Development of a sustainable tourist destination based on the creative economy: A case study of Klong Kone Mangrove Community, Thailand

Abstract

Klong Kone Mangrove Community in Central Thailand is a famous destination for eco-tourism. The sustainability of tourist destinations is of vital concern to the creative economy concept. Thus, participatory action research was applied to investigate the local tourist attractions, to identify this destination's problems, and to discuss potential solutions among the participants in the community. The results demonstrated that the main issue at this destination is the unequal distribution of income generated by tourism, which has caused severe conflicts among the local people. The solutions sourced from the panel discussion and questionnaires indicated that the majority of local people should be involved in the tourism industry and that tourism careers can attract younger people to return and work at home after graduation. Moreover, in order to enhance this destination's sustainability based on the creative economy concept, the results from the study were summarized and four significant identities of Klong Kone were suggested: mangrove planting, opossum shrimp paste, water sports activities, and seafood restaurants. All of these should be promoted based on four keys: 1) careful design and planning in line with creative ideas, 2) prudence in the design and planning of tourism development that corresponds to the market, 3) community involvement that is capable of thinking, planning, using resources, and sharing consequences, and 4) designing tourism that adheres to the concepts of sustainable tourism.