Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Environmental Health and Safety Management in Tourist Attractions

Abstract

The evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of environmental health and health safety management in tourist attractions has the objective of studying the cost-effectiveness of managing environmental health and health safety within tourist attractions and developing policy recommendations for promoting sustainable health and environmentally friendly tourism. The study was conducted using qualitative data from 13 tourist attractions which received the first-place GREEN Health Attraction award, through In-depth interviews with key personnel directly involved in implementing health and environmental initiatives at the attractions. An assessment tool for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of environmental health and health safety management in tourist attractions was applied, and data were analyzed using Social Return on Investment (SROI). The results of the analysis revealed that the SROI values ranged between 1.01 and 3.95, with every tourist attraction showing an SROI value greater than 1. This reflects the cost-effectiveness of investing in environmental health and health safety management, as one baht of investment can generate more than one baht in social return. Moreover, investments in environmental health management, such as maintaining public restrooms, managing solid waste, providing safe drinking and utility water, and ensuring safety in tourist areas were found to be cost-effective in both economic and social terms. These also enhanced tourist satisfaction and created a positive long-term image of tourist attractions. This study provides policy recommendations for the development and upgrading of environmental health and health safety management in tourist attractions, as well as for promoting tourist satisfaction through such management. Government agencies should push forward environmental health and health safety management in tourist attractions as a key standard for developing sustainable tourism that is both health-friendly and environmentally friendly in Thailand’s tourism industry.