Tourism management to respond the climate change under the context of tourists' behavior adaptation: case study of Khao Yai National Park

Abstract

This research has the objectives to 1) study the behavior of the tourists who travel to Khao Yai National Park 2) analyze and categorize the factors that affect the tourism behavior for responding to climate change and the tourists who travel to Khao Yai National Park 3) study the tourism management that responds the climate change of Khao Yai National Park and, 4) suggest the tourism management guideline that responds the climate change under the context of tourists’ behavior adaptation : case study of Khao Yai National Park, by using the integrated research methodology to collect quantitative data from a questionnaire with a sample of 600 Thai tourists visiting Khao Yai National Park, and collect qualitative data from in-depth semistructured interviews with four main group of informants, consisting of government sectors, specialists, tourism business entrepreneur, and community/ local leader.

From the research, it is found that knowledge factor is positive and has the highest effect towards tourism behavior in support of climate change. Therefore, providing the knowledge of climate change and its impacts for tourists continuously, the improvement of behavior of tourists will be increased as well. Moreover, it is found that the motivation to visit the tourist attraction, factor towards the awareness on climate change, attitude factor towards the climate change, and the factor on sense towards the climate change towards the tourism behavior to respond the climate change positively as well. It means that the increasing of the above mentioned factors will affect the change of tourism behavior to respond the change of the climate certainly.

For tourism management guidelines to respond the climate change of Khao Yai National Park, it consists of three main approaches such as 1) Spatial Management-Transport management by promoting the use of public transport in the National Park seriously. The campaign for tourists to reduce the use of private car, the systematic waste management, the use of renewable energy, the development of personnel to understand climate change and its impacts, the training to provide knowledge to the tourists and general people around the area to have knowledge and understanding about the change of climate, 2) the tourist management-limiting the numbers of tourists, providing knowledge to tourists about the climate change, and 3) the community participation management-empowering the community to participate in tourism management, supporting organizations / foundations to participate for the conservation of the National Park. Thus, all above mentioned 3 aspects about the tourism management must be mainly cooperated with the tourists as well as other relevant people to improve the behavior to be suitable to the context of climate change by promoting the knowledge and understanding of the climate change and its impacts from the change of climate continuously and strictly in order to raise the awareness and good attitudes towards the tourism behavior in respond of climate change that will affect the development of Khao Yai National Park in a sustainable way.