A MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM NETWORKS ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS SURROUNDING HAT CHAO MAI NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

This research aimed to obtain a management model for community-based tourism networks along the coastal communities surrounding Hat Chao Mai National Park. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires with 60 trial tourists. Qualitative data were collected through key informants: 30 model community leaders, 40 local community leaders from focus group discussions, study visits, and knowledge exchange forums, and 30 focus group experts. Data were analyzed using a statistical package for the social sciences and content analysis. The research findings revealed that 1) The context of community-based tourism management along the coastal communities surrounding Hat Chao Mai National Park emphasized the utilization of distinctive local resources to organize tourism activities driven by community members. The study of the model community networks also demonstrated that the resources were creatively utilized to develop tourism activities through networking both within communities and between communities. 2) The "CHAO-MAI Model" network management model has the following main components: C = Cooperation Network, H = Hospitality, A = AREA, O = Owner, M = Managing, A = Activities, and I = Implementation. 3) The evaluation of the network management model through the first trial tour showed a moderate level of satisfaction ( = 3.27, S.D. = 0.21), while the second tour, after improving the model, showed a high level of satisfaction ( = 4.04, S.D. = 0.39). The comparison revealed a statistically significant difference of 0.05. 4) The success of the network management model stemmed from participation in tourism management by using resources meaningfully, leading to learning until being able to manage community-based tourism networks.