Heritage Management, Planning and Tourism: Experiences from Sukhothai

(Thailand) and Vat Phou (Laos)

Workshop on Tourism & Human Rights

NPT September 2015

Professor Dr. Walter Jamieson FCIPService Innovation Program

Thammasat University

HERITAGE SITE DEVELOPMENT

PRINCIPLES

Heritage legal protection

Material conservation

Local benefit

Site design & planning

Interpretation & planning

Visitor management

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Phou Kao

Vat Phou

Tomo

Temple

Ancient City

Champasak Town

Development of goals & themes

Design concept

Overall visitor orientation

Identification of media

Visitor center

Major Plan Elements

The Vat Phou Model

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Objectives

Enhance the understanding of the integrated value of

Champasak cultural landscape.

Promote cultural tourism experiences for the Laotian

community.

Inform and stimulate visitors regarding the landscape’s

heritage values.

Use the tourist activity to raise funds for conservation activities.

Provide income enhancement opportunities for the local

community through the creation of a series of locally owned

SMEs.

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Visitor Center

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Floor Plan

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- Scale 1: 150,000

- Size of the model 1.2 x 2.4 m.

- Located at the visitor center

(above the ground for at least 60 cm.)

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Trail – Phase 1

Ancient City

Copyrights by Italian Archaeological Mission of Lerici Foundation

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Trail – Phase 2

Champasak Town – Ancient City – Vat Phou Temple – Other Historic Standing Ruins – Tomo Temple & Don Deng Island

Phase 1

Phase 2

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a b

c

At

Champasak,

ancient city

and Vat Phou

Temple

Text area:

2.2 x 1 m.

At specific historic

sites e.g. Hong

Nang Sida, Tomo

Text area: 0.65 x 0.85 m.)

Elements /Ruins on

Vat Phou site

Text area: 0.3 x 0.25 m.

Interpretive Signage System

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UNESCO

Department Of Fine Arts

Tourism Authority of

Thailand

Distance between three sites

Not a circuit but a need to double back

Visitation &travel time

68 km.

77 km.

Site Issues

Issues

No. of tourists was going down

Distance between sites

Not a circuit & need to double

back

Similar visitor experience at

each site

Lost of physical fabric

LanguageClimate (Rain

and temperature

SignageLack of

interpretationCapacity & # of

staff

Site transportation

Damage to fabric and overall poor visitor

experience

INTERPRETIVE OBJECTIVES

Expand visitors’ awareness,

understanding and appreciation

Attract tourists to the area

Get tourists to extend their visits

Create income opportunities for

local communities.

Manage the visitor’s

experience

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Starting Sukhothai Kingdom:The first king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty

Sukhothai and its tributary states (Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet) became part of the Ayuthaya Kingdom

UNESCO declared Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet a World Heritage Site

Continuity of living community and local industry e.g. ceramic industry

What happened in between What happened in between What happened in between

What happened as the time goes by

CE 1249------------------CE 1500------------------CE 1991-----------------CE 2007

SPECIFIC STORIES

When and why the cities were developed

What the links are between these three sites in terms of

geography, politics and culture

Why this time span is considered to be a golden

period of Thailand

Why the cities began to decline What happened to Sukhothai

after becoming part of the Ayutthaya Kingdom

Cultural landscape today: ancient monuments, living

communities, local industry, arts and crafts

Overall World Heritage Trail

Range of attractions along the trail

-Natural attractions

-Cultural attractions

-Heritage communities

HERITAGE ROUTES AT

SUKHOTHAI

OFF & ON SITE SIGNAGE

Objectives

Illustrates the

map of the

overall heritage

trail

INDICATE- locations of

historical parks

- attractions

along the trail

- locations of where visitors

Where to put signage?

Bus or train station, Sukhothai

airport, some gas stations, or at

local communities

OFF-SITE

A.

TYPE

2 A panel without A/V Media

INTRODUCTION PANEL (DISPLAYS)

ON-SITE SIGNSB.

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SUMMARY

Plans

Economic Development

Tourism Management

Conservation Strategy

Site Design

Visitor amenities

On site transportation

Capacity Building

Innovative Interpretive

Media

On-site guides

Smart phone apps

Events programs & reenactments

Hands on activities

Virtual reality

InclusiveStakeholder

Management

Experience Development

New design for local products

Create itineraries

Circuits

Target experiences for specific visitor groups

Monitoring