READINESS ASSESSMENT TO BE A HISTORICAL TOURISM SITE OF WAT KHOK SISAKET, NOK-OK SUBDISTRICT, PAK THONG CHAI DISTRICT NAKHON RATCHASIMA PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to 1) study the history of Wat Khok Si Saket, Nok-Ok Sub-district, Pak ThongChai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province and 2) to assess the readiness of being a historical tourism site in Nok-Ok Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. This research employed a mixed-method in both qualitativeand quantitative. Research instruments were an interview and a questionnaire. The total of 8samples were interviewed, and the number of 533 local people in the area were involved in this study. The data were collected by using a questionnaire. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and reference statistics to test the hypothesis with t-test, and One-Way ANOVA.

            The results of the research can be summarized as follows. 1. Wat Khok Sisaket has had a history of more than 100 years. This temple is located in the area of Village No. 3, Ban Khok Sa Noi, Nok-Ok Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The temple was originally called Wat Khok Si Saket, Ban Khok Sa Noi. Since there are many Saket trees around the temple, Wat Khok Si Saket has been named after the name of the tree until now. 2. The readiness to be a historical tourism site in Nok-Ok Subdistrict, Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province was classified by general information of individuals, and it was found that gender, occupation, and status in thecommunity were different. Nok-Ok sub-district has statistically significant different readiness to be a historical tourist attraction at the .05 level. Overall, the readiness was at the high level. When considering the readiness of being a historical tourism site by each of the components in 4 aspects, it was found that the area aspect and the tourism management were at a high level. The community participation and income and economic benefits were at the moderate level respectively.