Abstract:
The objectives of this research were to (1) study desirable qualifications of personnel in Tourism related businesses; and (2) study An Educational Institution Model for Tourism in Chiang Rai. The sample group of 384 was chosen for the survey by using Krejcie, R.V. and Morgan but 365, or 95.05%, returned the questionnaire. This sufficed for acceptance with a sampling error of 5% at a level of confidence 95%. The sample group included tour guides, tourists, hotels, tour agencies and restaurants and souvenir shops. The primary instrument used was a check list questionnaire with rating scale. Collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.
The results revealed that (1) desirable qualifications of personnel in Tourism related businesses in management of an educational institution for tourism in Chiang Rai taught by instructors and distance learning were: the optimum balance of theory versus practice 30 : 70, optimum school fees per term were 5,000 10,000 baht, Type of course would be a one year certificate program. The desirable knowledge based qualifications of personnel in Tourism related businesses were: operational planning and implementation in organizing tours, foreign language skills in English, and a character and personality possessing a high level of honesty and ethics that are conveyed to colleagues and customers. The curriculum for Tourism and Hospitality should emphasize practical English for Tourism and Hospitality. (2) An Educational Institution Model for Tourism in Chiang Rai should coordinate an exchange of ideas with others organizations. The desirable training of personnel in Tourism related businesses should provide students with the knowledge of a foreign language. The optimum curriculum for Tourism and Hospitality study should emphasize practices more than theory and should focus on foreign language.