The Route of Ethnic Tourism at the Kayan communities at Mae Hong Son Province

Abstract

This research is a part of The Route of Ethnic Tourism and Conservation of Rural Landscape: Kayan (Long - neck Karen) Communities, the Northern part of Thailand on which the paper is based adopts a qualitative approach focusing on ethnic tourism management. The aims of this research focus on the Kayan way of life, and landscape features including the situations of ethnic tourism in cases of the Kayan communities in Mae Hong Son province as well as the conservation of their heritage values. In order to maintain the significances of the Kayan rural landscape sustainably.

                 The author mainly used qualitative methods by applying ethnographic methodology to collect data from three Kayan communities in Mae Hong Son province, Thailand as 1) Ban Huay Pu Keng, 2) Ban Huay sua Thao, and 3) Ban Nai Soi. In-depth interviews and participatory observation was collect from both primary and secondary information. A total of 35 qualitative interviews were conducted from the headman of the villages, local sages, stakeholders, Kayan people, the governmental officials, and visitors. The period of observed time is in July 2017 to January 2018.

                 After detailed analyze, as people perceived about the image of the Kayan, the first feature is the indigenous woman wearing the brass collar rings, lives in the hill of the northern region of Thailand. However, the origin settlement of the Kayan is from Karenni state around Dimawso and Loikaw in Burma. Presently, there is no evidence that shows when the Kayan immigrate to Thailand, however, the initial reason that takes the Kayans come to Thailand, is to encourage tourism business in Mae Hong Son province.

                 In aspects of tourism, the tourism attractions within the Kayan communities can be classified into three main categories as features within the natural environment, human-made features (cultural attractions), and special events. Currently, the available route of Kayan ethnic tourism can be classified into two routes based on the components of tourism potentials as Ban Huay Sua Thao – The route of integrated tribe and Ban Huay Pu Keng the natural scenic route of Kayan way of life.

                 Generally, the limit effect of the Kayan or other indigenous people in Thailand is the people without nationality that affect them unable to free living. They are set to be a part of the attractive tourism resource for ethnic tourism. The findings of this study concern what are the significances of the Kayan rural landscape and how the Kayan people and all stakeholders can contribute to sustainable tourism to secure a social mechanism and cultural values that can lead to conserve the fascination of the indigenous living.