Integrating Local Wisdom to Promote Health Tourism Potential of Sam Roi Yod District, Prachuap Khiri Khan

Abstract

          The three objectives of this research were: 1) to study local resources context and potential of the health tourism business of Sam Roi Yod District 2) to connect tourism in various dimensions to integrate with tourism development that can attract tourists sustainably; and 3) to approach guidelines to develop local wisdom potential to promote health tourism. This qualitative research applied documentary research, local context survey, non-participant observations, and focus group discussion to collect data. The data were analyzed by using an analytic induction and were summarized as guidelines for integrating local wisdom to promote the potential of health tourism of Sam Roi Yod District.
          Major findings: 
         1) Local context was diverse: local resources and local wisdom that represented the identity of the community; friendly local people, various natural resources such as caves, mountains, sea, forestes, etc., groups of community enterprises, ancient and religious sites built on the faith of the community, and the current condition of health tourism business of Sam Roi Yod had potential to become a health tourism destination,  
          2) Connecting and integrating tourism for sustainable tourism development could be done in three dimensions: connecting and integrating cultural tourism, agricultural tourism, and natural tourism with health tourism, and
          3) Guidelines for developing local wisdom potential to promote health tourism should be undertaken concurrently: develop tourism resources and local wisdom, improve infrastructure and tourism amenities, and increase tourism personnel potential.