

RESEARCH PARADIGM

OUTPUT
PROCESS
INPUT
- Suggestions to
- Assessment of improve tourist
SOCIO tourist Destination Destinations
DEMOGRAPHIC
- Experience in
PROFILE
visiting tourist
- Age Destination
- Gender
- Most frequent
visited tourist
destination

4
Figure 3. Research Paradigm

RESEARCH PARADIGM

In this analysis the input refers to the socio

demographic profile of the respondent which is the age,

gender, and most frequent destination visited in the

province of Nueva Ecija.

The process which transfigure input into output is

sometimes referred to as the transfiguration function. In

this study our input is to assess the destinations of Nueva

Ecija and gather the tourist experiences to be able to know

whether the destination satisfies tourist or need an

immediate action to recover its downside. The output is the

suggestions from the 100 respondents who answer the survey

to improve the structure and to maintain the positive

comments.

First step is the formulization of topic which is the

center of the study. Second, is to identify the problems

that is being encounter by the topic. Third, is to design a

questionnaire that is appropriate to the statement of the

problem and the next is checking and distribution of

questionnaire to gather the feedbacks from the respondents.

5
The last step is analyzing the information from the

respondents to be able to create recommendation and

conclusion.

The output of this study is the key to expand the

ideas of establishments that caters hospitality and tourism

management. This will serve as a guide, a manuscript, or a

blueprint to open and develop new ways of innovating

tourist destinations.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study was administered by Tourism Students of

Wesleyan University – Philippines. The respondents were

composed of 100 students of Tourism Management from the

College of Hospitality and Tourism Management of Wesleyan

University – Philippines.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

To the Researchers – this study would allow the researchers

to identify the destinations in Nueva Ecija that needs to

improve and need to maintain as well as the actions that

need to carry out to meet the expectations of tourist.

To the Tourism Student - this study will help the students

to have a guide for the traveler, because it contains the

6
experiences, reactions, and comments of visitors that

already visited the place.

To the Professors – this study will serve as a teaching

reference mostly to the tourism instructors of Wesleyan

University – Philippines to be able to discuss an updated

status of destinations in Nueva Ecija.

To the Tourist - this study will help them to have a better

idea on what to expect in the province. Loyal tourist also

has the chance to remember the good memories and their

experience in the province of Nueva Ecija.

To the Provincial Government - this study will help them to

identify the possible actions to implement for the

innovation of destinations.

To the Business Establishments – this study will contribute

for the innovation of products to be sold in the market.

Second, this study helps them to identify their target

market. Last, this study will serve as a review to their

past productions.

To the Future Researchers – this study will allow them to

understand the suggestions of tourist with regards to the

assessment of tourist destinations in Nueva Ecija.

7
To the School – they will be able to gain perception on the

possible actions that the provincial government will

implement and on the other hand this study will help the

other student of the school for further study.

DEFINITION OF THE TERMS

Assessment - the action or an instance of making a judgment

about something.

Destination - is a geographical area consisting of all the

services and infrastructure necessary for the stay of a

specific tourist or tourism segment.

Experience - is the knowledge or mastery of an event or

subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.

Human Interaction - defined as interactions between

the human social system and (the “rest” of) the ecosystem.

Individual Characteristics - Individual

characteristics narrow down the evidence to a

single, individual source.

Physical Environment - refers to the level of upkeep,

ambient noise, lighting, indoor air quality and/or thermal

comfort of the school's physical building and its location

within the community.

8
Preference - a feeling of liking or wanting one person or

thing more than another person or thing.

Research Paradigm – a model or pattern for something that

may be copied.

Respondent – a person who gives a response or answer to a

question that is asked especially as part of the survey.

Tourism - means people traveling for fun. It includes

activities such as sightseeing and camping. People who

travel for fun are called "tourists"

Tourist - a person who is traveling or visiting a place for

pleasure.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Travel motivation has been investigated by many

researchers from different fields such as from sociology,

anthropology, and psychology (Cohen, 1972; Dann, 1977;

Crompton, 1979; Gnoth, 1997). Maslow’s hierarchical theory

of motivation was one of the most applied in the tourism

literature (1970). The theory was modeled as a pyramid

whose base consists of the physiological needs, followed by

higher levels of psychological needs and the need for self-

actualization (Figure 1). Numerous tourism scholars have

attempted to modify the model empirically, with the notable

9
success by Pearce (1982), who proposed a tourism motivation

model that mirrors the model of Maslow, but free of

prepotency assumption. The concept behind push and pull

dimension is that people travel because they are pushed by

their own internal forces and pulled by the external forces

of destination attributes. Most of the push factors which

are origin-related are intangible or intrinsic desires of

the individual travelers. Pull factors, on the contrary,

are those that emerge as a result of the attractiveness of

a destination as it is perceived by the travelers. They

include tangible resources and travelers’ perception and

expectation such as novelty, benefit expectation and

marketed image of the destination (Baloglu & Uysal, 1996).

10
 Figure 1. Proposed theoretical model Maslow’s

Hierarchy of Needs

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Some researchers adapt theories to understand their

study in an easy way and others uses methods base on their

own ideas. In this framework the researchers were

conceptualized the push and pull theory of tourist

motivation. Pull which is the incentives that we get and

push is the motivating factor.

Tourist are motivated when they know that the

destination can satisfy them. The push factor is that they

are motivated to the advertisement that they sought and the

pull factor is that they would possibly earned a new

experience which they consider as the incentives.

When tourist meets their satisfaction, there is a

possibility that loyalty arises towards the place where

they meet happiness and there is also a possibility of

repeat purchase.

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12
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter offers an integrated approach to

understand tourist motivation and attempts to extend the

theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal

relationships among the push and pull motivations,

satisfaction, and destination loyalty.

FOREIGN LITERATURE AND STUDY

In an increasingly saturated marketplace, the success

of marketing destinations should be guided by a thorough

analysis of tourist motivation and its interplay with

tourist satisfaction and loyalty. A review of tourism

literature reveals an abundance of studies on motivation

and satisfaction, but destination loyalty has not been

thoroughly investigated. Primarily, the tourism studies to

date have addressed and examined the constructs of

motivation and satisfaction independently. The causal

relationships with travel motivation, satisfaction, and

destination loyalty has been only conceptually or

superficially discussed. Additionally, conceptual

clarification, distinctions, and logical linkages among the

constructs have been lacking. A review of the literature on

motivation reveals that people travel because they are

13
‘‘pushed’’ into making travel decisions by internal,

psychological forces, and ‘‘pulled’’ by the external forces

of the destination attributes (Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1977;

Uysal & Jurowski, 1994). Accordingly, satisfactio n with

travel experiences, based on these push and pull forces,

contributes to destination loyalty. The degree of tourists’

loyalty to a destination is reflected in their intentions

to revisit the destination and in their recommendations to

others (Oppermann, 2000). Thus, information about tourists’

loyalty is important to destination marketers and managers.

This study offers an integrated approach to understanding

tourist motivation and attempts to extend the theoretical

and empirical evidence on the causal relationships among

the push and pull motivations, satisfaction, and

destination loyalty. A research model is proposed and

tested in the study. The model investigates the relevant

relationships among the constructs by using a structural

equation modeling approach. In order to provide a

theoretical background for the proposed model, the authors,

first review tourist motivation

literature and discuss the concepts of push and pull

motivations, and then provide a discussion of tourist

satisfaction and destination loyalty. It is hoped that the

results derived from the model will serve as the basis for

14
the development of destination marketing strategies. One

expected advantage of an improved understanding of these

causal relationships is that a solid psychological process

or mechanism in the development of loyalty could be

demonstrated. Obviously, tourists have their own internal

and external reasons for traveling (McGehee, Loker-Murphy,

& Uysal, 1996). However, only one motivation force or both

could have positive or negative relationships with travel

satisfaction. It would be of interest to discuss if

external sources of motivation have more effect on the

level of satisfaction than do internal sources. Travel

satisfaction has been generally used as an assessment tool

for the evaluation of travel experiences (Bramwell, 1998;

Ross & Iso-Ahola, 1991). Tourists’ positive experiences of

service, products, and other resources provided by tourism

destinations could produce repeat visits as well as

positive word-of-mouth effects to potential tourists such

as friends and/or relatives (Bramwell, 1998; Oppermann,

2000; Postma & Jenkins, 1997). Recommendations by previous

visits can be taken as the most reliable information

sources for potential tourists. Recommendations to other

people (word-of-mouth) are one of the most often sought

types of information for people interested in traveling.

This systematic examination of causal relationships among

15
the constructs could facilitate a clearer understanding of

the nature of behavior and intentions. Even if the

constructs have been widely applied in studies related to

tourists, there are still research challenges in the sense

of discovering and investigating the causal relationships

among the constructs of push and pull motivation,

satisfaction, and destination loyalty. Each component of

the model was selected on the basis of the literature

review. Previous studies reveal that customer loyalty is

influenced by customers’ satisfaction (Bitner, 1990; Dick &

Basu, 1994; Oliver, 1999), and satisfaction is affected by

travel motivation (Mannell & Iso-Ahola, 1987; Ross & Iso-

Ahola, 1991; Fielding, Pearce, & Hughes, 1992). The

hypothesized causal relationships between satisfaction and

destination loyalty is referred to as tourism destination

loyalty theory. In this study, as most of the tourist

motivation studies have dealt with push (internal forces)

and pull motivation (external forces), the hypothetical

model breaks down motivation into two constructs: push

travel motivation, and pull travel motivation.

Subsequently, the model examines the structural, causal

relationships among the push and pull tourist motivations,

satisfaction, and destination loyalty. Hypothetically,

motivation influences tourist satisfaction with travel

16
experiences, which then affects destination loyalty. The

theoretical underpinning of this model is discussed in the

following section.

Motivation has been referred to as psychological/biological

needs and wants, including integral forces that arouse,

direct, and integrate a person’s behavior and activity

(Dann, 1981; Pearce, 1982; Uysal & Hagan, 1993). Since a

paradigm of tourism is always related to human beings and

to human nature, it is a complex proposition to investigate

why people travel and what they want to enjoy. Many

disciplines have been utilized to explain phenomena and

characteristics related to motivation. In psychology and

sociology, the definition of motivation is directed toward

emotional and cognitive motives (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977) or

internal and external motives (Gnoth, 1997). An internal

motive is associated with drives, feelings, and instincts.

An external motive involves mental representations such as

knowledge or beliefs. From an anthropological point of

view, tourists are motivated to escape the routine of

everyday life, seeking authentic experiences (MacCannell,

1977). From socio-psychological points of view, motivation

is classified into seeking and avoidance dimensions (Iso-

Ahola, 1982). In tourism research, this motivation concept

can be classified into two forces, which indicate that

17
people travel because they are pushed and pulled to do so

by ‘‘some forces’’ or factors (Dann, 1977, 1981). According

to Uysal and Hagan (1993), these forces describe how

individuals are pushed by motivation variables intomaking

travel decisions and how they are pulled or attracted by

destination attributes. In other words, the push

motivations are related to the tourists’ desire, while pull

motivations are associated with the attributes of the

destination choices (Cha, McCleary, & Uysal, 1995;

Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1981; Oh, Uysal, & Weaver, 1995).

Push motivations are more related to internal or emotional

aspects. Pull motivations, on the other hand, are connected

to external, situational, or cognitive aspects. Push

motivations can be seen as the desire for escape, rest and

relaxation, prestige, health and fitness, adventure and

social interaction, family togetherness, and excitement

(Crompton, 1979). Tourists may travel to escape routine and

search for authentic experiences. Pull motivations are

those that are inspired by a destination’s attractiveness,

such as beaches, recreation facilities, cultural

attractions, entertainment, natural scenery, shopping, and

parks. These destination attributes may stimulate and

reinforce inherent push motivations (McGehee et al., 1996).

Several studies have been conducted using these

18
perspectives (Iso-Ahloa, 1982; Pyo, Mihalik, & Uysal, 1989;

Yuan & McDonald, 1990). Iso-Ahola (1982) argued that

individuals perceive aleisure activity as a potential

satisfaction-producer for two major reasons. The activity

may provide certain intrinsic rewards, such as a feeling of

mastery and competence, and it may provide an escape from

the routine environment. Similarly, Kippendorf (1987) found

that tourists are motivated by ‘‘going away from rather

than going toward something’’ and that tourist motivation

is self-oriented. In the above major studies, it is

generally accepted that push and pull motivations have been

primarily utilized in studies of tourist behavior. The

discoveries and issues undoubtedly play a useful role in

attempting to understand a wide variety of different needs

and wants that can motivate and influence tourist behavior.

