This research article aims to illustrate a crucial role of tourism geography study in sustainable management for resilient community. The study was conducted in Historic Town of Sukhothai under Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 by using participatory cultural mapping as longitudinal action research. Local people are key participants of this study. Thus, research approach is used to propose three objectives consisting of (1) to collect cultural resources and audit situation of risk, (2) to co-create cultural promotion and preservation plan, and (3) to co-create tourism management plan aimed to be a safeguard of cultural diversity. The research finds that local participants from 12 neighborhoods in different generations have different perception of meaning towards their own cultures and this results in risky situation of cultural heritage especially in cultural landscape which most of them are memories, traditional lifestyle, folk art and local gastronomy categories. However, there is a great amount of cultural heritage in high risk as well as well-preserved cultural heritage. The study also finds patterns of cultural diffusion in communities around the historic town which leads to harmonization of diverse living culture, unknown yet fantastic local culinary, and ethnic religious rites. Further, a pattern of cultural clumping around Buddhist temples and local wet market represents the persistence of authentic local Thai society which started to be rarely seen in many urban areas and tourist destinations. Whilst, covid-19 pandemic becomes a drive of risk for local culture lost. With participation of local stakeholders and reflection of cultural mapping, this study proposes CUL-LAB as a platform for local people in all generations to co-create paths for tourism experience while prolonging sustainability in resilient local community. There are younger generations joining baby boomers to find optimality for cultural and tourism management in their historic hometown.
Mots clés : participatory cultural mapping|resilient community|sustianable tourism|tourism geography|pandamic
A105210JD