The Participation of Ban Thung Phle Community in , to Develop the Area into a Sustainable Tourist Destination

Maitree Chaimongkol

Faculty of Liberal Arts, National Sports University Chon Buri Campus

Abstract

I have the opportunity to participate in academic and professional service projects in sports and recreation. This research aimed to study the problems of the participation of the Thung Phle Homestay community in Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. The homestay entrepreneurs worked together with the students of the Faculty of Arts, Thailand National Sports University Chon Buri Campus to find ways to manage resources in the area resulting in a sustainable tourist destination. The project was conducted on 3 - 4 February 2020 at the Homestay Environment Conservation Learning Center Ban Suan Rim Nam, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province.

The research was conducted through the activities allowing the students to survey the area. In addition to this, a group discussion was applied with 12 homestay entrepreneurs to find ways to manage resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist destination. The community participating in all 4 activities were as follows: 1) surveying the area to create Sports tourism activities in the Ban Thung Phle community area 2) surveying the area of Chanthaburi Agricultural Research and Development Center to be a tourist and learning area for tourists 3) surveying local food processing of Ban Thung Phle community, and 4) exploring the area of Khao Banj Temple.

According to the result from activity 1, it was discovered that in the area of Ban Thung Phle community located in Khao Ban and Khao Khitchakut, there is a stream which originated from Khao Khitchakut. Further, there are trees in natural areas which is suitable for mountain Sports activities and cycling to enjoy the nature. Moreover, Activity 2 conducted at Agricultural Research and Development Center, a place to test various plant species over a large area showed the suitablity for planting rice of the Phaya Mae Thong Dam species, which is the rice varieties of the Mon people, the original background of the villagers of Thung Phle. Additionally, Activity 3 related to the unique local food of the community prepared from local spices such as cardamom. The processed food derived from Ban Thung Phle's famous fruits, such as rambutan, durian, and mangosteen. Last but not least, the activity 4 which was conducted at Khao Banb Temple. This place is suitable for the Dharma practice of all ages with chilly weather at all times. The climate is suitable for meditation or relaxation of practitioners of all ages.

Keywords: Community participation, Ban Thung Phle Community, Sustainable tourism

Corresponding Author: Maitree Chaimongkol, Thailand National Sports University, Chon Buri Campus, Email: [email protected],Thailand.

The Participation of Ban Thung Phle Community in Makham District, Chanthaburi Province to Develop the Area into a Sustainable Tourist Destination

Introduction Background and State of the Problem

At present, Thailand is interested in the principles of participation in the development of each aspect of country consisting of politics, society, economy and culture to enter a participatory democracy. This includes changes in public administration under the concept of participatory governance and concepts under the principles of good governance. The government must provide the opportunity for people and all relevant parties to get to know, think, decide, work and handle the results that caused by participation until reaching the joint inspection This can increase transparency and improve the quality of government agencies' decisions And is accepted by all parties. This also in line with the 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017 - 2021) in Strategy 3. which was about strengthening the economy and sustainable competition with the objective to support the distribution of economic activities and the fair distribution of benefits. This also include supporting an economy that is environmentally friendly and increase the potential of the existing service base and expand the new service base to adjust to a stronger service base economy as well as developing the tourism industry for balanced and sustainable growth. และFurther, Strategy 9 stated that urban and economic development with the objective to spread prosperity and economic opportunities to the region more thoroughly in order to develop the center city of the province to be a livable city for all groups of people should be implemented. The strategy also mentioned about developing and revitalizing the main economic base area to expand to be environmentally friendly and increase the quality of life for people in the community. Moreover, the strategy focused on developing new economic areas to support the enhancement of competitiveness and sustainable development in the area. Therefore, public participation is becoming a trend that has received attention from various agencies and organizations, both the public and private sectors. However, there are obstacles and problems in local government in accordance with the principles. One important challenge in decentralization is that people lack interest or lack of participation. The government has a policy that is a factor that motivates local people or communities to participate in community management in a collaborative and responsible manner leading to targeted development and it truly benefits the people In addition, it can be considered that this is also a way for people to participate in important local and community development activities. Participation within the community is important for the lives of all people because everyone has to live together as a society. They also rely on each other. They additionally have roles and responsibilities which are accepted and self-created. The roles and responsibilities should be stable in order to help accept policies in accordance with national laws. However, the participation as well as working together in the management of the area to be a sustainable tourist destination requires the sacrifice of time and other factors in the