Nevertheless, the results and effects of the motivation

studies of tourist behavior require more than an

understanding of their needs and wants. In tourism

destination management, maximizing travel satisfaction is

crucial for a successful business. The evaluation of the

physical products of destination (instrumental performance)

as well as the psychological interpretation of a

destination product (expressive attributes) are necessary

for human actions (Swan & Combs, 1976; Uysal & Noe, 2003),

19
which could be represented as travel satisfaction and

destination loyalty. Since the expressive is more related

to emotion, whereas instrumental performance is more

cognitively oriented, expressive experiences truly motivate

and contribute to satisfaction. Instrumental performance

includes maintenance attributes which, if absent, could

create dissatisfaction. Both concepts can be examined

within the context of a tourism system representing two

major components of the market place, namely, demand

(tourist) and supply (tourism attractions). It has been

suggested that the instrumental and expressive attributes

work in combination to produce overall satisfaction

(Jurowski, Cumbow, Uysal, & Noe, 1996; Uysal & Noe, 2003).

Satisfaction construct

Undoubtedly, satisfaction has been playing an

important role in planning marketable tourism products and

services. Tourist satisfaction is important to successful

destination marketing because it influences the choice of

destination, the consumption of products and services, and

the decision to return (Kozak & Rimmington, 2000). Some

researchers have also looked at comparison of standards

used in service quality and satisfaction and provided

different measures of service quality and satisfaction

20
(Ekinci, Riley, & Chen, 2001; Liljander, 1994). An

understanding of satisfaction must be a basic parameter

used to evaluate the performance of destination products

and services (Noe & Uysal, 1997; Schofield, 2000). Among

the tourism literature, an assessment of tourist

satisfaction has been attempted using various perspectives

and theories. Most of the studies conducted to evaluate

consumer satisfaction have utilized models of

expectation/disconfirmation (Chon, 1989; Francken & Van

Raaij, 1981; Oliver, 1980), equity (Fisk & Young, 1985;

Oliver & Swan, 1989), norm (Cadotte, Woodruff, & Jenkins,

1987), and perceived overall performance (Tse & Wilton,

1988). The following section presents the models that are

commonly used for assessing consumer satisfaction. First of

all, according to the expectation-disconfirmation model

contributed by Oliver (1980), consumers develop

expectations about a product before purchasing.

Subsequently, they compare actual performance with those

expectations. If the actual performance is better than

their expectations, this leads to positive disconfirmation,

which means that the consumer is highly satisfied and will

be more willing to purchase the product again. If the

actual performance is worse than expectations, this leads

to negative disconfirmation, which means that the consumer

21
is unsatisfied and will likely look for alternative

products for the next purchase. Chon (1989) found that

tourist satisfaction is based on the goodness of fit

between his/her expectation about the destination and the

perceived evaluative outcome of the experience at the

destination area, which is simply the result of a

comparison between his/her previous images of the

destination and what he/ she actually sees, feels, and

achieves at the destination. Oliver and Swan (1989) were

interested in equity theory. Consumer satisfaction can be

seen as a relationship between the costs of what the

consumer spends and the rewards (benefits) he/she

anticipates. Here, price, benefits, time, and effort are

major factors in determining satisfaction (Heskett, Sasser,

& Schlesinger, 1997). Thus, it can be said that if tourists

receive benefits or value based on their time, effort, and

money for travel, the destination is worthwhile. Latour and

Peat (1979) suggested the norm theory. Norms serve as

reference points for judging the product, and

dissatisfaction comes into play as a result of

disconfirmation relative to these norms. Several authors

replaced ‘norm’ with ‘ideal standard’ in the literature

(Sirgy, 1984). Francken and van Raaij (1981) hypothesized

that leisure satisfaction is determined by the consumers’

22
perceived disparity between the preferred and actual

leisure experiences, as well as the perceptions of barriers

(both internal and external) that prevented the consumer

from achieving the desired experience. This theory uses

some form of ‘‘comparison standard’’. Consumers compare a

product they have purchased with other products. Tourists

can compare current travel destinations with other

alternative destinations or places visited in the past. The

difference between present and past experiences can be a

norm used to evaluate tourist satisfaction. Therefore,

comparing current travel destinations with other, similar

places that they may have visited can assess the

satisfaction of tourists. Tse and Wilton (1988) developed a

perceived performance model. According to this model,

consumer dissatisfaction is only a function of the actual

performance, regardless of consumers’ expectations. In

other words, the actual performance and initial

expectations should be considered independently, rather

than comparing performance with past experiences.

Therefore, in this model, tourists’ evaluation of their

satisfaction with travel experiences is considered,

regardless of their expectations. This model is effective

when tourists do not know what they want to enjoy and

experience and do not have any knowledge about their

23
destination circumstances, and only their actual

experiences are evaluated to assess tourist satisfaction.

In summary, as seen in the above discussion, the evaluation

of tourist satisfaction needs to be considered in multiple

dimensions. Tourists may have varying motivations for

visiting particular destinations, and also may have

different satisfaction levels and standards. Therefore, a

model that integrates the approaches used by previous

models may be most effective in assessing tourist

satisfaction.

Destination loyalty

Repeat purchases or recommendations to other people

are most usually referred to as consumer loyalty in the

marketing literature. The concept and degree of loyalty is

one of the critical indicators used to measure the success

of marketing strategy (Flavian, Martinez, & Polo, 2001).

Similarly, travel destinations can be considered as

products, and tourists may revisit or recommend travel

destinations to other potential tourists such as friends or

relatives. However, the study of the usefulness of the

concept of loyalty and its

24
applications to tourism products or services has been

limited, even though loyalty has been thought of as one of

the major driving forces in the competitive market

(Dimanche & Havitz, 1994). In the last decade, tourism or

leisure researchers have incorporated the concept of

consumer loyalty into tourism products, destinations, or

leisure/recreation activities (Backman & Crompton, 1991;

Baloglu, 2001; Iwasaki & Havitz, 1998; Lee, Backman, &

Backman, 1997; Mazanec, 2000; Pritchard & Howard, 1997;

Selin, Howard, & Cable, 1988). Generally, loyalty has been

measured in one of the following ways: (1) the behavioral

approach, (2) the attitudinal approach, and (3) the

composite approach (Jacoby & Chestnut, 1978). The

behavioral approach is related to consumers’ brand loyalty

and has been operationally characterized as sequence

purchase, proportion of patronage, or probability of

purchase. It has been debated that the measurement of this

approach lacks a conceptual standpoint, and produces only

the static outcome of a dynamic process (Dick & Basu,

1994). This loyalty measurement does not attempt to explain

the factors that affect customer loyalty. Namely, tourist

loyalty to the products or destinations may not be enough

to explain why and how they are willing to revisit or

recommend these to other potential tourists. In the

25
attitudinal approach, based on consumer brand preferences

or intention to buy, consumer loyalty is an attempt on the

part of consumers to go beyond overt behavior and express

their loyalty in terms of psychological commitment or

statement of preference. Tourists may have a favorable

attitude toward a particular product or destination, and

express their intention to purchase the product or visit

the destination. Thus, loyalty measures consumers’ strength

of affection toward a brand or product, as well as explains

an additional portion of unexplained variance that

behavioral approaches do not address (Backman & Crompton,

1991). Lastly, the composite or combination approach is an

integration of the behavioral and attitudinal approaches

(Backman & Crompton, 1991). It has been argued that

customers who purchase and have loyalty to particular

brands must have a positive attitude toward those brands.

