Assessment of tourism attraction potentials in 3 eastern borders provinces

Abstract

The objectives of this research are survey, classify and assess the potential of tourism in the three eastern borders provinces Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi and Trat, by studying their tourist attractions. Consequently, this research is based on the qualitative research. The population is all the tourism attractions in 3 provinces which are Sa Kaeo province, Chanthaburi province and Trat province. Samples from purposive sampling include tourism attractions in those 3 provinces which are Ta Phraya District, Khok Sung District, Aranyaprathet District, and Khlong Hat District in Sa Kaeo province, Soi Dao District and Pong Nam Ron District in Chanthaburi province, Mueang District, Bo Rai District, and Khlong Yai District in Trat province. Information gathered by in-depth interview and document review. Findings are presented in terms of qualitative and descriptive insights. The results show that the pattern of tourism branches into six forms: 1) Eco-Tourism 2) Historical Attraction 3) Beach Attraction 4) Waterfall Attraction 5) Cave Attraction 6) Recreational Attraction. On the basis of these different ranges of tourism, its attractions and advantages, it was found that 1) 14 places - famous destinations that meet all criteria of tourism attraction; 2) 28 places- Famous destinations that meet some criteria of tourism attraction; 3) 3 places - destinations with potentials to be tourism attractions: there are Baan Khao Din Reservoir and Pilot project of Learning Center for Self-Sufficiency Economy of Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), Khlong Hat Sub-district, Baan Sabtaree exempted border crossing point, Toongkanan Sub-district and  Chamrak Battle viewpoint, Chamrak Sub-district Trat.