This research entitiled “An Analysis on the ethics of Community in Promoting Tourism of Wat Phra That Pha Ngao, Wiang Sub-District, Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province” composes of three purposes. There are 1) to study the ethics in promoting  tourism of Wat Phra That Pha Ngao, and 2) to analyze the ethics of the community in their promotion of tourism in Wat Phra That Pha Ngao.

The Research methodology has done by the Qualitative Research. In a preliminary stage, the researcher has to study all documents about Buddhist ethics, the context of cultural tourism ethics in Wat Phra Dhat Pha Ngao, the former academic reports those concerned it, and secondary stage, this research has been supplemented by Structural In-depth Interview and the Focus Group Discussion with local communities.

The populations  were composed of thirty Key Informants those divided into four groups ; a) five leaders  of community, b) five government Officers, c) fifteen tourists and d) five Service operators, merchants and communities of Wat Phra Dhat Pha Ngao;  lastly, twenty Purposive Sampling persons for Focus Group discussion. In analysis, data from documents, In-depth Interview and the comments Group Discussion are analyzed by Content Analysis.

The results were found that 1) the Ethics promoting the tourism of Wat Phra Dhat Pha Ngao is as follows : The main ethics is the Buddhist ethics, consisting of                   “two Patisanthara” (the virtue of hospitality), the four Iddhipada (basis for success),                     the six Saraniyadhamma (the virtues for fraternal living), including “Vatta” (the regulations  for monks) that applies to tourism such as Agantukavatta (regulation for the visitors), Avasikavatta (regulation for the host), Gamikavatta (regulation for one to leave). Senasanavatta (regulation for residential maintenance), Vaccakutivatta (regulation for using bathroom). And the general ethics that everyone must have: honesty, not taking advantage and being responsible. 2) On the community of                      Wat Phra That Pha Ngao in promoting tourism, it was found that people in community are always participated  in planning or making decisions, by discussing, proposing ideas to find out ethical practices in promoting tourism with the temple,  participating in performing many traditional actives held by temple, the food service, as well as inform  the nearby public to know activities, to gain the benefit, the community sale seasonal fruits and vegetables in the temple for their earn a living, at last, the participation in evaluation has done by follow-up the activities that is  people come together to clean up the streets of temple or to renovate and construct facilities such as bathrooms, rebuild  the landscape and coordinate with government agencies or organizations.                    3) In the analysis on ethics in the promotion of tourism that performed by the community of Wat Phra Dhat Pha Ngao, this is found that, the staff, operators, shopkeepers, monks, novices, nuns, and people in the community who are concerned with Wat Phra Dhat Pha Ngao are ethically minded. They are; a sense of duty, responsibility, honesty, accuracy, no exploitation, kindness, friendliness All these ethics are actually  performed by everyone in the temple  for the benefit of visitors, friendly and willingly advise and facilitate tourists. The temple has guidance tags put on everywhere, the rescannable price of goods, that causes the good impression to the tourists which will be a source of sustainable religious tourism in the future.

Download