The Development of Tourism Activities for the Senior Tourists through Community Participation: A Case Study of Bang Luang Market community 122 Rattanakosin Era, Bang Len district, Nakhonpathom province

Abstract

Thailand is entering a fully aging society, with the population aged over 60 years projected to exceed 30% by 2030, resulting in significant social and economic impacts. However, tourism destinations and activities developed by communities to specifically accommodate senior tourists remain limited. This participatory action research aimed to 1) examine the community’s potential and needs for developing tourism activities for senior tourists 2) develop tourism activities for senior tourists through community participation and 3) examine the outcomes of community-participatory tourism activities for senior tourists. The research was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, data on potential and development needs were collected through document analysis, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions with 15 purposively selected key informants, including the village headman, municipal council members, senior resident, entrepreneurs, senior tourists, and researchers, as well as questionnaire surveys administered to 400 community residents. The second stage involved the development of tourism activities for senior tourists through focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders. In the third stage, the outcomes of the activities were evaluated by collecting satisfaction data from 400 senior tourists selected through accidental sampling, along with focus group discussions with stakeholders to reflect on the implementation process. The findings revealed that 1) the community possessed strong potential and demonstrated a high level of need to develop as a senior tourism destination (𝑋̄ = 4.08, S.D. = 0.79) 2) stakeholders collaboratively developed seven tourism activities, including raft singing, elder storytelling, tasting famous local food, selfie photography, fish feeding, visiting sacred sites, and recreational activities with Kasetsart University students and 3) senior tourists reported a high level of satisfaction with the tourism activities (𝑋̄ = 4.50, S.D. = 0.50), while stakeholders expressed a strong desire for continuous development. This research highlights the value of community participation in developing sustainable tourism destinations for senior tourists and provides recommendations for improving infrastructure, tourism activities, human resources, and collaborative networks.