Ways to develop the ability of tourism stakeholders to welcome foreign tourists at Lat Mayom floating market, Bangkok

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the problems and needs of the Lat Mayom Floating Market community in order to find ways to develop the market and improve the ability of tourism stakeholders to welcome foreign tourists. The research methodology was qualitative, and data was collected by means of in-depth interviews with 20 tourism stakeholders in Lat Mayom Floating Market and a focus group discussion with 6 of these stakeholders. The research results indicate that Lat Mayom Floating Market is centred on agricultural tourism that presents the Thai way of life. The research identified several problems faced by floating market stakeholders, including: difficulty in communicating in English; lack of tourism facilities to welcome tourists in the area of the floating market; and inadequate transfer of local wisdom and knowledge of tourism management to the younger generation. Due to these problems, the participants stressed the need to receive training to develop their English and tourism management skills as well as the need to improve tourism facilities at this tourist site. Possible solutions to these problems identified by the research results include a project to train locals in many topics such as basic English for tourism, service techniques to welcome tourists, and knowledge of sustainable tourism management. The target group of this project should be locals who live in the area of Lat Mayom Floating Market. It is important that the training program be long-term to enable locals to practice English that can be used in real situations. Participants suggested that such a program could be organised by volunteers or by the government. Recommendations for developing Lat Mayom Floating Market include raising the awareness of both locals and tourists about conserving the environment and tourist safety (especially when taking boat rides); and preserving authentic culture of locals by developing only the tourism facilities (e.g. public toilets) that need to be improved, not ง developing too many facilities such as parking lots or accommodation, in order to limit the number of tourists to ensure the sustainability of Lat Mayom Floating Market.