Abstract
This study aimed to: 1) examine the tourism situation and potential of Khlong Suan 100-Year Market in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions, 2) assess the extent to which tourism development practices align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 11, 12, and 15, and 3) propose place-based policy recommendations for sustainable tourism development. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 230 tourists using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale (IOC = 0.86, Cronbach’s α = 0.94), while qualitative data were obtained from 30 key informants, including community leaders, local entrepreneurs, and government representatives. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-sample t-tests, whereas qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis, SWOT analysis, and the TOWS Matrix.
The findings revealed that all three dimensions of SDGs alignment were perceived at a high level by stakeholders. The social dimension received the highest mean score (M = 4.01, SD = 0.50), followed by the economic dimension (M = 3.97, SD = 0.51) and the environmental dimension (M = 3.92, SD = 0.50). One-sample t-tests confirmed that all dimensions scored significantly above the established threshold for a high level of agreement (p < .001). These findings reflect stakeholder perceptions regarding the extent to which tourism development practices align with SDG principles rather than a direct evaluation of official SDG indicators. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of cultural heritage, multicultural community identity, and community participation as key drivers of sustainable tourism development. SWOT–TOWS analysis informed place-based policy recommendations aimed at strengthening local economic development, cultural heritage conservation, environmental sustainability, and canal ecosystem protection. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the SDGs framework can be integrated with place-based policy to guide sustainable tourism development in heritage communities and historic markets within the Thai context.