Lamphun promoting historical culture via village visits
The province is betting community participation can ensure a more sustainable industry.
Lamphun, one of the second-tier tourism provinces being promoted by the government this year, hopes to increase visitor numbers by 20% over the next few years from 1 million in 2017.
The small northern province of valleys, mountains, forests and historical sites is focused on community participation in tourism management.
“Community participation will ensure better tourism management and preserve the environment in the province,” said Unsit Sampuntharat, governor of Lamphun province. “This will result in sustainable development.”
Mr Unsit said the province conducted a survey and found that out of 1 million visitors, only 300,000 had stayed overnight, with an average of four hours spent in the province.
Spending per visitor was 1,000 baht in 2017, up from 900 baht in 2016. The province earned 1.3 billion baht in tourism revenue in 2017.
“Tourism will help generate more income for the province, which is rich in historical attractions,” the governor said. “Lamphun was the capital of the Hariphunchai Kingdom, the
Mon Kingdom in North Thailand, which was founded 1,300-1,500 years ago and constructed many beautiful temples.
“The province offers a great opportunity to increase the value of cultural landmarks and has many traditional festivals and Lanna culture. The province also has interesting natural spots, notably at Thung Hua Chang and Li districts, as well as woven handicrafts.”
Mr Unsit said transport will become much more convenient over the next few years once construction infrastructure projects are complete.
The province is building a bypass road from Chiang Mai airport to Lamphun worth 700 million baht. The project is scheduled to be complete within two years.
In addition, the province is developing a 1-billion-baht road linking Lamphun city to Li district. This project is scheduled to be finished in two years. The route will be useful for visitors who favour visiting natural sites in Li and nearby districts.
He said various cultural tourism programmes will be implemented by the end of this year and the province has asked for cooperation from tour operators in Chiang Mai province to include tourism spots in Lamphun in their packages.
Although the province was allocated only 200 million baht this year — not enough to organise promotional activities — the cooperation with Chiang Mai and community efforts will help raise standards and improve efficiency, Mr Unsit said.
He said Lamphun is also eager to announce a “no styrofoam” campaign in the province next year as 90% of the communities in the province have already implemented free-from-foam initiatives.
Tasnee Boonmaphi, secretary of Mahawan community and chief of cultural tourism management, said five local communities in Lamphun municipality are in the process of having their leaders trained in tourism management.
The five comprise Mahawan, Phra Kong Ruesi, Pratu Li, Kaikaew and Jamadevi communities, which encompass 435 families covering 2,000 people in the ancient city zone.
The Thailand Research Fund provided 335,600 baht in fiscal 2019 to the five communities to create a management network of cultural tourism routes.
Ms Tasnee said the training programme aims to create 10 leaders in each community for a total of 50, and two generations of local tour guides — both the elderly and youth guides.
The leaders are expected to become change agents in each community to create better tourism management.
The five communities work together to conduct tourism programmes and design routes focusing on cultural tourism.
“This initiative is good for strengthening cooperation among people in local communities who are enthusiastic about participating in the activities,” she said. “People in communities should learn about their roots and their communities, and should be capable of explaining it to visitors.”
Nearby universities, schools and temples will also be encouraged to join the programme.
Mongkhol Hooncheep, vice-chairman of Mae Raeng municipality in Pa Sang district, which is home to Thai Lue people, lauded the government’s policy to promote tourism in second-tier provinces.
He said the policy will encourage more tourists to visit and directly generate income for communities.
Another hope is that younger villagers will return home to handle community tourism and preserve traditional handicrafts.
Mr Mongkhol said Ban Nong Ngueng in Mae Raeng, for instance, preserves Thai Lue culture. The community maintains old temples and weaves traditional handicrafts.
Thai Lue, also known as Thai Yong, immigrated from Jinghong in China and Shan State in Myanmar between 1810-13.
This community also boasts up to 10 homestays.
“The province aims to increase overnight stays to three days over next 2-3 years from an average of 2.5 days in 2017,” Mr Unsit said. “We also aim to raise provincial tourism revenue to 1.5 billion baht this year and hope construction of new hotels and lodgings significantly increases from about 800 rooms.”
Community participation will ensure better tourism management and preserve the environment in the province. UNSIT SAMPUNTHARAT Governor, Lamphun province