Soft Power: Cultural heritage to promote ethnic tourism in Sa Kaeo Province

Abstract

This article aims to 1) Study the basic historical and ethnic background of the people in Sra Kaeo province 2) Develop ethnic tourism routes in Sra Kaeo province 3) Develop strategies for promoting cultural soft power for tourism in Sra Kaeo province. The research methodology is qualitative, using document analysis, in-depth interviews, and non-participatory observation. The research framework is based on the concepts of soft power, heritage management theory, and cultural tourism theory. The research area is Aranyaprathet district, Sra Kaeo province. The key informants for this study are the leaders of five ethnic groups: Chinese, Vietnamese, Yaw, Lao, and Khmer, with a total of five informants selected purposively. The research tools used include 1) Interview guide 2) Data from ethnic group databases 3) Field notes. The data were analyzed through content analysis, followed by a descriptive narrative. The findings of the research are as follows 1) The ethnic history of Sra Kaeo province consists of five ethnic groups: Chinese, Vietnamese, Yaw, Lao, and Khmer. These communities are located in the Aranyaprathet district and possess unique cultural identities, maintaining traditional lifestyles. They also have the potential to become significant tourist attractions for Sra Kaeo province 2) The development of ethnic tourism routes in Sra Kaeo can be categorized into two types 1. Ethnic food tourism 2. Ethnic belief and cultural tradition tourism 3) Strategies for promoting cultural soft power for tourism in Sra Kaeo province include 1) Organizing exhibitions on the history of the five ethnic groups 2) Collecting and organizing knowledge and publishing informational materials for public outreach 3) Creating promotional media for tourist attractions.