Participation for Benefits: A Case Study of Ratchaprapa Dam Project

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study benefits from natural source management of tourism gained by people in the protected areas of Ratchaprapa Dam in Suratthani Province, Thailand. The researcher used in-depth interviews to collect data from 60 subjects under study. The subjects were key informants on a voluntary basis—business operators, tourists, and officers in Khao Sok National Park. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. The findings revealed that villagers received benefits from the offseason products and developed entrepreneurship in sustainable tourism. They provided for tourists’ activities, such as sightseeing the dam, seeing the morning mist, swimming, feeding fish, paddling and cave visit tours. All activities have helped villagers earn additional income for betterment of living in their community.

 Keywords: Participation, Ratchaprapa Dam, benefits, sustainable tourism