BUDDHADHAMMA INTEGRATION FOR PROMOTING TOURISM INDUSTRY OF CHIANG MAI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article aimed:  1. To study the promotion of the tourism industry, 2. To examine factors affecting the promotion of the tourism industry, and 3) present the integration of Buddhist principles to promote the tourism industry in Chiang Mai Province. This study employed a mixed-methods research design. For the quantitative research, the sample consisted of 385 tourism stakeholders. The instrument used was a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.964. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression analysis. For the qualitative research, key informants included 18 individuals comprising tourism industry executives, tourism entrepreneurs, tourists, public administration experts, and Buddhist experts. The research instrument was a semi-structured in-depth-interview script based on the research objectives, and data were analyzed using descriptive content interpretation.  

The research findings revealed that: Overall, the promotion of the tourism industry was at a high level. The aspects ranked from highest to lowest were: public management system development and public service delivery; security, safety, and peace enhancement; promotion and development of tourism and health services linked to communities; natural resource and environmental restoration using technology and innovation; quality society enhancement with cultural identity preservation; and agricultural promotion and community products scaling to global markets. Factors affecting tourism industry promotion showed that the tourism components significantly affected the promotion of Chiang Mai’s tourism industry at the 0.05 level, while the Sappaya 7, Seven Suitable Conditions, principle significantly affected it at the 0.01 level. The integration of Buddhist principles to promote Chiang Mai’s tourism industry revealed that Chiang Mai Province integrated the Sappaya 7 principle comprising suitable location. suitable community, suitable speech, suitable person, suitable food, suitable environment, and suitable posture, into its tourism management, driving Chiengmai Province's tourism industry toward sustainable growth.