Opinions and Satisfactions on Cultural Tourism Training at Phranakhon Cultural Center, Phranakhon Rajabhat University in Bangkok, Thailand Chinawong Sringam Faculty of Management Science, Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Bangkok 10220, THAILAND Email : csringam@gmail.com

Phranakhon Rajabhat University Phranakhon Rajabhat University was Thailand’s first teachers’ training college, founded by King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V) of the present Chakri Dynasty, in 1892 with the primary goal of producing teachers for primary schools. It is currently a public university located in North Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. At present, the university offers a variety of study programs covering Bachelor's, Master’s and Doctoral Degree.

Background of the Study Phranakhon Rajabhat University; its main functions to serve local communities as well as to provide educational opportunities and academic services to improve the quality of local people’s lives Phranakhon Culture Center (P.C.C.) with the main purpose of serving local communities P.C.C. as a business center as well as a community learning center The business model on cultural tourism management and the development of a practical training package

Research objectives To study participants’ opinions on cultural tourism training To investigate their satisfactions on study tour of the cultural tourism at Phranakhon Cultural Center (P.C.C.)

Literature Review Curriculum development comprising curriculum design and construction, curriculum implementation, and curriculum evaluation Business model to be applied to the P.C.C. consisting of 4 major integrative components: 1) tourism resources, 2) tourism management, 3) tourism activity, and 4) participation of the community

Research Methodology Research and development (R & D) method was employed 4 major steps: 1) drafting construction of the training package 2) pre-evaluation of the training package 3) trial management of the training package 4) post-evaluation of the training package and revision

The Training Package The training package comprising 4 training modules Four training modules: 1) basic concepts of cultural tourism business management 2) tourism networking 3) planning of cultural tourism business management 4) the evaluation of the cultural tourism business management

The training workshop 3-day training workshop including 4 main training modules A half-day study tour of cultural tourism at P.C.C. 21 participants purposively selected from nearby communities around the university The training workshop was conducted within Phranakhon Rajabhat University and P.C.C.

Research instruments 5-rating scale questionnaires and satisfaction surveys Focus group interview

Data Analysis Quantitative data: arithmetic means and standard deviations Qualitative data: content analysis

Research findings Participants' opinions on cultural tourism training Participants’ satisfactions on the study tour of the cultural tourism

Participants’ opinions on the training workshop implementation Items Levels of participants’ opinions N Mean SD Interpretation 1.Trainers of the training workshop 21 4.51 .44 Very good 2. Learned knowledge, skills and application 4.14 .45 Good 3.Training room, training period of time, and refreshments 4.36 .54 4. Staff services 4.39 .55 Overall training management 4.35 .42

Results of Using the Training Package participants indicated their opinions on the overall training management at the ‘good’ level opinions on the “trainers” of the training workshop were at the ‘very good’ level opinions on the other aspects of training management were at the ‘good’ level

Additional opinions: Contents and experiences can be used in tourism promotion Community participation and improvement of local tourist attractions Development of tourism networking Planning and preparation of tour activities Evaluation of the tour package

Participants’ satisfaction on the study tour of the cultural tourism Items Levels of satisfaction N Mean SD Interpretation 1.Tour route and tourist attractions 21 4.80 .78 Very high 2.Information about tourist attractions 3.85 .85 High 3.Welcoming and supporting facilities 4.52 .60 4.Tourist participation in tour activities 4.42 .87 5.Transportation 4.28 .90 6.Information provided by tour guides 3.66 .65 7.Materials used in tour activities 3.76 .62 8.Explanation of all activities 9.Demonstration and performances 3.90 .76 10.Overall of tour package 4.33 Overall of satisfaction 4.07 .46

Participants’ satisfaction on the study tour of the cultural tourism Overall satisfaction on the study tour of the cultural tourism was at the ‘high’ level Satisfaction on tour route and tourist attractions, and welcoming and supporting facilities at the ‘very high’ level For the other items, the participants indicated their satisfaction on each item at the ‘high’ level

Additional opinions: Three major tour sites regarded as good learning centers: Wat Prasri Mahatat, Museum of 100-year of Teacher Education and Traditional Thai House Demonstrations and practices including Thai arts, Thai dresses, dances and performances are of great values Participants’ involvement Related information to be provided to participants

Conclusion and Implications Developed training package contained good quality information for training and transmitting the business management model of cultural tourism to other local communities with similar contexts At the community level, trainers need to be very much concerned with the readiness and the uniqueness of each local community

Conclusion and Implications (cont.) ASEAN community is coming by the end of the year 2015; the 10 Asian countries will combine into one community More tourists and visitors from different countries will visit Thailand, the hub of ASEAN tourism ASEAN languages and cultures: human resource training carefully considered and continuously conducted

Conclusion and Implications (cont.) Another way to preserve their local arts and cultures as well as to earn their living, increase their incomes and improve their quality of life Regarding the utilization of natural resources and environment in communities, the integration of education and “community based learning” must be carefully managed and implemented in order to preserve the environments

Thank you “Kob Khun Krub” Q & A P.C.C. of PNRU