DEVELOPMENT OF ACTIVITIES MODEL TO PROMOTE WELLNESS TOURISM IN CHONBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study; 1) The problem and the need to organize activities to promote wellness tourism. 2) Activities development to promote health tourism. 3) Trial and evaluate the use of wellness tourism promotion activities in Chonburi Province. This was a Research and development by qualitative method research. There are 17 people of key informants as follows; 4 tourism entrepreneurs, 4 guides, 4 resort owners, and 5 foreign tourists. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive analysis. The result showed; 1) Problems in organizing activities to promote wellness tourism in Chonburi Province Contains government policy problems that affect business. Behavioral problems of tourists and problems of knowledge and expertise of entrepreneurs. The need for organizing activities to promote wellness tourism in Chonburi province found that most entrepreneurs want new forms of activities. The reason is that health tourism that is currently in operation does not have a combination of tourism that promotes health restoration and tourism that is curative or maintains health. As a result, each operator still organizes one specific type of health tourism resulting in a lack of diverse and innovative activities. 2) Health tourism activities that have been developed as integrated wellness tourism activities include; 2.1] Activities to restore and promote health, such as healthy cooking activities and physical activity 2.2] Therapeutic activities such as foot massage activities to treat symptoms. 3) In the overall implementation of wellness tourism promotion activities, tourists are satisfied at a high level.