However, this approach has limitations in that not all the

weighting or quantified scores may apply to both the

behavioral and attitudinal factors, and they may have

differing measurements. Even some researchers have

discounted only the behavioral or attitudinal approach, and

have suggested integrating the two (Backman & Crompton,

1991; Iwaskaki & Havitz, 1998). Thus, the reviewed

literature suggests that a full understanding of loyalty

26
need to consider both motivation and satisfaction

constructs simultaneously.

LOCAL REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The Philippines is home to multiple cultures and

traditions that have drawn international interest. It is

considered a perfect example of a “mixed economy,” engaged

as it is in agriculture, manufacture of garments and

pharmaceutical products, electronics exports, etc. And then

there’s its top potential—its tourist spots.

Without a doubt, we have established a good reputation when

it comes to our interpersonal relations with foreign

visitors. Many tourists find Filipinos very hospitable, and

this impression is obviously an edge (inquirer.net).

Despite Boracay’s temporary closure to tourists, the

Philippines has alternative fine beaches and destinations

to offer, and Congress is paving the way for the promotion

and preservation of these tourist spots.

More than a hundred bills and resolutions are pending

in different committees in the House of Representatives

seeking to promote the best tourist destinations in Luzon,

the Visayas and Mindanao. The lower chamber has also

endorsed several tourism bills to the Senate for approval.

27
 House Committee on Tourism Chairman Lucy Torres-Gomez

of the Fourth District of Leyte, however, said the

government must first protect these destinations from

environmental issues through the passage of several

measures, including House Bill (HB) 7229, or the proposed

“Philippine Sustainable Tourism Act.”

“The Philippine Sustainable Tourism Act will offer a

paradigm shift from our old ways of doing business in the

tourism industry,” Gomez said. “We must band together to

protect the industry that has helped lift our country’s GDP

growth.”

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO)

defines sustainable tourism as: “Tourism that takes full

account of its current and future economic, social and

environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors,

the industry, the environment and host communities.”

Under the bill, the responsibility of achieving and

maintaining “sustainable tourism” shall be given to

qualified representatives of all relevant stakeholders of

the tourism industry.

The measure said an assembly of such stakeholder

representation shall be immediately convened, and will be

called the “Philippine Sustainable Tourism Council.”

28
 Among the tasks of the Philippine Sustainable Tourism

Council are to establish a unified definition of

sustainable tourism; establish goals to achieve and

maintain sustainable tourism; and integrate all existing

laws pertaining to the tourism industry in various areas

that influence the sustainability of the industry.

Likewise, the Philippine Sustainable Tourism Council

is mandated to create the necessary policies and

regulations to achieve national sustainable tourism goals;

institute a system for accountability to systematically

enforce the Act; and generate procedure for mainstreaming

sustainable tourism laws and their enforcement at all

levels.

According to Oral (1986), competitiveness in a

specific industry results from the convergence of

management practices, organizational modes in the country,

and the sources of competitive advantage in the industry

such as competencies of its talents and availability of raw

materials. The “Filipinnovation” strategies, or Philippine

national innovation strategies, establish the foundation

for future growth, productivity improvements, and better

jobs not only for the hotel industry but for other

industries as well. Filipinnovation as a four-pronged

innovation strategy means branding Filipino competitive

29
innovation for sustainable development and global

positioning.

These strategies include strengthening human capital,

supporting business incubation and acceleration efforts,

regenerating the innovation environment, and upgrading the

Filipino mindset. Concretely, opportunities for new sources

of innovation-based growth abound in fields such as

agriculture, education, energy, manufacturing, health, and

transportation. The challenge from a management view is for

managers to have the resolve to pursue innovation with

passion. The challenge from the policy perspective is for

the Philippines to optimize the interplay of institutions

and the interactive convergence of processes in the

creation, application, and diffusion of knowledge, human

capital, and technology (Divina M. Edralin is a Full

Professor at the Management and Organization Department of

the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle

University, where she teaches Human Behavior in

Organizations, Strategic Human Resource Management, Labor

Relations, and Action Research. She is also Vice-Dean for

Research and Graduate Studies of the college, and a

management consultant to SMEs, schools, and NGOs.).

The Philippines’ innovation ranking has risen in the

last six years, from 111 in 2009 to 48 at present.

30
 This is according to Department of Science and

Technology Undersecretary for Scientific and Technological

Services Dr. Rowena Guevara, who spoke at the recent “Demo

Day” for 15 fellows of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship

at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

31
 This chapter contains a description of the research

method, population sampling design and technique, and the

story of respondents in the study, data gathering

procedure, the research instruments, validity and

reliability of the research instrument and statistical

treatment for evaluation and scales that will be used.

RESEARCH METHOD

In creating a sound system design, appropriate method

must be used to achieve solutions to the study analyses. In

this regard, the proponent applied the descriptive method

to come up with pertinent data that is essential in

fulfilling the study.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

The researchers choose the five selected tourist

destination in Nueva Ecija to be the target population. The

proponents used non-probability sampling to survey the

students in Wesleyan University/ Philippines, College of

Tourism and Hospitality Management using a convenient

sampling. The researchers need a sample of the total of 100

respondents only. Samples were chosen because they are

accessible to the researchers. The subject was chosen

because they were efficiently recruiting this technique is

considered most comfortable, and least time-consuming.

32
Convenient sampling is most preferable by the researcher to

obtain readily and accessibility available to respondent.

COLLEGE OF
100 STUDENTS
WESLEYAN TOURISM AND IN COLLEGE OF
HOPITALITY TOURISM AND
UNIVERSITY
MANAGEMENT HOSPITALITY
MANAGEMENT

Figure 4. Sampling of the Respondents

RESEARCH LOCALE

The study was conducted in Wesleyan University –

Philippines located at Mabini Extension, Cabanatuan City.

