Unlike the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Sukhothai Tourism Association has developed a plan, got the community and private sector involved, and is doing tourism right.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has boasted about sustainable tourism, green tourism, and other campaign names that are usually just that – names.  Sukhothai is actually doing something – teaching about Thailand’s history and showing tourists that there is more to see than Songkran water fights and Miss Tiffany contests.

Sukhothai Ancient Ruins

The Nation’s article, A clearer eye on Sukhothai, tells what the Sukhothai Tourism Association is doing to promote the area.  Sukhothai may very well benefit from Ayutthaya’s ruined ruins caused by the 2011 floods, but will most likely benefit even more from this well thought out plan.

The communities around the old capital’s historical park have a past to share as well

This is very smart on behalf of the Sukhothai Tourism Association getting the villages around Sukhothai involved – it helps to educate the youth and will make money from tourists.

The future will be better if we understand our past, so the wisdom has it. Call Sukhothai very wise. It continues to learn and prosper in the lingering glow of its glory as Siam’s capital 700 years ago.

And, they are doing it the right way in Sukhothai.  No gaudy promotions of drunken revelers on New Years or Songkran – instead they are promoting the culture and history of Sukhothai Thailand – something that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has forgotten how to do.

In a project backed by the Thailand Research Fund, Jirawat Phirasant – director of Naresuan University’s Institute of Mekong-Salween Civilisation Studies – mined the venerable knowledge of 12 Sukhothai communities that will be useful in modern education and tourism.

Khun Jirawat needs to be commended for his approach to the local communities of Sukhothai that will benefit all.

“The idea is to promote tourism that’s based on the local lifestyle and wisdom, and using their traditional skills to create community products,” Jirawat explains.

A concept that escapes the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The dozen communities of Tambon Mueang Kao surround the Sukhothai Historical Park. Jirawat visited them all to gather oral histories and record local expressions, social practices, rituals and festivals. He studied their performing arts and traditional craftsmanship, and even noted how nature and the universe are perceived.

This is what tourists, foreign and domestic, really want to experience – the real Thailand.  But, the Tourism Authority of Thailand continues to promote the same old crap under different campaign names.  Not so in Sukhothai.

The result: 4,000 pages of cultural documents and 1,800 pieces of information in various other formats, collectively representing the largest-ever compilation of data about Sukhothai.

I hope that this information about Sukhothai is digitally scanned and preserved for all to see.  Translated into English would be even better.

The province’s educational authorities then distributed this trove to the schools so that teachers and students could do further research.

Excellent.  Get the whole Sukhothai community involved, teach the kids, open their eyes to history, and get them away from their online games.

The Sukhothai Tourism Association used the findings to enhance its culture-based attractions, such as with a pilot project involving the worship of Buddha statues. The province has hundreds of them, so they’ve revived an old merit-making tradition at Wat Trapang Ngern.

And, an excellent integration of Buddhism and Thai culture and Sukhothai history.

The Sukhothai Cultural Office updated its database on performance arts and funded further studies, and the tambon set aside money for tram tours.

This is what I really like about this.  It is all done locally in Sukhothai.  No begging for money from the Thai Government or the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Motorcycle and bicycle tours have been organised around the old city that let visitors experience the classic lifestyle. Hotels and restaurants are incorporating the province’s unique characteristics into their planning.

This is what happens when everyone is on the same sheet of music, can see the future possibilities for Sukhothai, and work together for a single goal.

Jirawat’s research is spinning out ideas for new tourist attractions, refurbished landscaping and tour-guide training, all linking the historical park and its adjacent communities for mutual benefit.

Khun Jirawat is doing everything right.  One of things lacking in Thailand has been anything “new”.  The Tourism Authority of Thailand continues to promote the same old things every year only under new names.  Landscaping, going greener, and providing tour guide training will pay off in the near future for Sukhothai and will help when the ASEAN Economic Community goes full force in 2015.

