Research & Article

This article aims to (1) explain guidelines to search for the province that has cultural capital for creating identity for the spa business; and (2) to analyze topic titles of cultural capital. This study used the qualitative research methodology that included the following research activities: (1) undertaking documentary research on policy and plans related to economic development with cultural capital; then the findings on provinces having cultural capital were submitted to 5 experts to select the appropriate province for further study; and (2) interviewing key informants with the use of a structured interview form. After that the data were analyze by thematic analysis to explain the cultural capital of the province. The results show that the guidelines for finding out the cultural capital of the province for creating a unique identity for the spa business consist of the study of ministerial policies, strategies, and plans; the study of development plans of the groups of provinces; and the study of the provincial development plan. Sukhothai province has been chosen as the area for study of cultural capital for creating a unique identity for the spa business. This is because Sukhothai province has determined the issues for cultural capital development in the provincial development plan clearly. Also, Sukhothai province has many strong cultural capital points, namely, being a world heritage city, and having outstanding arts and crafts works, such as goldsmith, chinaware, etc. Moreover, it has been selected as a member of the creative cities network for woven fabric products. As for analysis results of topic titles of cultural capital, it is found that Sukhothai province has four topic titles of cultural capital: (1) Happiness, which consists of sufficiency, cultural heritage, and pride; (2) Meticulousness, which consists of production by expert craftsmen, using quality raw materials, and delicacy; (3) Wisdom, which consists of enlightenment, maintenance of original identity, and learning from ancestors’ wisdom; and (4) Community Way, which consists of the integration with the community’s cultural way of life, and the application in daily life.