An Integrated Community Participation Model for Sustainable Cultural Tourism in Nan Province

Abstract

         This research article examined an integrated community participation model for sustainable cultural tourism development in Nan Province, Thailand. The study had three main objectives 1) to investigate community participation patterns in cultural tourism development, 2) to analyze key factors influencing participation outcomes, and 3) to propose an appropriate development framework. The research employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach. The sample consisted of 384 questionnaire respondents and 15 in-depth interview participants. The research instrument was validated with an IOC value of 0.86. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, regression analysis, and thematic content analysis. The research findings revealed that: 1) Community participation comprised four dimensions: planning (x̄=3.72), service provision (x̄=3.85), management (x̄=3.45), and monitoring and evaluation (x̄=3.67). 2) Six significant factors influenced participation: community leadership strength (r=0.78, p<0.01), government support (r=0.65, p<0.01), community readiness, tourist acceptance, network linkages, and conflict management. 3) The developed integrated cyclical participation model demonstrated significant positive impacts, including a 35% increase in average household income, a 30.2% increase in cultural pride, and a 25.6% improvement in natural resource conservation. The developed model shows high applicability in similar contexts and can be replicated in secondary cities across Thailand, particularly in the Upper Mekong Sub-region. Policy implications include frameworks for strengthening community-based tourism governance, diversifying government support mechanisms beyond financial assistance, and aligning local tourism development with Thailand's Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model to ensure environmental sustainability alongside economic growth.