ABSTRACT

             This thesis is of 3 objective: to study conceptual indeas of community tourism and principles of Sārānīyadhamma in Buddhist Scripture, to study Wat Prayurawongsawas-warawihan’s context of community tourism and to analyze its roles in promoting tourism in multicultural communities in accordance with Buddhist peaceful means, respectively. Using qualitative research, the thesis is done by tools of an in-depth interview with five groups of key informants in total of fifteen persons.

             From the research, it is significantly found the following:

             1) Community tourism will be successful and sustainable if it is participated and assisted by people in communities to preserve resource of cultural heritage for remaining and being known; this avail them to earn income. All this, Sārānīyadhamma in Buddhist Scripture is as key tool to bind love and unity in communities; and it can help them to overcome the differences of culture, race and religions.

             2) The temple, Wat Prayurawongsawas-warawihan and its context of community tourism: it is the inspirational origin for preserving such cultural heritage among six communities called “Chinese Cell” of three religions and four beliefs leading to mutually high valuable love towards art and culture and the realization of tight relationship from the past up to the present despite their different religions, which they have brought this heritage of art and culture to manage community tourism by having movements on participatory activities in every community propelled by the temple, together with supports from both government and private sectors; as the result, community tourism is successful which is reflective of tourists, satisfaction while visiting the temple; the majority of these tourists would suggest others to come to visit it as well which is in coordination with the result from the in-depth interview.

             3) The temple, Wat Prayurawongsawas-warawihan and its roles of promoting multicultural community tourism: it promotes developments of community’s resources, learning and unity; in addition, its leader is the role-model who has good knowledge and conduct.

             In conclusion, the research suggests an interpretative model for sustainable and peaceful multicultural-community tourism by having the temple as a religious centre to bind people in communities together with good relationship in spite of their different cultures. This makes communities or societies mutual land of peace with the spreads of peace trees to grow up for peaceful and sustainable tourism by planting a peace tree through “WATPRAYUN’S MODEL” : W = Wealth, A = Authority, T = Traditions & Cultures, P = Peace Education, R = Root History, A = Aesthetic Holy Place, Y = Young Peoples, U = Unity, N = Nationality; and the planters of these peace tree need to be leaders with loving kindness, open-mind according to the characteristics of ones who have Sārānīyadhamma as the basics of living their lives.

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