DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL TOURISM POTENTIAL FOR CREATING TOURISM ROUTE CONNECTION ALONG THAI-MYANMAR BOARDER: A CASE STUDY OF PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN PROVINCE AND MYEIK CITY

Abstract

Theobjectivesofthestudy “CulturalTourismPotentialDevelopmentforCreatingTouring RouteConnectionalongThai-MyanmarBoarder: A CaseStudyofPrachuapKhiriKhanProvinceandMyeikCity” were to: 1) evaluate culturaltourismpotentialforcreatingtouring routeconnectionalongThai-Myanmarboarder: A casestudyofPrachuapKhiriKhanProvinceandMyeikCity, 2) createtouring routeconnectionalongThai-MyanmarBoarder: A casestudyofPrachuapKhiriKhanProvinceandMyeikCity, and 3) create networks for culturaltourismpotentialdevelopmentforcreatingtouring routeconnectionalongThai-Myanmarboarder: A casestudyofPrachuapKhiriKhanProvinceandMyeikCity. The qualitative research approaches were employed in this study. For qualitative study, the in-depth interview was used for collecting data from 9 key informants consisting of people, tourism entrepreneurs, and government officials.

The research results were as follows: 1) The evaluation of culturaltourismpotentialforcreatingtouring routeconnectionalongThai-Myanmarboarder: A casestudyofPrachuapKhiriKhanProvinceandMyeikCityrevealedthat: (1) therewerehistoricaltourismdestinationsconnectingThailandandMyanmarintheAyuthayaPeriod, (2) thereweresucharchitecturesintourismdestinationsastemples, pagodas, buildings, whichweremixedwithThai, Burmese, Indian, andPersianstyles, (3) itwastheseasilkroadandanimportantportsinceAyuthayaPeriod, (4) therewereart, culture, andperformanceofBurmesepeoplethatwerestillconservedas a traditionallocalidentity, (5) therewasThai-MyanmarwayoflifetransferredfromthelivingofpeopleinKuiBuririverplain - Tanintharyalongtheriverbanks, and(6)there was Thai history recorded in Myanmar both in PrachuapKhiri Khan Province and Myeik City.2) The creation of touring route connection along Thai-Myanmar Boarder: A case study of PrachuapKhiri Khan Province and Myeik City revealed that two countries had cultural tourism destinations along the touring route of PrachuapKhiri Khan – Mudong Village – Taninthary – Myeik, from immigration checkpoint at Dan Sing Khon across Thai border to Myeik City of Myanmar. And 3) There were 3 networks for cultural tourism potential development for creating touring route connection along Thai-Myanmar boarder as follows: (1) area-based cooperation network, (2) management cooperation network, and (3) structural-functional cooperation network.