The Development of 15 Thailand’s major cities e-Book for Smart Buddhist Tourism at International Level

Abstract

This study aims to 1) develop electronic books for Buddhist tourism in the major cities of 15 provinces of Thailand and 2) evaluate electronic books for Buddhist tourism in the major cities of 15 provinces of Thailand. The study is conducted using research and development method in the research area of major cities in 15 provinces, representing all 6 regions of Thailand: the Northern, Northeastern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern regions. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews with 90 individuals involving in tourism in the major cities and from focus group discussion with 5 experts, while quantitative data was collected through questionnaires from a sample group of 424 individuals.

The study findings indicate that: 1) Electronic books for Buddhist tourism in the major cities of the 15 provinces were developed in both Thai and English languages, comprising information of 15 Thai temples and 15 meditation centers.  Tourist destinations were divided into two routes including temple tours (with 3 routes) and meditation practice tours (with 3 routes).  Information about tourist sites was categorized into three parts: (1) location and contact information, (2) route types and details of the sites, and (3) information about contextual surrounding of the sites; 2) Evaluation of the electronic books revealed interest in using the books as educational tools for learning about tourist destinations with the highest score (mean = 4.32, S.D. = 0.48), Presentation of content within the electronic books significantly influenced interest in Buddhist tourism with the highest score (mean = 4.28, S.D. = 0.45), and the books providing useful information about tourist attractions including locations, history and background, important places, activities, travel routes, facilities and services, and nearby tourist attractions with the highest score (mean = 4.27, S.D. = 0.52).  In conclusion, the electronic books serve as an effective promotional tool for Buddhist tourism, generating positive interest, and providing valuable information, such as images of important Buddhist sites, architectural details, and informative descriptions, thus positively influences interest in Buddhist tourism. Therefore, the electronic books are suitable for promoting Buddhist tourism in the current era.