Participation of the People in Organizing Cultural Tourism: A Case Study of the Phra That Phanom Worship Event

Abstract

This study aims to 1) explore people participation in cultural tourism management of the Phra That Phanom Worship event,
2) investigate the problems and obstacles faced by the people in participating in the events, 3) propose development guidelines for the cultural tourism event of the Phra That Phanom Worship. Using qualitative research method. Data was collected through observation and in-depth interviews of 14 key informants with purposive sampling. Content analysis was conducted qualitatively for data analysis.
The results revealed that the temple committees, community leaders, and the people participated in the Phra That Phanom Worship event in decision-making, implementation, benefit-sharing, and evaluation. The Phra That Phanom municipality also participated in decision-making and implementation. Problems and obstacles regarding people participation in the Phra That Phanom Worship event include power imbalances between the temple committees and community leaders, issues with renting vendor spaces, flower sales and photography, and difficulties in accessing community feedback for evaluation. Recommendations for the Phra That Phanom Worship future events include: 1) Temple committees, sub-district municipality, community leaders should prioritize voices from diverse groups using principles and reasoning in decision-making, 2) Temple committees should establish a systematic reservation system for vendor spaces, 3) Temple committees should provide clear and systematic areas for flower sales and photography, and 4) Implementing an online event evaluation form to facilitate people participation in evaluation and problem-solving for the next year.