Public participation in Tourism Management around Rachaprapha Dam Khao Phang Subdistrict Ban Ta Khun District Surat Thani Province

Abstract

             This study aimed to 1 ) study the level of public participation in tourism management at Ratchaprapha Dam, Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun District, Surat Thani Province and 2) compare the level of public participation in tourism management around Ratchaprapha Dam, Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun District, Surat Thani Province, classified by personal factors. The sample consisted of 368 people living in the area of Ratchaprapha Dam, Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun District, Surat Thani Province. Data were collected by questionnaires and analyzed using statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

The study results found that:

1) Overall, public participation in tourism management around the Ratchaprapha Dam, Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun Diesteict, Surat Thani Province was found to be at a high level ( = 3.92, S.D. = 0.61). The aspect with the highest average value was participation in evaluation, followed by participation in the implementation process, and the lowest average value was participation in project initiation and problem finding. 2) Public participation in tourism management at Ratchaprapha Dam, Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun District, Surat Thani Province, categorized by gender, age, education, occupation, income, length of residence, and marital status, did not show statistically significant differences. 3) Guidelines for developing tourism management at the Ratchaprapha Dam should focus on creating platforms and digital channels to enable public participation. Participatory planning should be promoted through workshops or small group meetings. Finally, the transparency of evaluation should be improved by disseminating information and providing opportunities for the public to monitor and review the results.