What is Community-based Tourism and How It Can Preserve Local Culture

by Muqbil Ahmar | May 26, 2021 | Ecofriendly products , Home , News , Travel | 0 comments

There is an interesting trend catching up among tourists worldwide and it is called community-based tourism. This is actually a kind of sustainable tourism or ecotourism, through which local residents invite travellers to visit or rather to stay in their own communities. This is done with the intent to provide a true understanding of local culture as well as traditions. Such communities are most often rural, struggling economically, or in some regions living below the poverty line. Community-based tourism (CBT) provides them with the opportunity to take ownership of their area’s tourism and its industry in the form of managers, entrepreneurs, service providers as well as employees. Most importantly, this ensures most of the times that the economic benefits are directly contributing to the welfare of local families and that they stay within the community, as a whole.

Definition and Principles of Community-Based Tourism

In the year 2019, travel as well as the tourism industry contributed to one in four new jobs created globally, whereas international visitor spending was $1.7 trillion or 6.8 per cent of the total imports, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Many more surveys show that the travellers are becoming increasingly interested in sustainable travel trends and are quite willing to support small businesses and communities. According to another international poll of travellers in countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, it found that as much as 68 per cent of them are more aware of sustainable travel companies, whereas as many as 72 per cent want to help boost the tourism revenue of local economies of destinations that they visit.

Whereas the CBT is a kind of sustainable tourism, it, however, differs from voluntourism and ecotourism. The CBT is meant for benefitting communities and environments as a whole, rather than just focusing specifically on charity or nature. From a traveller’s perspective, the CBT offers the unique opportunity to immerse in the local culture as well as participate whole-heartedly in a unique tourism experience.

According to Responsible Travel, which is a United Kingdom-based activism company and one that has fostered sustainable travel opportunities since the year 2001, the CBT has the potential to enable a tourist to discover culture and wildlife that they may not have otherwise experienced in the conventional travel modes.

“For many tourists, there is hardly anything like bridging centuries of modern development and making a connection with people whose lives are so different from our own,” the company says. “Those privileged to have visited would have discovered traditional communities often have far more to teach us about our own society and our own lives than we can teach them about our own world.”

Community-based tourism is often developed by a destination’s local or regional government, but it can also receive help from nonprofit organizations, private funds, community members or partnerships with travel companies. Many a time, community-based tourism projects are a runaway success story due to cooperation between a community and tourism experts.

For instance, in the Madi Valley of Nepal in the Shivadwar Village, the local community reached out to the nonprofit organization World Wildlife Fund ( WWF Nepal ) for assistance in the year 2015. Wild animals, which were residing in the renowned Chitwan National Park, were creating problems for the surrounding villages by wandering into agricultural lands and damaging crops, thus limiting incomes as well as employment opportunities for the locals who were living in the popular national park’s buffer zone. The WWF Nepal applied for funding through the Business Partnership Platform and tied up with the travel company Intrepid in order to help the village develop a sustainable community-based tourism project. Today, as many as thirteen out of 34 homes in the village function as homestays, with the incomes directly going and contributing to families.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Community-based Tourism

When local community members witness tourists spending money to experience traditional life, they feel empowered and this helps them keep mass exploitative tourism from entering into their own communities. Nevertheless, each and every situation is unique in its own right and there could always be room for other advantages as well as disadvantages.

Advantage: Community-based Tourism Stimulates Economy

A successful Community-based Tourism program can distribute benefits equally and equitably to participants. This also leads to the diversification of the local job market. Even those community members who are not directly employed or involved with such homestays could also act as helpers and guides. They could supply goods, provide meals or carry out other tourism related jobs. In fact, women in such communities are quite often responsible for various homestay components of the tourism program. Thus, CBT can indeed help create new and novel spaces for women and help them to take up leadership roles. They could even run own businesses in a lot of under-developed communities.

Disadvantage: Room for Benefit Leakage

However, benefit leakage can happen when money that is getting generated by an industry, for example the tourism industry, leaves the host community and ends up somewhere else. As per a report on the Muen Ngoen Kong Community of Chiang Mai, Thailand, some of the community members had felt that the profit from such type tourism may not always filter down to local economy and that the cost they incurred had far outweighed the benefits. In such cases, those locally owned small businesses were also seen operating against stronger and more competitive international competitors.

Advantage: Environmental Conservation

Community-based Tourism can help to create alternative sources of income for the local communities and this implies lesser economic and financial dependence on other industries which could harm an area’s biodiversity like illegal poaching or logging. Members of the local community of Chi Phat Commune in Cambodia, for example, actually went from totally relying and depending on logging and tree felling inside the Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains in order to generate new income through the means of sustainable family run eco-tourism businesses with help from the  Wildlife Alliance .

Disadvantage: Community-based Tourism May Not Always Be Successful

If the Community-based Tourism project does not have a management strategy from the start itself or have a clear vision, it could run the risk of failing in its objectives. This can be catastrophic for under-developed communities which have invested money, time, or energy in the Community-based Tourism project. Successful CBT projects, however, are able to bring together communities if they work in tandem with tourism experts, particularly those who know and understand how to operate and function in such unique situations.

Advantage: CBT Can Preserve Cultures and Traditions

Employment prospects in the CBT do not just provide members with social skills as well as training in the communities but it can also prevent the young generation from leaving their community in search of employment opportunities and prevent them from seeking work in bigger cities. However, at the same time, a community can recognize and benefit from commercial as well as social values that ecotourism places on their natural heritage and cultural traditions, and also help in fostering conservation of such valuable resources even more.

