7
As shown on Table 2 and Figure 2, the respondents (49.38%) believed that economic benefits are
very important in the context of tourism development of SCAS. They expected that tourism can create
job opportunities, increase family income, and improve their quality of life. The cultural value of SCAS as
a tourist destination was considered important by 26.85% of the respondents as the site has the potential to
increase public awareness of the cultural value of the site and generate more national support for conservation.
The educational and social benefits of SCAS were ranked relatively low (11.1% and 12.67%, respectively)
by the respondents even though several organizations and academic institutions have had initiated a few
educational and research activities at SCAS. It seems that the educational benefits of SCAS have not quite filtered
through the majority of the respondents, probably because they are not actively involved in these academic
activities. Providing incentives to the local community to appreciate the value of SCAS should also be provided.
Because the social benefits of SCAS were ranked low (11.1%), motivation and incentives of the local community
to conserve the archaeological site may be inadequate. Thus, the local community should be given better
incentives to ensure that they can truly appreciate the value of conserving SCAS both as a cultural heritage site
and as a tourist attraction.
Conclusion
The local community residing near and around the Sap Cham Pa Archaeological Site had a positive
attitude towards the conservation of the archeological site and agreed that the integration of tourism development
and conservation is essential for sustainability. Based on the results of a 5-point Likert scale, the respondents, in
the context of developing SCAS as a tourist destination, expressed the importance of (a) preserving heritage for
the future generations, (b) promoting heritage features of SCAS as new tourist attraction, and (c) the need to
simultaneously manage the site for conservation and tourism. The economic benefits that would accrue from
the development of SCAS were high in the minds of the majority of respondents. The cultural value of SCAS as
a tourist destination was also considered important. It seems that the educational benefits of SCAS have not quite
filtered through the majority of the respondents, probably because they are not actively involved in these
academic activities. If SCAS were to be developed as cultural heritage tourist destination, it is necessary that both
short term and long term goals be addressed. The involvement of all relevant stakeholders is crucial in all aspects
of tourism management.
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