Guidelines for Management of Kew Mae Pan and Pha Mon Nature Trail, Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand

Abstract

          Environmental degradation and the shortage of skilled workers for hospitality services in Kew Mae Pan and Pha Mon Nature Trail, Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand are a result of the rapid growth of demand for nature-based tourism. Based on the past research, many destinations had attempted to solve the problems, but not being successful. Thus, understanding different characteristics of the nature trail, management attributes, and problems of tourism management could help the manager to set effective management strategies reducing the negative socio-cultural and environmental impacts from tourism development. This study aimed to 1) identify different characteristics of Kew Mae Pan and Pha Mon Nature Trail, 2) investigate the problems of tourism management, and 3) propose the guidelines for managing sustainable tourism in Kew Mae Pan and Pha Mon Nature Trail. The study used qualitative research by an in-depth interview, focus group, and field survey method. The samples were 15 people from the senior advisory committees and youth advisory councils, local guides, national park officers in Kew Mae Pan and Pha Mon including professional community-based tourism research consultants. Keeping formal writing and electronic records were used to collect data between October and November 2016. It was analyzed by using content and thematic analysis.

          The results indicated that Kew Mae Pan had suffered polluted condition around the area due to visitor overcapacity. The national park officer should limit amount of visitors permitted on the trail. Moreover, tourists’ inappropriate behaviors should be also controlled by strict enforcement of a law and regulation. For the case of Pha Mon, since the trail faces the lack of young people who are the successors of community-based tourism management, the senior village leader should pay attention to build the learning organization in the community. Additionally, Young generation needs to study about community-based tourism management as well as foreign languages especially English and French with specialists for their career development in the future.