“Nipa Palm” Culture to Promote Cultural Tourism: A Case Study of Bang Bai Mai Sub-District, Muang District, Surat Thani Province

Abstract

This research aims to 1) study the cultural resource “Nipa Palm” in Bang Bai Mai Sub-district, Muang District, Surat Thani Province, and 2) study the wisdom of using “Nipa Palm” and develop the wisdom of using “Nipa Palm” as a cultural tourism source. This research is qualitative research, 
collecting relevant documents and field data by using observation methods, in-depth interviews, and organizing focus group meetings, analyzing 
qualitative data, and presenting the research results using descriptive analysis. 
The results found that 1) the cultural resource “Nipa Palm” in Bang Bai Mai Sub-district, Muang District, Surat Thani Province, has been an 
integral part of the community since people first settled in the area, in 
accordance with the theory of cultural ecology and adaptation to the 
environment, with the natural environment as a condition for living, because Bang Bai Mai Sub-district has a lot of Nipa Palm trees, and 2) the wisdom of using “Nipa Palm” has been accumulated and passed down, and various parts of Nipa Palm have been used in an integrated way of life from the past to the present. The utilization of the “Nipa Palm” encompasses the use of its roots, stems, rachis, leaves, branches, spadix, flowers, and fruits. This 
reflects local wisdom applied in daily life, including its roles as food, a source of livelihood, building material for housing, and raw material for household items. Furthermore, this traditional knowledge has been 
developed into a cultural tourism resource. Two important development approaches were found: (1) the development of wisdom in using “Nipa Palm” in the traditional way and (2) the development of other components. The development of wisdom in using “Nipa Palm” is the development of knowledge about Nipa Palm, learning resources and products from “Nipa Palm” by creating learning points, developing of other components focusing on human development, public relations, product and souvenir production, tourism activities and the establishment of a community museum.