The Development of Community Tourism Routes in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province

Abstract

The purposes of this research were (1) to study the current status of tourist attractions in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province, (2) to examine the development of tourism routes in Bang Phli District, and (3) to test and evaluate those tourism routes. The key informants consisted of 35 individuals directly involved in local tourism. The research instruments included in-depth interviews and pairwise comparison forms, and the data were analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The study presented key findings regarding the development of tourism routes in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province. The results revealed that the major tourist attractions in Bang Phli District included: (1) Bang Ka-ee community in Bang Pla Subdistrict, (2) Bang Chalong Floating Market in Bang Chalong Subdistrict, (3) health-based cycling tourism through agricultural areas (such as water mimosa farms) in Nong Prue Subdistrict, and (4) the Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market. The development of tourism routes focused on: (1) improving connectivity to tourist sites, (2) enhancing storytelling and narratives along the routes to make them more appealing, and (3) designing tourism routes using modern technology. In terms of route testing and evaluation, the most highly prioritized attraction was the Bang Ka-ee community in Bang Pla Subdistrict, with an average score of 0.49. The evaluation of internal routes within the tourist attraction showed an overall moderate level ( = 3.47, S.D. = 0.91), and the evaluation of route connectivity with other local community attractions also indicated a moderate level (= 3.18, S.D. = 0.84).