DEFINING LOCAL HERITAGE IN THE CASE OF BYPASSED TOWNS : A CASE STUDY IN PHOTHARAM COMMUNITY, RATCHABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

Thailand is rich in tourism resources that fascinate both Thais and international visitors. The outstanding significance of each tourism place represents important factors that attract tourists while other towns which are not as significant or beautiful will be defined as bypassed towns. Thailand has a lot of old communities and old cities scattered around the nation. In the past, most of them were ignored by tourists although, when the nostalgia tourism movement became a new trend, some of them have promoted themselves to be new tourism destinations which contain elements of a nostalgia-laden atmosphere, especially in the area around Bangkok. This research concentrates on Photharam community in Ratchaburi province which has promoted itself to be a new tourist destination. The research aims to examine the physical conditions of Photharam, to understand the points of view of local people and the factors that they use to express their identity and to define a sense of heritage, to clarify the concept of local heritage and to speculate on the question of tourism potential in this place. The researcher used site visits and open-ended questions for in-depth interviews for the data collection, to explore those communities regarding their local heritage and the factors that its people use to define their local heritage, their identity and the type of tourism that might be appropriate for Photharam. The key informants are local people who have lived in Photharam and members of the “Forget Photharam Not Club”. The analysis partly follows the framework of Relph’s triad (static physical objects and appearance, activities, and meaning). The research found that for local heritage in Photharam, it might said that memory and connection to the place are the factors to define local heritage for Photharam people. In addition, local people realize that their hometown is a bypassed town and that they cannot change this fact. However, it is argued here, they can change the wording from “bypassed” to “visited” by promoting the atmosphere of an old town, good views and fresh air at the river, also including various foods that are delicious and not expensive. Photharam, in summary, is to be judged as suitable for a tourist attraction but not fit for all types of tourists. This place is appropriate to niche tourism such as in education, for old town lovers or those who love slow-living and the perfect way to withdraw and reflect. In addition, Photharam is appropriate for the growing trend of nostalgia tourism in Thailand because this place is a place that plenty of antique buildings and other elements and there an aura of authenticity.