Psychological and Social–Cultural Tourism Carrying Capacity Determination for Phra Phutthabat Phluang at Khao Khitchakut National Park, Chanthaburi Province

Abstract

The objectives were to study 1) psychological impacts on tourists at Phutthabat Phluang, Khao Khitchakut National Park and socio economic and environmental impacts on local people living near tourism route to Phra Phutthabat Phluang, 2) to determine the psychological and social-cultural tourism carrying capacities of Phra Phutthabat Phluang, and 3) to analyze the tourism impacts if they exceeded the psychological and social-cultural tourism carrying capacities at Phra Phutthabat Phluang. The study population were 2 groups: tourists at Phra Phutthabat Phluang, and representatives of local households along tourism route to Phra Phutthabat Phluang. Sample sizes for tourist was set at 400 samples and 342 samples for local households. Two sets of research instruments were developed: tourist questionnaire to measure the perceived crowding level for assessing psychological carrying capacity and local people interview form to collect local opinions regarding social, economics, and environmental impacts from tourism so that the socio-cultural carrying capacity could be assessed. Collected data from both instruments was analyzed by percentage, mode, means and standard deviation. The results showed that the perceived crowding impacts from the appearance of other tourists beside their group was at medium level. The tourism psychological carrying capacity was determined at 580 people at one time. The average use level that caused psychological impact was found under the limit of psychological carrying capacity. Most impacts from tourism to local people found at low and medium levels. There were two items of environmental issues found related to the community well-being: dust and noise from the traffic (x = 3.42 and 3.45), respectively. The socio-cultural tourism carrying capacity was determined at the medium level of impact with the highest score of 3.40. The study also found two impact items that exceeded the carrying capacity: dust and noise from the traffic. Mitigations to lessen the impacts were proposed.