SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT (SROI) EVALUATION OF CHINESE CULINARY IDENTITY FOR COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM IN NAKHON SI THAMMARAT AND TRANG PROVINCES
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research aimed to 1) Study and analyze the economic, social, and cultural outcomes generated for key stakeholders through project implementation, 2) Evaluate the Social Return on Investment (SROI), and 3) Synthesize policy recommendations for promoting community economy and tourism through the utilization of cultural food capital. The sample consisted of 400 tourists who visited and used services at Chinese restaurants in the study area. A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining quantitative data collection through questionnaires with qualitative data from in-depth interviews, to comprehensively reflect both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of outcomes. The results revealed that the project generated significant economic outcomes, increasing the average income of Chinese restaurant entrepreneurs by approximately 5 percent per year and creating additional local employment opportunities. The total SROI ratio of 2.45: 1 indicated that every 1 Baht invested produced an overall social and economic value of 2.45 Baht, demonstrating cost-effectiveness and potential for sustainable community development. Social outcomes included enhanced community participation, intergenerational knowledge transfer in culinary practices, and strengthened cultural pride. Cultural outcomes included the development of identity-based packaging, food demonstration activities, the design of a cultural tourism route, and a digital application that links culinary and cultural tourism experiences. Policy recommendations emphasize the establishment of collaborative networks among government agencies, the private sector, local communities, and tourism organizations to scale up the project to other regions. Additionally, support should be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in packaging design, digital marketing, and storytelling-based cultural branding to foster the long-term development of a creative economy and sustainable experiential tourism.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา. (2566). แผนปฏิบัติการด้านการท่องเที่ยวแห่งชาติ ฉบับที่ 3 (พ.ศ. 2566 - 2570). กรุงเทพมหานคร: สำนักงานปลัดกระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา.
ปานแพร เชาวน์ประยูร อุดมรักษาทรัพย์ และคณะ. (2567). กลยุทธ์การจัดการ การอนุรักษ์ และการฟื้นฟูทรัพยากรการท่องเที่ยวในบทบริบทการท่องเที่ยวโดยชุมชนภาคเหนือตอนบนในช่วงการแพร่ระบาด. วารสารมนุษยศาสตร์และสังคมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยธนบุรี, 19(3), 34-49.
พรพิมล อริยะวงษ์. (2564). การประเมินผลตอบแทนทางสังคม (SROI) เพื่อการพัฒนาที่ยั่งยืนของกลุ่มทอผ้าไหล่หินตะวันตก จังหวัดลำปาง. วารสารรัฐประศาสนศาสตร์และการเมือง, 10(2), 147-166.
Arvidson, M. et al. (2013). Valuing the social? The nature and controversies of measuring social return on investment (SROI). Voluntary Sector Review, 4(1), 3-18.
Boonsiritomachai, W. & Phonthanukitithaworn, C. (2019). Residents’ support for sports events tourism development in beach city: The role of community’s participation and tourism impacts. SAGE Open, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019843417
Chatkaewnapanon, Y. & Lee, T. J. (2022). Planning Sustainable Community-Based Tourism in the Context of Thailand: Community, Development, and the Foresight Tools. Sustainability, 14(12), 7413. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127413
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques. (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Denzin, N. K. (1978). The Research Act. (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Juntao, H. et al. (2025). Communication for Chinese culinary culture at Chinatown in Bangkok. Journal of Dhamma for Life, 31(2), 628-641.
Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 22(140), 1-55.
Nicholls, J. et al. (2012). A guide to social return on investment. (2nd ed.). London: The SROI Network.
Nunnally, J. C. & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory. (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Pongsakornrungsilp, S. et al. (2021). Co-Creating a Sustainable Regional Brand from Multiple Sub-Brands: The Andaman Tourism Cluster of Thailand. Sustainability, 13(16), 9409. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169409
Pongsakornrungsilp, S. et al. (2022). Rethinking Sustainable Tourism Management: Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic to Co-Create Future of Krabi Tourism, Thailand. Sustainability, 14(18), 11375. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811375
Richards, G. (2021). Evolving research on food tourism. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 25, 100405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2021.100405
Rovinelli, R. J. & Hambleton, R. K. (1976). On the use of content specialists in the assessment of criterion-referenced test item validity. Retrieved September 9, 2025, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED121845
UNWTO. (2022). 7th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism: Conclusions (Nara, Japan). Madrid: UNWTO.
