Guidelines for Empowering Youth in Promoting Cultural Tourism Businesses in Bangkok

Abstract

This research aims to: 1) study the characteristics and patterns of cultural tourism in Bangkok; 2) examine the process of youth potential development in promoting cultural tourism businesses in Bangkok; and 3) propose guidelines for enhancing youth potential to support cultural tourism businesses in Bangkok. This study employed a qualitative research methodology. Data were collected using a semi-structured in-depth interview tool with 18 key informants, categorized into four main groups: 1) tourism faculty members, 2) tour guides, 3) tourism students and 4) tourists. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common characteristics and conclusions.
The research findings revealed that:ฺ
1. The characteristics and patterns of cultural tourism in Bangkok emphasize creating in-depth learning experiences and active tourist participation through activities reflecting traditional neighborhood identity, such as learning local crafts, wearing traditional attire, tasting local cuisine, and exchanging lifestyle experiences with the community.
2. The youth potential development is a systemic process encompassing four stages: inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes. It focuses on cultivating knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes (KSAA) through on-site experiential learning. Key outcomes include youth developing pride in local identity, gaining foreign language communication and tourist group management skills, and sustainably linking tourism with the community economic system.
3. The guidelines for enhancing youth potential focus on integrating individual capacity dimensions with driving the 5As tourism ecosystem to fulfill the supply chain as new-generation community enterprise entrepreneurs and content creators. The new body of knowledge indicates that success stems from integrating five-dimensional factors: personnel, development process, environment, policy, and technology. Policy acts as the primary bottleneck needing structural unlocking, while technology serves as a vital catalyst through the application of data management platforms, virtual tour applications, and digital media for interpretation to drive cultural tourism businesses in Bangkok efficiently and sustainably.