Crucially, he says, the citizens are more aware of the importance of their neighbourhoods and cultural heritage – and thus more interested in conserving the past. The items they produce for sale provide not only personal income but also funding for that preservation.

Awareness is the key. Knowing that you are passing down culturally and historically important data about Sukhothai, getting the youth involved, and focusing on the heritage of Sukhothai, will pay off for future generations to come.

Visitors need only look for signs bearing a lower-case “i” for information. They can now find ready help in a much wider area than just the designated historical park.

I would hope that they integrate this digitally using QR codes, online photos that are Geo-tagged, GPS, and ePubs.  Printed historical documents about the history of Sukhothai need to be scanned and made available easily for today’s high tech tourists.

“This is why we want the park tourism linked to the surrounding communities,” Jirawat says, “because many generations of people have lived around here and the visitors should know about the communities as well as the park’s history.”

Smart thinking.  Don’t just show tourists the ancient capital of Sukhothai – but also show them the villages in the neighborhood.  Get everyone involved and everyone profits.

Following are profiles of the 12 communities of Tambon Mueang Kao:

BAN MAI TRAPANG THONG

Many generations here have applied their hands to creating finely textured clay pottery and porcelain, and particularly pieces with distinctive “cracked” green glaze. The items remain popular and a solid source of income.

Also made here are Buddha images with intricate detailing that accord with the 10 rules of traditional Thai craftsmanship.

 RAM LEK

Carved wooden statues of the Buddha have been made here for more than 50 years, earning international admiration for their outstanding beauty.

Craftsman Rungreung Srikrajan learned the trade not from school but by “absorbing” it, starting with carved animals before developing the skills to create a Buddha from a photograph. But his talents are harder to come by these days – as are the attention to detail and the love of sculpting – so Rungreung is setting up a learning centre for children.

The community also has Bang-ern Tuichan’s Reun Noppamas museum, which displays pottery pieces from the Sukhothai Kingdom’s glory days.

 RAM YAI

If you’re interested in lovely wood furniture, picture frames, signs and partition screens, head to Ram Yai. The furniture is handmade in European forms from 20-year-old teak, and engraved with classical Sukhothai patterns.

 PA MAMOUNG

The Wang Kao Noodle Shop here serves truly amazing boat noodles, and at Narong Reungsri’s house you can get a great traditional massage.

 BAN NEU

Ban Neu citizens produce both beautiful home-decor items and assorted Thai sweets like khao daek nga, made with glutinous rice, toasted sesame seeds and coconut.

 TRAPANG THONG LUANG

Famed for its wonderfully ornate birdcages, this community also makes Otop-standard ornaments, especially those decorated with the indigenous metallic mineral khaotok phra ruong and Sukhothai Period enamel patterns.

 LI THAI

The miniature traditional wooden houses of Li Thai have long been popular souvenirs among foreign tourists because they perfectly capture our cherished culture – in a size easy enough to carry home and put on show. Many Li Thai residents also build wooden oxcarts.

 BAN TAI

Ban Tai is a real find for decorative statues and Thai-pattern paintings on canvas. Sculptor Prasart Jairak learned his craft from his grandfather, whose work still adorns temples.

 SUKHOTHAI NAKHON 1

A community with more delightful miniatures, this one with tiny ships of various designs, assembled from cabinet-makers’ leftover scraps.

 SUKHOTHAI NAKHON 3 AND MAE RAMPAN

These two neighbourhoods sell home-d’cor items like animals carved in teak and jackfruit wood.

 SRI CHUM

Stretched out in front of Wat Sri Chum, the community offers beautiful crocheted products.

Guided tours

• Make arrangements for a volunteer tour guide at Sukhothai Historical Park by calling (084) 989 0246 or (082) 397 7578.
• The latter number is also good for renting bicycles. It’s a pleasurable ride that provides a glimpse of the past and a fresh perspective on history as it shapes the future.

It certainly looks like Sukhothai has their focus in the right direction and should be the model for the rest of Thailand.

Tags: ancient capital jirawat ruins sukhothai tourism tourism authority of thailand