Abstract

The assessment of tourism potential is highly important for tourism development at the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark, the first global geopark in Thailand. The objective of this research is to study tourism potential by using weighted equations to provide recommendations and management guidelines for tourism planning and development. A total of 28 UNESCO geological sites, including marine tourist destinations, ecotourism and adventure tourist destinations, and learning tourist destinations, were examined. The findings revealed that there were three high-potential, 15 moderate-potential, and 10 low-potential tourist destinations. Therefore, three tourism management actions were proposed based on the potential assessment outcomes. At high-potential sites, the planning focused on the prevention of negative tourism impacts and the identification of their tourism carrying capacity. At moderate-potential sites, a system to provide information and knowledge to tourists, the preservation and preparation of amenities, and the prevention of negative tourism impacts were the main focuses. At low-potential sites, the development of amenities to promote accessibility, negative impact prevention, and a system to provide knowledge to tourists and facilitate destination management were highlighted. Thus, the tourism planning and development of the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark should prioritize negative tourism impact prevention, conservation, and preservation of the resource-based view (RBV).