The school offers primary, secondary, and tertiary

education. Several courses are offered in the College

Department of the school which includes Bachelor of Science

in Tourism Management.

The target respondents were students of Tourism

Management found within the campus of Wesleyan University-

Philippines who already visited the tourist destinations in

Nueva Ecija.

33
DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The primary data that were used to answer the research

problems should be gathered using survey questionnaires.

The survey forms were the instrument used for the study

method were drafted in a clear and concise manner to

prevent conflict among respondent and we are able to answer

the question correctly. This served as the primary

instrument in gathering data. The researchers conducted

survey forms to evaluate and found out the feedback or

tourist experienced regarding the selected destination in

Nueva Ecija. The researchers sought the advice of an expert

to establish the validity and reliability of the survey

questionnaires that were used.

34
THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The researchers used quantified survey questionnaire

as a research instrument to collect data. It was a form

that contains a set of questions on a topic or group of

topics designed to be answered by the respondents. The

questionnaire will be distributed to the respondents to be

answered. After completing the process, the gathered data

will analyzed, interpreted and tabulated.

ADMINISTRATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE

The researchers made a questionnaire and had it

checked and validated by their adviser and statistician for

suggestion, comment and correction and as approved. The

researchers were permitted to use the instrument only right

after the validation.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF THE DATA

For this study “Experience of Tourism Student in
Selected Tourist Destination” the following statistical
treatment was used:
1. Frequencies and Percentages. This was used to
determine the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents.

35
 Formula:

F
P= ----- x 100
N

Where:

P- is the percentage

N- is the total number of frequency

F- is the frequency

100- is the constant multiplier

2. Weighted Mean. It is derived from dividing the total

weighted score by the total frequency. The formula for

finding the weighted mean is:

TOTAL VALUE OF WEIGHTED FREQUENCY

WEIGHTED MEAN (WM) = ---------------------------------(WF)
TOTAL NUMBER OF FREQUENCY

The degree of intensity of the respondents is determined

using the following scale of equivalent.
Scale Range Verbal Interpretation

5 4.20 – 5.00 Strongly Agree

4 3.40 – 4.19 Agree

36
 3 2.60 – 3.39 Undecided
2 1.80 – 2.59 Disagree
1 1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree

“Strongly Agree” indicates the respondents who believe that

the given statement is true to a great extent.

“Agree” indicates the respondents who believe that the

statement is true.

“Undecided” indicates the respondents who are not sure to

his/her answer.

“Disagree” indicates the respondents who believe that the

given statement is false.

“Strongly Disagree” indicates the respondents who believe

to a great extent that the statement is false.

CHAPTER 4

37
 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the results of the study

covering the socio-demographic profile of the respondents,

the experiences that they have gather to the destinations,

how they assess the destinations and their suggestions to

improve and maintain the quality of services and

infrastructures.

1.Soco-demographic Profile of the respondents

The data gathered on the socio-demographic profile of

the respondents included age, sex, most frequent

destination visited.

TABLE 1.1

AGE F % Ranking

18-20 70 70.00 1

21-23 23 23.00 2

24-26 7 7.00 3

27-29 0 0.00 4

30 ABOVE 0 0.00 4

TOTAL 100 100.00

Distribution of Respondents as to Age

38
 Table 1.1 shows the respondents as to age. The data

shows that there were seventy (70) percent respondents

whose age ranges from 18-20 years old, twenty-three (23)

percent belong to 21-23 years old, seven (7) percent belong

to 24-26 years old, and zero (0) percent belongs to 27-29

and 30 above years old.

Demographic profile of the respondents highly affects

the tourist in decision making process of tourist when it

comes in choosing a destination. For example, tourist

within the range of 15-30 years old prefer to travel in

places that are more adventurous and tourists that are 30

years and above prefer to travel in a place that they can

spend more time to relax.

39
 The table implies that most of the respondents were

ages 18-20 years old and it has the highest percentage out

of the total respondents.

TABLE 1.2

SEX F % Ranking

MALE 46 46.00 2

FEMALE 54 54.00 1

TOTAL 100 100.00

Distribution of Respondents as to Sex

Table 1.2 illustrates the distribution of the

respondents as to their sex. As shown in the table, forty-

six (46) percent out of the total respondents are male and

covering the majority of the respondents are female with

fifty-four (54) percent of the total. Meanwhile, the

majority of the respondents in College of Hospitality and

Tourism Management were female.

Furthermore, hospitality and tourism management are

generally described as female industries

(Whitelaw&Gillet,2003). Therefore, it clearly says that

females are more interested when it comes to visiting a

destination.

40
 TABLE 1.3

Most frequent destination visited

Places most frequent F % Ranking

visited

Minalungao National Park 52 52.00 1

Pantabangan Lake 23 23.00 2

CLSU Farm Tourism 20 20.00 3

Mt. Bulaylay Cuyapo 5 5.00 4

TOTAL 100 100.00

Table 1.3 illustrate that fifty-two (52) percent

visited at Minalungao National Park, twenty-three (23)

percent visited at Pantabangan lake, twenty (20) percent

visited at CLSU Farm tourism, and five (5) percent in Mt.

Bulaylay Cuyapo.

Minalungao is one of the most visited place among the

four tourist destination. This park got the highest

percentage gaining its popularity way back 2012 (history of

minalungao beause of its scenic beauty and nature loving

ambiance. The park caters various activities like zip line,

hiking with their 1,000 steps stairs, spelunking, swimming

to the deep green blue water.

41
 A tourist attraction is a place of interest where

tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited

natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural

or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Minalungao

National Park make it to be the number one choice of

tourist out of five destinations because the place is

considered not only by its scenery but with the stories

created in it.

2. Ratings of Tourist Destinations in terms of:

TABLE 2.1
Good physical Orientation

STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED VERBAL Ranking

MEAN INTERPRETATION
1. Nueva Ecija offers 4.10 Agree 3
destinations that suits for
millennials.
2. Nueva Ecija is rich in 4.20 Strongly Agree 2
natural tourist sites
3. The destination reflects 4.28 Strongly Agree 1
the culture of Novo
Ecijanos
4. Proper waste 3.37 Undecided 5
segregations is highly
monitored.
5. Tourist Destinations in 3.85 Agree 4
Nueva Ecija are very
Accessible.

