Management Potential of the World Heritage City Cultural Tourism Development Area

Abstract

            The purposes of the research were to 1) investigate the environment and tourism potential management, 2) study service marketing strategies of businesses in tourist places and attractions, 3) investigate the problems and needs of persons concerned in service and tourism management, and 4) explore the behaviors and opinions of tourists on using the services of the Cultural World Heritage Sites. The samples of the research were 20 persons concerned of the Cultural World Heritage Sites, 60 entrepreneurs and people who lived in the neighborhood of the Cultural World Heritage Sites, and 385 tourists using the services of the Cultural World Heritage Sites that comprised 4 provinces. The research instruments seemed to be one interview form and two questionnaires. The statistics used to analyze data were frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings of the research indicated that;
         1. The strengths of the Cultural World Heritage Sites were the remarkableness of tourism resources and tourism marketing. In addition, there were external environments as the opportunities, especially tourism trends and the way forward for the ASEAN Community. For the service business, tourism and facilities, government sectors had to concentrate on developing them continuously and preventing threats based on the integrated management and alliance orientation. Moreover, government sectors had to focus on improving the strengths of tourism resources and tourism marketing by means of preventing restrictions and solving the problems of tourism services and facilities immediately to ensure quality and be internationally recognized.
          2. In terms of the marketing strategies / providing services of businesses, it was found that the period of testing to ensure quality and safety of products and services of related organizations was uncertain, and businesses lacked training from government sectors. Service quality was equal to competitors or other stores. Engaging in businesses can make an impression on customers that providing services met the needs of customers. The marketing strategies used to attract customers to businesses, as a whole were at the high level based on mean arranged in descending order; that is, good communication skills / being good-natured of service providers, providing proper places; beautifulness / cleanliness and neatness, and putting up the billboards; standing in a good location respectively.
           3.The levels of investigate the problems and needs of persons concerned in service and tourism management of the Cultural World Heritage Sites, as a whole were at the high level based on mean arranged in descending order; that is, irregularly providing tourism activities of the Cultural World Heritage Sites, lacking knowledge about providing services of recreational activities / restaurants, and lacking tourist attraction advertising through media respectively.
          4. In terms of the behaviors of tourists coming to the Cultural World Heritage Sites, the tourism purpose was travelling for pleasure only by private cars with the group of their friends. Most of them have already come two or three times. The tourist attractions that tourists needed to see were archaeological sites / antiques and spent one hour traveling. Most tourists knew tourist attractions from social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Line. Most of them chose to use restaurant services and paid by cash. The sales promotion activities comprised free admission for recreational activities / special discount for groups of students, and the tourists were impressed with learning centers / providing information. In terms of the opinions on tourism management of the Cultural World Heritage Sites to provide services to the tourists and communities, as a whole were at the high level based on mean arranged in descending order; that is, providing various services meeting the needs of customers, clean, neat, and beautiful places that were appropriate to become tourist attractions, and structures of an appropriate location management system /consumer convenience in using services respectively.