Promoting Cultural Tourism: A model of Cultural Tourism Routes and Management Plan in Surin Province

Abstract

Surin province has rich cultural heritage resources that retain cultural heritage significance and appropriateness for conservation. However, this province has diversities of tourism resources and a unique way of life due to the various ethnic groups who remain their traditional life. Surin is only a non-principal tourist destination in South Isan, and most tourist just stopover travel quickly. Thus, tourism attractions that are not as famous are less likely to receive financial and promotional support from the government. Consequently, tourist attractions in low tourism areas may not be getting proper political support for conservation, promotion, and management plan. The promotional strategy is an additional vehicle for motivating travellers and boosting the local tourism in Surin. There are various ways and strategies of promoting to raise awareness and attraction to cultural heritage as cultural products. This research focuses on formulating a cultural tourism model as a promotion tool to represent the valuable cultural heritage all over Surin province, including presenting guideline of the management plan for sustainable tourism development and conservation for gaining the number of tourist and income to Surin.

The scope of this dissertation is to cover information on Surin province related to cultural tourism and cultural heritage as tourist attractions. It has focused on qualitative methods, with primary data collection using focus groups, in-depth interview, participation and non-participation observations, formal and informal conservation, and field survey. The secondary data collection involves the cultural routes concept, formulate a model of the cultural tourism routes, accessing cultural value, conservation approach, journal, case studies, online resources, and documents.

The key finding indicates that the promotion of cultural tourism in Surin, it not linked to the identities of cultural resources in the area, including lacking effective management plans and conservation approach. However, the local departments and communities have cooperated. The promotion and marketing strategies applied in the province to increased tourism were not satisfied with representing cultural tourism to tourists, especially tourist routes and tourist itineraries. Therefore, the recommended plan of the model of cultural tourism routes and management plans to promote this province is setting up a new vision, a new main tourist destination in South Isan' and leading the visitors to know Surin province. The cultural tourism routes are divided into three thematic routes such as (1) Khmer monuments (History theme), (2) socio-cultural heritage (intangible) (Society Theme), and (3) natural tourist attractions (Geography Theme). To assist Surin province move toward the leading tourist destination in South Isan, it needs to get highly support from the local government, communities, and stakeholders to develop the local tourism section in Surin province.

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