42
OWM 3.96 Agree

Table 2.1 shows the statement regarding the good

physical orientation and its corresponding weighted mean as

well as its verbal interpretation. It shows that the

statement number three “the destination reflects the

culture of novo ecijanos” got the highest weighted mean of

4.28 with a verbal interpretation of strongly agree and

statement number four “proper waste segregation is highly

monitored” gained 3.37 as its weighted mean and undecided

as its verbal interpretation got the lowest weighted mean.

Cultural tourism is important for various reasons; it

has a positive economic and social impact, it establishes

and reinforces identity, it helps build image, it helps

preserve the cultural and historical heritage,

with culture as an instrument it facilitates harmony and

understanding among people

(Baltic_Culture_Tourism_Policy_Paper_Short_Document “The

importance of cultural tourism “). People travel not only

for leisure purposes but also for exploring the culture of

other people to study their everyday life on how they deal

with everyday changes.

43
 Cleanliness plays a vital role in the economy and if

the tourist knows that the destination has a clean

surrounding, they will not hesitate to visit the

destination. The cleanliness of a destination gives a lot

of feedbacks because it is the first thing that the tourist

will observe.

Every tourist travel in different ways but they have

always common in nature. Proper waste disposal or the

cleanliness of the destination is one of their expectation

boosters. Cleanliness or the lack of it, remains a thorn in

the flesh which can adversely affect the country’s tourism

industry, if not given serious attention by all relevant

authorities (Bernama, lack of cleanliness affecting

tourism, Citezen’s journalists of Malaysia, October 10,

2011). Clearly tells that the cleanliness of the

destination reflects all the way from the business itself

up to the management.

Table 2.2

Information to assist in planning a visit

STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED MEAN VERBAL Ranking

INTERPRETATION
1. Tourism 3.90 Agree 1
information are
posted on their
website.

44
2. Service 3.85 Agree 2.5
representatives are
very approachable.
3. Reservations are 3.85 Agree 2.5
less hustle.
4. Facilities and 3.81 Agree 4
amenities are posted
on their website
5. Facebook 3.74 Agree 5
page/Instagram/twitt
er is updated for
every upcoming
events.
OWM 3.83 Agree

Table 2.2 shows that “Tourism information are posted

on their website.” got the highest weighted mean of 3.90

with a verbal interpretation of agree and statement number

five “Facebook page/Instagram/twitter is updated for every

upcoming events.” gained 3.74 as its weighted mean and

agree as its verbal interpretation got the lowest weighted

mean.

Technology is one of the most accessible means of

information today. Tourist depends on the information of

destinations posted on their web sites or Facebook page,

that’s why social media is very important to them. In order

to improve the efficiency of posting information,

destination should make the website more accessible and

easy to use. Design the page with a touch of art so that

tourists who visited the page will not have bored. Update

45
the page every day to become more reliable source of

information.

TABLE 2.3

Programs to ensure visitors comfort and safety

STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED VERBAL Ranking

MEAN INTERPRETATION
1. Gears that suit for 3.98 Agree 2
every activities are
provided.
2. Necessary signboards 4.01 Agree 1
that gives directions and
policies are posted.
3. The tour guides are 3.92 Agree 3
skillful.
4. Brief orientation 3.78 Agree 4
before having an activity
will conducted.
5. The place is fully 3.71 Agree 5
secured.
OWM 3.88 Agree

Table 2.3 shows that “Necessary signboards that gives

directions and policies are posted.” got the highest

weighted mean of 4.01 with a verbal interpretation of agree

and statement number five “The place is fully secured.”

gained 3.71 as its weighted mean and agree as its verbal

interpretation got the lowest weighted mean.

Safety and security are vital to providing quality in

tourism. More than any other economic activity, the success

or failure of a tourism destination depends on being able

46
to provide a safe and secure environment for visitors

(UNWTO, Tourist Safety and Security: Practical Measures for

Destinations, E-LIBRARY 1996). Visitors are always choosing

destinations with full security system, because it helps

them to enjoy their stay if the place is harm free.

Sign boards are necessary to give directions and to

post the policies of the destinations. Signboard gives all

necessary information about the store. The customer can

easily come to know about the products kept at the store

without actually bothering anyone. Visual Displays put

inside the retail store can actually help the customers to

easily locate the merchandise (Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed

by Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team

comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and

Subject Matter Experts. The use of this material is free

for learning and education purpose. Please reference

authorship of content used, including link(s) to

ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.).

TABLE 2.4

Strategies to manage and alleviates crowding and

congestions

STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED VERBAL Ranking

MEAN INTERPRETATION

47
1. Buildings are designed 3.87 Agree 2
base on the weather of
Nueva Ecija to
accommodate tourist
arrivals every day.
2. Always inform and 3.74 Agree 4
update clients if they
have a cut off for
tourist arrival.
3. Every destinations has 3.84 Agree 3
a reservation policy that
keeping ticket line in
order.
4. Organizers help 3.88 Agree 1
tourists to arrange their
visits.
5. The Pathways are wide 3.73 Agree 5
that can manage four (4)
people walk together.
OWM 3.81 Agree

Table 2.4 shows that “Organizers help tourists to

arrange their visits.” got the highest weighted mean of

3.88 with a verbal interpretation of agree and statement

number five “The Pathways are wide that can manage four (4)

people walk together.” gained 3.73 as its weighted mean and

agree as its verbal interpretation got the lowest weighted

mean.

A customer service assistant is the primary point of

contact between a business and its customers. If customers

want to place an order, find information, get advice,

return a purchase or make a complaint, they will invariably

48
talk to a customer service assistant. The job is ubiquitous

in business -- every company has customers to care for --

and may go by other titles, such as information assistant

or retail assistant. Customer service assistants may work

with customers by phone, online or in person (Lalla

Scotter, Customer Service Assistant Job Description &

Responsibilities, Resolve Complaints,). Having a nice front

office or service assistant shows that the company can take

care the tourist.

Having a wide pathway is very important in a

destination to avoid overcrowding when walking and

performing activities outside.

