Service Quality Dimensions, Stakeholder Perspectives, and a Sustainable Management Framework for Water-Based Cultural Heritage Tourism

Abstract

Water-based community tourism constitutes a strategically significant yet under-examined dimension of heritage tourism management in Southeast Asia. This mixed-methods study examined service quality dimensions, multi-stakeholder development priorities, and evidence-based management strategies for boat route tourism at Koh Kret—a distinctive Mon ethnic heritage island situated within the Chao Phraya River, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand. Grounded theoretically in the SERVQUAL framework (Parasuraman et al., 1988) and stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984), the research employed a sequential explanatory design integrating quantitative surveys with 400 tourists (247 domestic; 153 international) selected through accidental sampling, and qualitative semi-structured interviews with 60 purposively selected key informants representing boat operators, community members, and government officials. Quantitative analysis encompassed descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA; qualitative data were subjected to systematic thematic content analysis. Findings revealed a moderately high overall tourist satisfaction level (x̄ = 3.52, σ = 0.65), with scenic route quality achieving the highest rating (x̄ = 3.87) while cultural interpretation and information provision demonstrated the most pronounced service quality gaps (x̄ = 2.89 and 2.76, respectively). Multi-stakeholder assessment identified safety standards enhancement as the critical priority (x̄ = 4.32), consistent with post-pandemic behavioral shifts toward heightened risk consciousness. Drawing on these convergent empirical findings, this study advances a Seven-Pillar Integrated Management Framework (7P-IMF) addressing governance integration, safety standardization, interpretive program development, route and product diversification, community benefit-sharing, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure modernization. The framework contributes both theoretical and practical insights to community-based water heritage tourism management literature and offers actionable policy guidance for sustainable destination development at Koh Kret.