Page 110 - The 8th Graduate Integrity Conference Proceeding

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Research Proceedings in The 8 Graduate Integrity Conference: April, 2017

Abstract

The feelings of living in a nostalgic and historic city in Nan province still exist among tourists. Having
numerous religious, arts and cultures places to visit makes Nan become the perfect destination for senior to
urists. As a results, many households in the urban areas have turned their houses into the guesthouses to
facilitate an increasing number of senior tourists. This research aimed to explore examining age friendly design
features in the guesthouses located in the urban areas of Nan that accommodate senior tourists or baby
boomers; to examine opinions and adaptations of entrepreneurs in welcoming senior tourists or baby boomers;
to examine opinions of the senior tourists or baby boomers in terms of design of age friendly design features

for the elders in guesthouses; to suggest recommendations for designing age friendly design features in the
guesthouses for the senior tourists in the urban areas of Nan; and to explore opinions of entrepreneurs and
senior tourists or baby boomers in terms of components that reflect atmosphere of Nan.

This research were qualitative research. Data collection was conducted by examining age friendly
design features for the senior tourists in four guesthouses, including: 1) Ban Ban Nan Nan Library and Guest
home, 2) Huen Nan Nitra Guesthouse, 3) Huen Chang Puak Guesthouse, and 4) Huen Muan Jai Guesthouse.
Four entrepreneurs and ten senior tourists who stayed at these four guesthouses were interviewed. According
to the exploration of the guesthouses, it suggested that there was no basic and additional age friendly design
features in the four guesthouses. The entrepreneurs were aware of the increasing number of senior tourists
or baby boomers who visited and stayed in guesthouses in Nan. Three out of four entrepreneurs altered the

first floor of their guesthouses to the rooms that can assist senior tourists. In the interviews with the senior
tourists who stayed in these guesthouses in terms of the design of age friendly design features, overall the
results revealed that the guesthouses should improve their properties. Their suggestions included: 1) a large
room with the bathroom inside that used non-slippery materials for the floor, a handrail by the toilet bowl, and
separation between wet and dry areas. 2) staircases with non-slippery materials on each step, with two handrails
on both sides of the staircases, and each stair riser should not be higher than 15 cm. 3) floors inside the
guesthouses should be level. However, if the floors were not level, then they should not be higher than 20 cm.

and 4) Increased more white light in the rooms, bathrooms, common rooms. In addition, things that made
the senior tourist felt like being in Nan included, paintings, wood curving, and contemporary styles of the
guesthouses. Floor, ceiling, and wall materials that reminded them of Nan atmosphere were wood floor, wood
wall with Thai style, and wood ceiling, respectively

Keywords: Guesthouse, Senior Tourists, Design to Accommodate Seniors

1. บทน�า

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เมืองน่านมีแหล่งท่องเท่ยวทางศิลปวัฒนธรรมและศาสนาท่มีศักยภาพสูง จึงเป็นเมืองท่เหมาะกับนักท่องเท่ยวสูงวัย
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ส่งผลให้บ้านหลายหลังในเมืองน่านมีการปรับปรุงเป็นเกสท์เฮ้าส์ เพ่อรองรับนักท่องเท่ยวสูงวัยท่นิยมเข้ามาท่องเท่ยวมากข้น
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นักท่องเที่ยวกลุ่มเบบี้บูมเมอร์ คือ เป็นประชากรรุ่นผู้ใหญ่ คือ ผู้ที่เกิดอยู่ระหว่างปี พ.ศ. 2489-2507 (ในปี พ.ศ. 2560
คนกลุ่มนี้จะอยู่ในช่วงอายุ 57-74 ปี) เป็นกลุ่มที่มีศักยภาพในการใช้จ่าย คือ ผู้ที่มีเงินสด เงินเก็บในมือและพร้อมจะใช้จ่าย
(พรนิภา หาญมะโน, 2558) มีความรู้มากขึ้น เริ่มใช้อินเทอร์เน็ตเป็น ดูแลตัวเองได้ ท�าให้มีความสามารถเดินทางท่องเที่ยว
ผลงานวิจัยในโครงการประชุมวิชาการระดับบัณฑิตศึกษา
105 คณะสถาปัตยกรรมศาสตร์ สจล.