THE NEEDS FOR EDUCATION IN TOUR GUIDES AND TOURISM PROGRAMME AMONG UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FIVE IMPORTANT TOURIST PROVINCES IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THAILAND

Abstract

 The objectives of the study were to investigate 1) the needs for education in the fields of tour guides and tourism among upper-secondary school students in five important tourist provinces in the Southern part of Thailand; and 2) opinions on education in the fields of tour guides and tourism among upper-secondary school students in five important tourist provinces in the Southern part of Thailand. This quantitative research employed questionnaire to collect data from 800 upper-secondary school students of 10 schools in five important tourist provinces in the Southern part of Thailand: Krabi, Trang, Phuket, Songkhla, and Surat Thani. The study found that 1) the subjects wanted to study in the tour guides and tourism program(55%) because the program corresponded to the present economic, social, and employment situations; and 2) the subjects had positive opinions towards the tour guides and tourism program in that it had good quality teaching and learning processes; students learned languages from native speakers of the languages; students had opportunities for training in the country and abroad; and there would be employment after graduation.