Baseline Data and Stakeholder Participation in Developing a Sustainable Tourism Economic Plan for the Lower Andaman Subregion (Krabi, Trang, and Satun Provinces) in Thailand
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Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate the quality of tourism-related baseline data and the participation of tourism stakeholders in the development of a sustainable tourism economic plan for the Lower Andaman Subregion (Krabi, Trang, and Satun Provinces) in Thailand from August 2019 to May 2020. In order to increase the validity and reliability data were gathered using multiple methods by studying relevant organizations’ data, conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with stakeholders selected by applying the purposive sampling technique, divided into three groups: 1) tourism communities (26 communities), 2) tourism-related government organizations (11 organizations), and 3) tourism entrepreneurs (30 entrepreneurs). Data were analyzed by content analysis. The results revealed gaps in the baseline data used to develop a sustainable tourism economic plan, including a lack of systematic data collection, government agencies collecting tourist information only for those with a mission to collect such information, no information exchange with other relevant agencies, and a lack of data collection at the district, sub-district, and village levels. These constraints resulted in a lack of information that reflected what had been done and how the specified indicators needed to be responded to, making assessing the plan’s success impossible. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the development of a sustainable tourism economic plan involved the process of participation among various stakeholders, including the private, government, and public sectors. However, the size of the public sector is insufficient. In order to improve the quality and availability of the baseline data, government agencies should educate and train people to collect data for sustainable tourism assessments and establish a tourism data center. Furthermore, an effective communication process among stakeholder groups at the decision-making level is essential in order to promote stakeholder engagement and collaboration in the planning process. The feasibility of tourism data center establishment should be studied in the future.
Keywords: Tourism Economic Plan, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Tourism, Baseline Data, Stakeholder Participation, Lower Andaman Subregion Thailand
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