Sunthorn Phu’s Nirat Suphan to Promote Cultural Tourism of Suphan Buri, Thailand

Abstract

This study aims to 1) examine the use of Sunthorn Phu’s Nirat Suphan (a kind of poetry) to promote cultural tourism, 2) investigate tourists’ attitudes towards such use, and 3) study the elements of tourist attractions through mixed methods. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 20 key informants for the qualitative part. The data were collected by using observation, interview, and descriptive writing. The questionnaire was used for the quantitative part. Four hundred tourists participated in this part by convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using means, percentages, and standard deviations. It was found that: The use of Sunthorn Phu’s Nirat Suphan was proven to be compelling and persuasive in promoting cultural tourism by presenting history, geography, and lifestyle to attract tourists. The tourists were interested in visiting Suphan Buri because of the following aspects: 1) architectural art, 2) local food and gifts, 3) local culture,
4) cultural sites, 5) locals’ way of life, 6) local products and souvenirs, and 7) arts. In terms of the tourists’ attitudes towards the use of Sunthorn Phu’s Nirat Suphan to promote cultural tourism of the province, the majority of the respondents strongly agreed that it effectively elevated the province’s cultural tourism in promoting, arranging activities, accessing the tourist attractions, preparing for tourist carrying capacity, getting the local people ready to welcome the tourists, building a solid PR strategy, and implementing visitor safety procedures respectively. The elements of cultural tourism attractions include accessibility to tourist sites, attractions, or tourist destinations, activities, accommodations, amenities, awareness, tourism service quality, visual appearance, trustworthiness, and perceived value. Tourist sites in Suphan Buri Province are convenient and well-connected to local community tourism routes. The attractions are well-prepared to accommodate tourists, and the availability of accommodations is sufficient to meet the demand.