3. Ratings of tourist experiences

TABLE 3.1

Physical Environment

49
 STATEMENT NO. WEGHTED VERBAL Ranking
MEAN INTERPRETATION
1. Tourist destinations 3.56 Agree 5
are pollution free.
2. Destinations are fully 3.62 Agree 4
secured.
3. Natural beauty of 4.21 Strongly Agree 1
every destination are
amazing.
4. Souvenir shops are 3.97 Agree 2
located along the
destination.
5. Conduct environmental 3.71 Agree 3
activities like tree
planting.
OWM 3.81 Agree

Table 3.1 shows that “Natural beauty of every

destination are amazing” got the highest weighted mean of

4.21 with a verbal interpretation of strongly agree and

statement number one “Tourist destinations are pollution

free.” gained 3.56 as its weighted mean and agree as its

verbal interpretation got the lowest weighted mean.

It is tourism at places famous for pristine nature and

serene beauty. The main objective is to experience and

enjoy nature such as farms and wildlife. Ecotourism is a

part of nature tourism it involves maintenance and

enhancement of natural systems such as water, air, woods

and forests, and flora and fauna through tourism

(www.tutorialspoint.com/tourism_management/tourism_manageme

50
nt_quick_guide.). Some tourist preferred to visit

destinations that are rich in natural resources.

Environmental lovers, hikers, and adventurous tourist are

often who choose natural beauty of the environment.

Pollution free destinations are more likely to be more

attractive to tourists because they can relax and smell the

fresh air coming from the surrounding of the destination.

Tourist prefer to stay if the destination is clean and

ecofriendly.

TABLE 3.2
Human Interaction
STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED VERBAL Ranking T
MEAN INTERPREATION
abl
1. Employees are 4.00 Agree 4
approachable.
e
2. Tour guides are 3.97 Agree 5
very responsive for
3.2
every question.
3. Destination’s 4.07 Agree 2 sho
culture are easy
adapt. ws
4. Going to some 4.19 Agree 1
places are great tha
time to make new
friends. t
5. Every employee 4.01 Agree 3
performed his/her the
duty with
professionalism. ite
OWM 4.05 Agree
m

number 4 “Going to some places are great time to make new

friends.” got the highest weighted mean of 4.19 with a

51
verbal interpretation of agree and statement number two

“Tour guides are very responsive for every question.”

gained 3.97 as its weighted mean and agree as its verbal

interpretation got the lowest weighted mean.

Travelling is a great way of discovering something new

and as well as to make new friends. In some reasons, other

use tourism as a means of reuniting, family gatherings, and

camping activities which helps an individual to have new

friend or acquaintance. One of the nice things about

traveling is that even if you’re shy, it’s easy to make

conversation with people around you (adventurous kate solo

travel blog, how to make friends while travel solo).

A tour guide, as the very name indicates, is a person who

guides the tourists and offers them all relevant

information about the place they are visiting. A tour uide

must be capable of interpreting the cultural and natural

heritage of an area and possess a specific qualification

usually issued and/or recognized by the appropriate

authority.

Tour guides must be thoroughly knowledgeable about the

cities, regions and countries where they work. It is the

responsibility of the tour guide to help travelers

understand the culture of the region and the way of life of

52
its inhabitants. They have to promote the cultural and

natural heritage and at the same time impress on the

visitors the significance of the place they are visiting

(San Francisco Shuttle Tours, Importance of a Tour Guide,

Monday, November 3, 2008).

TABLE 3.3

Individual Characteristics

STATEMENT NO. WEIGHTED VERBAL Ranking

MEAN INTERPRETATION
1. Discovering 4.37 Strongly Agree 3
something new in
destination.
2. Love to travel in 4.46 Strongly Agree 1
cultural, ecological,
and historical
destination.
3. Always choose 4.27 Strongly Agree 4
comfort zone
location.
4. Always preferred 3.83 Agree 5
solo travel.
5. Willing to search 4.43 Strongly Agree 2
new experiences with
less danger.
OWM 4.27 Strongly Agree

Table 3.3 statement number 2 “Love to travel in cultural,

ecological, and historical destination.” got the highest

weighted mean of 4.46 with a verbal interpretation of

strongly agree and statement number two “Always preferred

53
solo travel.” gained 3.83 as its weighted mean and agree as

its verbal interpretation got the lowest weighted mean.

Tourism offers various types of destinations and one

of the leading destinations are historical, ecological, and

cultural tourism, which is very exciting because of the

different activities that can experience by the tourist.

Discovering, exploring, and studying are one of the many

reasons why tourist chose to travel in a destination that

are rich in biodiversity.

People who have never traveled alone often describe

their first solo trip as an almost religious experience. To

take in new surroundings unfiltered by the prejudices,

tastes or preferences of a traveling companion can be heady

stuff. Traveling alone gives you the chance to indulge

yourself fully (Smarter travelling guide, Independent

traveler).

SUGGESTIONS OF THE RESPONDENTS TO IMPROVE TOURIST

DESTINATIONS

The researchers distribute a total of 100

questionnaires to a 100 respondents from the College of

Hospitality and Tourism Management to gather data with

regards to their experiences and suggestions.

54
 FORTY-THREE (43) of the respondents suggested that

every destination must perform a proper waste

segregation in order to be more attractive (kailangan

malinis ang bawat destination para hindi magsawa ang

mga turista).

 THIRTEEN (13) suggested to improve the social media

accounts of every destination (dapat mas maayos iyong

kanilang mga social media account para mas updated and

mga turista).

 ELEVEN (11) suggested that the destinations should

have approachable employees as well as knowledgeable

employees to perform their task at the highest level.

Tour guides requires plenty of knowledge and skills to

perform their task appropriately (Kailangan iyong mga

tour guide nila sapat ang kaalaman para pag nagtanong

ang mga turista meron silang maisasagot).

 The last 10% suggested that destinations should

preserve all the natural resources for nature lovers.

Tourist may disappoint because of continues extinction

of natural resources (nakakadisappoint lang kasi na

lalo ng nakakawawa ang mother nature natin dahil sa

pagtatayo ng mga bagong gusali which is hindi dapat

mangyari dahil maraming naaapektuhan).

55
  Forty-three (43) out of 100 respondents suggested that

a destination should perform the proper waste

disposal. The Government is aware that lack of hygiene

and cleanliness at tourist destinations is a major

concern for domestic as well as foreign tourists

(tourism ministry of India). One of the most important

example of a clean tourist destination the Indonesia.

Cleanliness is one of many other indicators that have

to be held by a tourism destination. It means that the

tourism destination should be clean from garbage or

any other dirty things. Indonesia is a tourism

destination that have been known as a beautiful and

humble country to be visited. As a tourism country,

Indonesia should also give a big concern to the

cleanliness issue. Various criticisms and suggestions

always delivered to the manager or government of the

tourist sites, but the response from them was null

(CASE STUDY: IJEN CRATER, BANYUWANGI., November 2016).

