Route development for sustainable tourism at Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei province using participation process

Abstract

          The purpose of this research was to develop a route along Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei province for sustainable tourism. The researchers followed four steps of participatory research: 1) survey research to explore the needs of 384 tourists and involved officers with holistic and analytical questionnaire by interviewing 14 Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary officers; 2) development of the sustainable tourism routes through collaborative workshop with the Wildlife Sanctuary officers on exploration and verification of potential sustainable tourism routes on an informative basis for future tourist routes; 3) experimental research using one-shot case study design and simulated tours to measure satisfactions of 20 tourists through questionnaire; and 4) developmental workshop between the researchers and the Wildlife Sanctuary officers to study problems, threats and improvements of the tourist routes.

          The findings were as follows; Holistically, the tourists reported a high need for a sustainable tourism route along Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei province which was consistent as officers’ comments. Three potential tourism routes in Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei province, included: 1) Lan Suriyan; 2) Nature routes; and 3) Pakdum. Lan Suriyan and the nature routes were verified as the potential tourism routes. Based on holistic and analytical questionnaire items, the tourists reported high satisfactions toward the potential tourism routes identified by the researchers. The data collected during collaborative workshop also revealed two potential tourism routes: 1) Lan Suriyan route, which lasts 1.7-1.8 kilometers; and 2) Pha Chang Pan and Dinosaur footprints' nature route, which lasts 4.8 kilometers.