activity to achieve the goal. Public participation is considered an internationally recognized principle that is important and necessary for the governing of a democratic world. Chanthaburi is an old town from historical evidence. It is believed to be at least 1,000 years old. It was built by Chong people. Some legends say that it was built by the Khmer people. The original districts were based on the stone inscription called "Khuan Kraburi". Chanthaburi was originally located in front of Khao Saphan Mountain. The original indigenous people live, called Chong people have their own language. The city is located on the eastern coast of Thailand. The general landscape and climate of the province are mostly forests, mountains, and high plains, which are 30 - 190 meters above sea level. In the middle of the province and 3) coastal plains Climate in general, Chanthaburi is located in an area that is hot and humid. Rain about 7 months per year continuously (Chantaburi Provincial Statistical Office, 2020). Makham District, formerly known as Tha Luang District, was established in 2422 B.E. It is located on the Current Tha Luang Subdistrict. Later, the trade developed and it led trading contacts with Cambodia by using the route through Makham District to and crossing into Cambodia as it was more convenient for tax collection Therefore, the district office was moved to Ban Makham in 1907. Its name was changed to Makham District. The reason why the city was being named "Makham" is said that at that time, the area of the Makham district was an evergreen forest with abundant animals and wild fever causing the passing people to experience constant danger. Traveling was difficult because at that time the road was cut without environmental conditions, so there were many wild animals. Since it was a district with a very wide territory, it was difficult to access all after being divided into Pong Nam Ron District, and . Currently, Makham District With a total population of 30,441 people (Office of Registration Administration Department of Provincial Administration, 2019). The researcher was interested in the participation of Ban Thung Phle community, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province to develop the area into a sustainable tourist destination by studying the conditions of the participation of the community of Ban Thung Phle Homestay in Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. The participants were homestay entrepreneurs who worked together with students of the Faculty of Arts of Thailand National Sports University Chon Buri Campus. to find ways to manage resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist destination.

Research objectives 1. To study the problems of the participation of the Thung Phle Homestay Home community in Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. 2. To identify ways to manage resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist. Destination

Scope of research Participation of Ban Thung Phle Community, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province to develop the area into a sustainable tourist destination consisted of a group of key informants in this research, namely, homestay entrepreneurs together with students of the Faculty of Arts from Thailand National Sports University Chon Buri Campus.

Expected Benefits 1. Be able to identify the problems of the participation of the Ban Thung Phle Homestay Homestay community, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. 2. Be able to propose the guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist destination.

Research Methodology Population and Sample Group Qualitative research was conducted by using focus group discussion selected by purposive sampling. The sample group consisted of 12 homestay entrepreneurs and 20 students from the Faculty of Arts Thailand National Sports University Chon Buri Campus. Research Instruments The researcher used the concept of tourist attractions 6 As of Buhalis (Buhalis. 2000) as a research tool in the group discussion. The details are as follows: 1. Attraction is the natural and man-made things attraction. 2. Accessibility is a public transportation system in both vehicle routes and its convenience 3. Amenities are facilities, accommodation, food and other services. 4. Available Packages are the distribution lists that have been prepared in advance 5. Activities are all activities in the tourist destination and things that tourists will do while traveling 6. Ancillary services are additional services that tourists will use. Data Collection To collect data, the students were divided into 4 groups to survey different areas. The first group was assigned to survey the area to create sports tourism activities in the Ban Thung Phle community area The second group was assigned to survey the area of Chanthaburi Agricultural Research and Development Center as a tourist and learning area for tourists. The third group was assigned to explore processed local food of Ban Thung Phle community. The forth group was assigned to surveythe area of Khao Banjab Temple. Furthermore, group discussion was implemented to study the problems of the participation of the Thung Phle Homestay community in Makham District, Chanthaburi Province. The information from the discussion were used to find ways to manage resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist destination. The sample group consisted of 12 homestay entrepreneurs who worked together with 20 students of the Faculty of Arts, Thailand National Sports University Chon Nuri Campus. Then the data were compiled into the topic "Composition of Tourist Attractions 6 As" from Buhalis (2000).

Data Analysis The data were collected from group discussions. The data were then analyzed according to the objectives of the research by related tools and research that could be used as a guideline in creating questions for group discussions. The interpretation created inductive conclusions obtained from participation from recorded group discussions. The data were analyzed under the concept of tourist attraction composition 6 of Buhalis (2000).