Here in the Philippines, our mother nature is begging

for help to stop the inhumane activities of human. We do

not need to destroy our natural resources just to put up

another attraction. The best solution is to develop tourist

56
attractions without destroying any of our natural resources

because they are the true natural beauty of our nature.

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter includes the summary of findings, the

conclusions based on the results in our research, and the

recommendations of the researchers that can help to give a

solution to improve, enhance and to develop the needed.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

This is the complete summary of the findings, the

interpreting, and analyzing the data gathering of our

research.

Profile of the respondents:

AGE. There were seventy (70) percent respondents whose age

ranges from 18-20 years old, twenty-three (23) percent

belong to 21-23 years old, seven (7) percent belong to 24-

26 years old, and zero (0) percent belongs to 27-29 and 30

above years old. GENDER. Out of one hundred (100) tourism

students’ respondent Forty-six (46) percent out of the

total respondents are male and covering the majority of the

57
respondents are female with fifty-four (54) percent of the

total. Most frequent visited destination. fifty-two (52)

percent visited at Minalungao National Park, twenty-three

(23) percent visited at Pantabangan lake, twenty (20)

percent visited at CLSU Farm tourism, and five (5) percent

in Mt. Bulaylay Cuyapo.

I. CONCLUSION

Most of the respondents were female students, frequently

aged 18-20, and came from College of Hospitality and

Tourism Management students.

Majority of the respondents visited Minalungao National

Park because this place is one of the famous attractions

and fastest growing destination in Nueva Ecija. They can

fascinate the tourists by its own beauty and stunning

natural spot. Tourists nowadays love to experience new

things for have fun and to relax. This place fits for

couples, group of friends and families. According to (Bea

C. review Dec 1, '17) “It’s recommended for family trips as

it has variety of activities to choose from such as

Ziplining, Kayaking, Balsa Rafting, Spelunking and more.

You can also have lunch along the river while on a Balsa

Cottage.”

58
 The ratings of the tourist destination in good

physical orientation is the “destination reflects the

culture of Novo Ecijanos”. Most of the tourist wants to

travel rich in culture to explore and to experience the

daily lives of local people in the communities. To see

local resident appearance of their lifestyle, skills and

behavior. To have an idea about their beliefs in the

society.

Information to assist in planning a visit tourism

information is posted on their website’. Through social

media like face book, Instagram, and twitter page you can

easily distinguish the information about the destination.

In just one click you can get the detailed you wanted, and

this is the fastest way and easy use to access. People now

a days are having their own personal social media account,

so they can share their captured unforgettable moment and

experience in their journey in destination and the

information was easily spread out and seen of everyone.

According to (Nick Ismail, April 10, 2017) “In the world

today, people cannot live without technologies such as

televisions, mobile phones, computers and others. These

technologies have slowly taken an essential part in

people’s day-to-day lives and being without them would be

unimaginable for some of us.”

59
 In programs to ensure visitors comfort and safety

‘necessary signboards that gives directions and policies

are posted.’ The signboards can give us an idea,

information and direction in some destination that can help

us and lead us to our safety place. A sign can defined by

DENR as “ any letter, word, numerical or pictorial

presentation, illustration, decoration, emblem, device,

symbol or trademark, flag, banner or any other figure of

similar character that is attached to, painted on or in

any manner represented on a building or structure, used to

announce, direct attention to, or advertise, and is visible

to the public” ”DENR can Classified the sign into:

Administrative sign- a sign inscribed with the information

on the protected area, its boundaries and facilities.

Directional sign- showing the location and direction of the

different facilities and important featured sites in

protected area. Interpretative sign- a written, visual, or

interactive way which relates a story or a message to

improve the visitors’ understanding and appreciation of the

features of a particular area. Restrictive sign- inscribe

with symbol for limiting the activities or access of

visitors in a protected area or some places within it.”

The Strategies to manage and alleviates crowding and

congestion ‘organizers help tourist to arrange their

60
visits’. Some tourist chooses to provide an organizer to

arrange their vacation in some places for a reason like, to

enjoy their visit without hassle. This plan was great and

very helpful to the tourist to feel free without stressing

their selves. Having wide enough pathways can help tourists

to have an easy way to reach the other spots in a

destination.

The rating of the respondents of tourist experiences

in physical Environment is ‘natural beauty of every

destination are amazing.’ Tourists attract in rich natural

resources. They travel for have some fun and forget about

their problem. The other tourist their purpose is to study

and to learn about natural resources because their goal is

to protect, preserve and conserve the natural beauty of the

environment. Tourist nature lover always choose to enjoy

the natural beauty of the environment. Natural beauty as we

researchers experience, it can cure the wound of the past,

it can open the eyes of the blind to see how God is great,

and it serve as a safe haven for those who need comfort.

In human interaction “going to some places are great time

to make new friends”. Some tourist can really love to

discover something new, to socialized and to make new

friends in other people in each destination. They used to

61
travel to make more friends and to share their thought,

skills and knowledge to others and gain more idea from

them.

In individual characteristics “love to travel in

cultural, ecological, and historical destination. Some of

tourist wants to explore and learn new things rich in

cultural, ecological and historical places. They love to

seek more knowledge and information about the history,

culture and ecological in sight. (Carolyn Childs) “Culture

and heritage tourists usually visit cultural heritage

attractions such as: historic buildings and other historic

attractions; archaeological sites; state, local, or

national parks; art galleries or museums; concerts, plays

or musicals; ethnic or ecological heritage sites; and

suchlike attractions. These travelers say that these trips

are more memorable than conventional holiday trips since

they allow them to learn something new.”

Knowledge is not for a single day use, but it is a

treasure to keep in order to become wiser than before.

II. RECOMMENDATION

This study would benefit our province to make a solution

for our tourism problem and to recommend the steps to

attract more tourists.

62
 Our first step is to conduct a survey or put a suggestion

box in every destination for the tourist for us to know our

target demographic, it also helps us to gather information

of what peoples like, dislike and what else to upgrade.

The second step is to promote the uniqueness of the

province, list at least three tourism strength of the

province, and make them as the center of attraction. To

make competition to other provinces.

Third step is to sell promotional materials this allows

visitors from other provinces or places to advertise for us

in their area.

Fourth step is to organize an event such as festival,

concert, etc. To attract more tourist from the other

provinces or area.

Last step and most important is taking care of our

tourist spot, preserve them as long as possible, for the

next generation to explore.

63
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