Abstract
The transformation of declining craft industries into sustainable tourism assets required moving beyond product-based strategies toward value co-creation frameworks. This study addressed how ceramic heritage could function as a platform for cultural value co-creation through structured creative tourism experiences. Drawing on cultural capital theory and value co-creation perspectives, the research reconceptualised ceramic arts not as static heritage products but as dynamic experiential resources enabling collaborative tourist-community engagement.
Using a mixed-methods design (qualitative stakeholder interviews and tourist survey, n=400) in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, the study developed and empirically validated a sustainable creative tourism route model integrating five co-creative dimensions: Resource Layer, Interpretation Layer, Participation Layer, Co-creation Layer, and Value Realisation Layer. The route strategically connected the Nong Bua Youth Cooperative Group's Benjarong pottery workshops with Ban Kao National Museum, creating a historical-contemporary continuum from archaeological heritage to living craft traditions.
Empirical findings demonstrated high tourist satisfaction across all dimensions (x̅=4.31, S.D.=.42), with cultural interpretation and participatory engagement achieving particularly elevated ratings (x̅=4.45, S.D.=.37). Results indicated that narrative coherence and co-creative participation significantly enhanced perceived cultural value and visitor satisfaction beyond conventional service quality metrics.
The study proposed the DNA-CP Model—Distinctive Identity, Narrative Coherence, Authentic Community Engagement, Co-creation, and Perceived Value—as a theoretical framework for sustainable creative tourism route development. This model advanced tourism management theory by reconceptualizing cultural experiences as collaborative value-creation systems, offering practical guidelines for heritage-based destination innovation, community empowerment, and sustainable regional competitiveness.