A Holistic Conceptual Framework into Practice-Based on Urban Tourism Toward Sustainable Development in Thailand

Wannipa Koodsela,Kassara Sukpatch,Huang Dong

doi:10.3390/su11247152

Abstract

This article is a research output presenting a new step for urban tourism development in Thailand. It focused on how a urban tourism development action plan was made in accordance with the sustainable tourism development policy in Thailand, and the overall effect of urban tourism development plan-making practice on the environment, quality society, local economics, and urban history and culture. This article proposed a holistic conceptual framework of urban tourism development plan-making practices regarding sustainability. It began with a literature review of urban tourism development and stakeholders in urban tourism development planning. The author emphasized the presentation of the outcome from quantitative and qualitative investigations of urban tourism in Chiang Mai and Phuket, two cities, in a case study of Thailand. The result highlighted the capacity of the area and the urgent need, in a five year period, to develop urban tourism towards sustainability by focusing on the fundamental problems of urban development and urban tourism development, as well as the integration of sustainable policies and the stakeholders’ participation in urban tourism development planning. For this reason, a possible sustainable urban tourism development plan-driving framework has been proposed to encourage the existing participation of stakeholders for future research development.

Highlights

In this article, a focus on a fundamental framework for urban tourism development plan formulation in Thailand, towards sustainability in the local governments of Chiang Mai Municipality and Phuket Municipality—as tourism cities whose urban tourism growth rate was the highest of the cities in Thailand, second only to Bangkok—was emphasized
The capacity and readiness of the area at present, and the future expectations of urban tourism development towards sustainability, showed that the current capacities and readiness of urban Chiang Mai were at a high level and the expectation of the future capacity and readiness for development of urban Chiang Mai was at the highest level
This is consistent with policies and strategies to stimulate urban tourism, which emphasize the competitiveness of urban services as their first priority, they are starting to change the direction of policy development, beginning to reduce the negative impact on housing, and the urban development without direction that Thailand is currently facing

Summary

Introduction

A focus on a fundamental framework for urban tourism development plan formulation in Thailand, towards sustainability in the local governments of Chiang Mai Municipality and Phuket Municipality—as tourism cities whose urban tourism growth rate was the highest of the cities in Thailand, second only to Bangkok—was emphasized. Urban tourism has become one of the tourism sectors that has had the most rapid growth in the world [4] and replaced the traditional industry [5]. The city requires good management or new urban development to cause urban tourism, which will provide opportunity and cause the city to be more compact. Urban tourism regeneration involves strategic planning to instigate change through new developments [2,6,7,8,9]. While physical regeneration projects may be deemed necessary to support economic development, competitiveness and growth of tourism [10,12,13], it is important to focus on its intangible results, impacts, legacies and social benefits [14]

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion