The Influence of Local Identity and Tourism Potential on Grassroots Economic Development Through Creative Cultural Tourism Along the Chao Phraya River Communities in Pathum Thani Province

Abstract

This research consists purposes were 1. to Investigate the influence of local identity on grassroots economic development through creative cultural tourism in communities along the Chao Phraya River in Pathum Thani Province and 2. to Investigate the influence of tourism destination potential on grassroots economic development through creative cultural tourism in communities along the Chao Phraya River in Pathum Thani Province. This study employed a quantitative research design. The research instrument was a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 400 tourists who had previously visited tourist attractions in Pathum Thani Province, with the sample size determined using the table of Krejcie and Morgan (1970). Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, namely percentage, mean and standard deviation, together with Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate that 1) local identity plays a significant role in supporting grassroots economic development, with historical and architectural characteristics emerging as the strongest factor (ß = 0.468), followed by local ways of life, culture and traditions (ß = 0.351) and the cultural landscape (ß = 0.142) and 2) In addition, tourism potential was also found to be influential, particularly in terms of tourism activities (ß = 0.419), followed by tourism attractions (ß = 0.306), program arrangement (ß = 0.222), and service quality (ß = 0.128). The results suggest that strengthening local identity alongside the development of engaging tourism activities and experiences can enhance the value of creative cultural tourism and contribute to more sustainable economic outcomes at the community level.