Participation for Community Tourism Development: A Case Study of Puyu Subdistrict, Muang District, Satun Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the condition of community participation in tourism development in Pu Yu Subdistrict, Muang District, Satun Province, and to propose guidelines for community participation in tourism development. In-depth interviews and group discussions were conducted to obtain data from a sample of 59 participants using qualitative research methods. The study reveals two main findings. First, community participation in tourism development in Pu Yu Subdistrict, Muang District, Satun Province could be classified into four forms; 1) participation in decision making; 2) participation inpractice; 3) participation in benefits, and 4) participation in assessment. Second, there was found to be four guidelines for community participation in tourism development in this particular area; 1) to meet up in order to discuss community tourism development; 2) to involve everyone in sharing opinions and decision-making to discover directions for community tourism development; 3) to place value on natural resources and sustainable tourism development; 4) to impose common rules for people in the community and to fairly share benefits, and 5) to raise awareness of conservation of natural resources and culture to villagers and visitors.