Hot Spring (Onsen) : An Innovation of Tourism Management for Health and Therapy by Community’s Participation

Abstract

The main objectives of the study are to survey hot spring tourist placesdesigned to promote health tourism in Thailand, to study forms of health tourismmanagement and therapy of hot spring tourist places by community's participation,and to analyze the trends of potentialities of health tourism management andtherapy of hot spring tourist places in Thai society. The mixed methods wereconducted by collecting data from 385 respondents covering five provinces such asChiangrai, Chiangmai, Kamphaengphet, Ratchaburi and Ranong, while techniqueslike participatory observation, in-depth interview and focus group were employed.The findings reveal that there two types of hot springs with potentialityand no potentiality to be tourist places designed to promote health tourism inThailand, the forms of health tourism management and therapy give moreimportance in good atmospheric and pleasant hot springs which are suitable forleisure and recreation, cleanness and pureness, availabilities of Spa and Thaimassages for tourists. The potentialities of health tourism management and therapyare categorized into five groups, namely, i) data of hot springs were firstly collected,then its heat was gradually disappeared and became normally places; ii) its datawere firstly gathered, but there is no potentiality to develop into tourist place, noservices for outsiders and no administration and management for being a touristplace; iil) it was firstly collected, there is some administration and management forits tourist development, but facing problems of its administration and management;iv) there is preparation of administration and management for its development andthen initiated services for hot spring health tourist activities and there potentialitiesin developing as health tourist places; and v) there are administration andmanagement for its development, tourism activities, potentialities to develop intohealth tourist places, this group is the most popular in terms of qualified hot springs