Abstract

A policy exists to develop ecotourism in the Phi Phi Islands, Krabi Province, Thailand; however, there is no interpretive program to support it. This research sets out to record the legends of the Phi Phi Islands, to develop these legends into a self-guiding booklet and to evaluate the booklet for better environmental interpretation outcomes. The two stages of data collection were as follows: first, a combination of in-depth interviews with 11 interviewees, a review of the literature, an observation and field notes; and second, a questionnaire, used to evaluate the self-guiding booklet, from 45 tourists, 207 registered travel agencies, and two related organisations. The results found that the Phi Phi Island legends developed about five themes, 1. Phi Phi Island: Legends of the Island, 2. The land of resources prior to world-class tourism, 3. Transportation by local ancient boat, 4. King Rama IX’s visit and, 5. Gypsies are new Thai people. This booklet had high levels of applicability in its context, reading, style, and price. However, the booklet should be improved in context, booklet style, colour, pictures, font size, international interpretation, pricing, mapping, and dissemination. These recommendations will be considered while the interpreter further develops the self-guiding booklet for interpretive experiences.