Results The research Study on "Participation of Ban Thung Phle Community, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province to develop the Area into a Sustainable Tourist Destination" discovered the following results. 1) According to the survey of the area to create sports tourism activities in the Ban Thung Phle community area, it was found that the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into many aspects. The first one is an attraction which was a natural attraction. The current state of the area is mostly plateau, alternating hills and rivers in natural and man- made areas. Man-made objects may cause destruction of natural resources in some parts This will be the home building. The community has a common guideline by not invading the original natural areas as this can destroy some resources. They can try to attract the attention of tourists by natural areas as much as possible. This can be done by creating an area for mountain biking trails along the hill that is a natural source for sports tourists. Another aspect is accessibility which refers to is a public transportation system both vehicle routes and its convenience to get to this area. It was found that the area can be easily accessed by private car. Most areas are natural sources and may not expand public transportation. However, the important thing is to be able to create activities that are easy to access to natural resources and easy to travel. 2) According to the survey of the area of Chanthaburi Agricultural Research and Development Center to be a tourist and learning area for tourists, it was found that the problems of community participation in tourism, homestays and guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into many aspects. The first one is attraction which refers to the condition of the area. Most of the areas are for agricultural cultivation experiments such as durian and rice. Most tourists who come to stay in a homestay will be a group and family tourists who do not come in a large study group and want to come to rest with nature. Therefore, making this area of agricultural research and development center is subordinate place to tourist group in terms of sports and leisure according to natural resources. The common management approach may be a presentation of rice varieties that have originated since ancient times of Mae Phaya Thongdam rice varieties, which are rice varieties belonging to the Mon people. In terms of accessibility, it was found that the area is easier to access than other locations. Amenities include accommodation, food, and activities. Activities are located in tourist spots to grow rice in season. Ancillary services that tourists will use with bicycles in the agricultural research and development center can be provided. 3) A survey of the local processed food of the Ban Thung Phle community demonstrated that the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the ways in managing the resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into many aspects. The first one is the attraction. It was found that the local food of the community is prepared with local spices, such as cardamom. As for the processed food, it was derived from Chomchon Ban Thung Phle's famous fruits, such as rambutan, durian, and mangosteen. The current problem is that the community has not yet come together to think and make it a well-known

in the community. The common idea is to let the community leaders give knowledge and let the interested communities to explain and cooperate seriously in order to create more attraction in the community. 4) According to the survey of the Khao Banch Temple area, it was found that the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into many aspects. The first one is the attraction known as Wat Khao Banb. It is suitable for practicing Dharma of people of all ages. Due to the condition of the temple, the weather is always cool and peaceful. Thus, it is suitable for meditation or relaxation of practitioners of all ages. The guidelines for temple management are to have people to take care of the temple area and to manage the area to be more suitable for Dhamma practice than ever before. Cleanliness and safety from various insects should be taken care. Moreover, in terms of accessibility, it has been found that it was convenient and easy to access places. Amenities can be a problem for those who want to practice Dharma by living in the temple for a long time. According to the management guidelines, there must be a place to accommodate tourists who want to practice Dhamma in order to be convenient in terms of accommodation within the temple. In the aspect of Activities, there should be activities for tourists to practice on a daily basis as well.

Discussion The research Study on "Participation of Ban Thung Phle Community, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province to develop the Area into a Sustainable Tourist Destination" discussed the following issues. 1) According to the survey of the area to create sports tourism activities in the Ban Thung Phle community area, the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province was demonstrated and divided into different perspective. The first one is an attraction which is a natural attraction. The current state of the area is mostly plateau, alternating hills and rivers in natural and man- made areas. However, man-made objects may cause destruction of natural resources in some parts.The community has a common guideline by not invading the original natural areas because this can destroy some resources. In order to attract the attention of tourists by natural areas as much as possible, mountain biking trails can be created along the mountains that are a natural source. For sports tourists, there are activities when visiting, but may only benefit some groups of people in communities with areas. It is also suitable for creating sports tourism routes. This is in accordance with the research of Charinya Chansong conducted in 2012. It was related to public participation in local development in Nong Saeng Yai Sub- district Administrative Organization, Khong Chiam District Ubon Ratchathani. The objective was to study the public participation in local development in Nong Saeng Yai Subdistrict Administration Organization, Khong Chiam District Ubon Ratchathani and to find ways to promote public participation in local development of Nong Saeng Yai Subdistrict Administration Organization, Khong Chiam District. The result of the research showed that the overall people participation in local development was at a medium level with the highest mean being participation in receiving benefits, followed by participation in decision making,

