The Participatory Action Research in the Experiential Tourism Management by the Ethnic Group Community of Thai Puan Living in Pak Phli, Nakorn Nayok Province

Abstract

This research is aimed to study the competency and tourism property managed with the experiential tourism management and expectation of tourist in order to use it to develop the tourism product and propose the best practice for management the tourism with experience by the ethnic group community of Thai Puan Pak Phli Nakorn Nayok province. This research is conduced by three research methods including indepth interview, check list and participant observation. The Key informant is the 23 persons involving in community tourism of Thai Puan ethic tourism in Pak Phli. The data from this research analyzed with technique called the content analysis and the research questionnaire is used for this quantitative research. The index of reliability of this research is .78 from the sampling group of 40 tourist and the return of the questionnaires is 247 set which can be calculated as 68.50 percentage of all questionnaires submitted. The result of the research indicates that 1. The tourism capital of Thai Puan tourism community is the cultural capital and local wisdom which has its traditional style composed with their language, unique dressing, cultural and social tradition for twelvemonths called “Hiit Sibsong Tradition”, life style and Traditional art performance of 4 Thai Puan communities located in Bangplee including Fung Klong, Ban Mai, Ta daeng and Kor Whai Communites, 2. The 84.23 of Tourist expectation indicates that they need the authenticity of activity showing the life style of the ethnics which created by the authentic in process and authentic tourism product. 81.27 percentage of tourist expectation of the research shows that they need to participate than observe in order to hand –on an experience and understand the specific cultural of the ethnics group. Tourism activities and tourism products are included with the learning of traditional lifestyle of Thai Puan ethnics through the traditional Thai Puan Museum located at Fung Klong community, Canal Cruise to see the traditional lifestyle of people living by the canal side, Living with ethnic hosting, trying the Traditional food of Thai Puan, enjoying the traditional welcoming ceremony and performing and participating in traditional food culinary or weaving and 3. The best practice for the experiential tourism management should focus on activity which can forward the experience of tourist thorough the authenticity of local wisdom and local capital Moreover, the participation of Thai Puan ethnic people should be promoted in order to give them an opportunity to planning, processing and managing the tourism plan in their community.