Establishing of Creative Tourism Route in Chaiya District, Suratthani Province

Abstract

In the past, most of the tourists mainly focused on popular and attractive places without any activities for learning. Nowadays, the behavior of tourists is changing, the tourists want to learn and create new experiences from tourism. Suratthani province or the center of the Srivijaya Kingdom has many important historical sites, especially in Chaiya, which has a variety of tourist resources and many potential tourist attractions. The purpose of this study was to study the general condition and context of creative tourism in Chaiya, and to establish creative tourism routes in Chaiya. The target group is the people involved in Chaiya compose of local governors, government officers, representatives of private sector, entrepreneurs and the people in the community. Data was completed by using 225 semi-structured interviews and content analysis. The research found that Chaiya district was located in the north of Suratthani province with an area of about 1,004 square kilometers. The overall area is flat and 85 percent of the area was suitable for farming. Today, most farmers turn to palm oil and rubber for better returns. For infrastructure is good in transport, electricity, water and telephone. Currently, Chaiya district is well-known among tourists, especially tourist attractions and many native products such as Chaiya relics, Mokkaparam Garden, Phumriang-silk and salted eggs. Based on the study, the researcher has developed a database of locations and has mapped the routes of creative tourism into 4 routes as follows: Food routes, Natural routes, Buddhism routes and Traditional, Cultural and Historical routes.