participation in operations and participation in evaluation, respectively. In terms of accessibility which can be referred to a public transportation system, it was found that both vehicle routes and it is convenient to access. This area can be easily accessed by private car. Most areas are natural sources and may not expand public transportation. The important thing is to be able to create activities that are easy to access to natural resources and easy to travel. 2) According to the survey of the area of Chanthaburi Agricultural Research and Development Center to be a tourist and learning area for tourists, it was found that the problems of community participation in tourism, homestays and guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into different aspects. The first one is the attraction. The condition of the most areas are for agricultural cultivation experiments such as durian, mangosteen and rice. Most tourists who come to stay in a homestay are groups who want to come to rest with nature.Therefore, making this area of agricultural research and development center is subordinate priority. The common management approach may be a presentation of rice varieties that have originated since ancient times known as Mae Phaya Thongdam rice varieties, which are rice varieties belonging to the Mon people. For accessibility, it is easier to access than other locations. Amenities include accommodation, food, and activities. Activities are located in tourist spots to grow rice in season. Ancillary services that tourists will use with bicycles in the agricultural research and development center can be found. This is in accordance with the research of Chaiyathan (2007) regarding the management of public services in the Ing River Basin Agricultural Area of the Half and Administrative Organization, Huai So Subdistrict Administrative Organization Chiang Khong District. The results of the research revealed that the opinions on the problems of public service management in the Ing River Basin Agricultural Area of the Half Subdistrict Administrative Organization and the Huai Soo Subdistrict Administration Organization were at a moderate level, especially in the areas of construction and development. The needs of the infrastructure of the people who used the agriculture in the Ing River Basin in general were at a high level especially in the construction of roads. The needs to improve agricultural needs for career promotion of the people who use the agricultural river basins in the overall were in a high level especially in support and promotion of agricultural careers and the pursuit of new approaches to agricultural methods. 3) A survey of the local processed food of the Ban Thung Phle community found that the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the ways in managing the resources in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into different aspects. The first one is the attraction. Local food of the community is interesting as the food is prepared with local spices such as cardamom. As for the processed food, it was derived from Chomchon Ban Thung Phle's famous fruits, such as rambutan, durian, and mangosteen. The current problem is that the community has not yet come together to think and make it well-known in the community. The common idea is to let the community leaders to educate and let the interested communities to explain and cooperate seriously and make people in the community feel ownership of this local recipe in order to create more attraction in the community. This is in accordance with the research of Si Sing (2014) who conducted a study on factors that promoted participation in the development of community activities of people in Phitsanulok

municipality .The results of the research showed that the ownership factor was an issue that most people agreed as an important thing that can lead people to join to develop more community activities because they were co-local owners. 4) According to survey of the Khao Banch Temple area, it found that the problems of the participation of the homestay tourism community and the guidelines for resource management in the area to be a sustainable tourist attraction in Ban Thung Phle, Makham District, Chanthaburi Province can be divided into different aspects. The First one is the attraction. Wat Khao Banb is suitable for practicing Dharma of people of all ages. Due to the condition of the temple, the weather is always cool and peaceful; therefore, it is suitable for meditation or relaxation of practitioners of all ages. The guidelines for temple management are to have people to take care of the temple area and manage the area to be more suitable for Dhamma practice than ever before. Cleanliness and safety from various inspects should be provided. In terms of accessibility, it is convenient and easy to access places. Amenities can be a problem for those who want to practice Dharma by staying in the temple for a long time. Management guidelines should include a place to accommodate tourists who want to practice Dhamma in order to be convenient in terms of accommodation within the temple. For activities, there should be activities for tourists to practice on a daily basis as well. This is in accordance with the research of Bunnak (2013) on community participation in tourism management: a case study of communities in the Sam Chuk Centennial Market, Sam Chuk District. The results of the research showed that the participation of people in the community in tourism management was that the people in the community had a high level of participation in tourism management especially in the area of site management to get involved in the planning policy. The community will only share opinions but did not take part in the planning of policy or management in any way.

Recommendation In this study, the qualitative research methodology was used by collecting data in focus group discussion which took less time. Hence the data may not yet profound about the source of the studied community. For this reason, more time should be taken to the study with continuity and use the appropriate period to get more insights.

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