NECESSARY NEEDS FOR DEVELOPING THE ROLE OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATIONS IN PROMOTING PARTICIPATORY TOURISM BASED ON CULTURAL HERITAGE IN PHIBUN DISTRICT, NAKHON SI THAMMARAT PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article aims to examine the needs for developing the roles of local administrative organizations in promoting participatory tourism based on cultural wisdom heritage in Phipun District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The study employed a mixed-methods research design.
In the quantitative phase, questionnaires were used as the data collection instrument to gather information from local residents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI Modified) to prioritize the urgency of the roles requiring development.
The qualitative phase was conducted to complement the findings, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and a comprehensive overview. Structured interviews were used to collect data from executives in both public and private sectors related to tourism. Content analysis was then applied to synthesize conceptual conclusions. The research findings revealed that the overall priority need had a PNI value of 0.32, indicating a high level of necessity requiring urgent role development. When considering each aspect individually, tourism marketing showed the highest priority need (PNI = 0.44), ranking first. This was followed by exploration and creation of new tourist attractions (PNI = 0.41), tourism attraction management (PNI = 0.31), and tourism planning and development (PNI = 0.28). The provision of tourism services had the lowest level of priority need (PNI = 0.18). The reason local administrative organizations play a limited role is due to budget constraints. Therefore, the research recommends that local administrative organizations should build networks with external agencies at the provincial and central levels to coordinate budget support, as well as collaborate with educational institutions to transfer systematic knowledge on tourism management.