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Tourism Beast

Community Based Tourism

Community based tourism is not a new concept; it is most likely the oldest way of conduction tourism. Community: Community can be defined as a group of people living together in a particular area and has common culture, traditions, fairs and festivals etc. The community is also a social group of people that shares common values. “A community by definition implies people with some type of collective responsibility and the ability to make decisions by consultant our bodies. A bunch or community of individuals who’re related ( objectively ) to one another by comparatively sturdy social relations that stretch past rapid genealogical ties , and who mutually outline that relationship subjectively ) as essential to their social identification and social follow”. In varied instances they’re farmers, artisans, fisherman and different tribes dwelling in distant and effectively conserved natural area. Community based tourism is not a type of tourism that put emphasis on increasing profits for the stakeholders but also more concerned about the various negative impacts of tourism activity on the local communities and natural resources available at the destination. “Community based tourism is tourism that takes environmental, social and cultural sustainability into consideration. It’s owned and managed by the neighborhood, for the neighborhood, with the aim of enabling visitors to extend their awareness and learn in regards to the community and native ways of life”

Community based Tourism

Community based Tourism emerges from the community development strategies and utilizing tourism as a tool to strengthen and Community based tourism is defined as a tourism in which local people invites the tourists to visit their communities and exhibits the unique culture, traditions, dances and art and crafts to the tourists and offers a facility of overnight stay with the local residents.

Encourage the ability of local residents’ organizations that manages available tourism resources at a particular destination. Community based tourism is defined as an activity in which local people offers the opportunities to the tourists to visit their communities and offers a facility of overnight stay along with local residents.

“Community based mostly tourism (CBT) is a community improvement tool that strengthens the ability of rural communities to manage tourism assets whereas ensuring the local community’s participation. Community based tourism is socially sustainable tourism which is initiated and nearly all the time operated exclusively by local people.

Shared leadership emphasizing community well being over an individual profit, balances power within local communities and encourages traditional culture, conservation and responsible stewardship of the land. Community Based Tourism (CBT) is tourism activity, community owned and operated, and managed or coordinated at the community level that contributes to the well-being of communities through supporting sustainable livelihoods and protecting valued socio-cultural traditions and natural and cultural heritage resources.”

Local people earn income as an entrepreneur, service providers and employees and also by working as land managers. The small share of income of tourist is to keep aside for the projects which provide benefits to the local communities. Community based tourism helps and provides an opportunity to experience and discover local wildlife and habitats and respects local culture and traditions and celebrate the local fairs and festivals along with the local communities. The local community will be aware about the positive and negative impacts of tourism on the cultural heritage and natural resources of the destination and this will encourage the local communities to conserve the available resources at the destination.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

Various elements of Community based Tourism are as following:

a. Natural and Cultural Resources

Conservation of available natural resources

Local resident’s economy and production should be on sustainable principles and

Every destination has its own unique culture and traditions.

b. Local Community Organizations

The Elders of the community hold the knowledge of traditional values and practices.

The community itself wanted to participate in the development process and they also have the knowledge about the right and wrong.

c. Management of Tourism Business • There are well set rules by the community for management of cultural, environmental and social tourism. • Fairly distributed the benefits to locals as well as stakeholders. • A percentage of profits from tourism are used for the economic and social development of the community.

d. Learning • Encouraging shared learning process between local residents and tourists. • Understanding of various cultures and their life styles. • Tourist and the local community must be aware about the importance of conservation of cultural and nature based resources.

OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

There are various principles listed below presents the concept of Community Based Tourism and the way in which the local residents can use tourism for the development of community. Community Based Tourism Should: • Promote Community Pride. • Identify and encourage most of ownership of tourism business by community. • Involvement of local residents from the beginning. • Enhance the life style and quality of life. • Encourage ecological sustainability. • Conserve the local area culture and traditions. • Encourage Cross-cultural learning. • Respect the other cultures and traditions and human dignity. • Fair distribution of benefits among the local residents.

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

Some characteristics of community based tourism highlighted by UNWTO and UNEP are as following: • Involving the appreciation of nature and cultures existing in the local natural areas as a part of the tourist experience. • Minimizing the impacts which results in degradations of natural and socio- cultural environment of the area. • Encouraging the preservation of social, cultural and natural attractions and also at the same time making economic benefits. • Increased employment opportunities to local residents. • Tourist and locals are more aware and focused about the sustainable development. • To strengthens local organizations by local initiatives and local people. • Promotes land ownership by the local population. • Hosting tourist in local community • Managing the tourism scheme communally.

Community based Tourism

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

Community based tourism put emphasis on active participation of local community in tourism planning, management and empowerment of local people in the tourism opportunity. Need of Community Based Tourism The need to Community based tourism is as following: • To minimize the negative impacts of tourism activity at the local destination. • To educate and aware about the sustainability. • To encourage the interest in Sustainable development. • To provide employment opportunities to the local residents.

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Advantages and disadvantages of community based tourism, a. advantages.

Various advantages of community based tourism are as following:

  • Creating Jobs opportunities The community based tourism helps to generate the no. of jobs opportunities for the local residents.
  • Opportunity for the local residents to sell their Arts and Crafts Another advantage of Community Based Tourism is to give an opportunity to the local resident to sell their local arts and crafts to the tourist.
  • Avoiding Emigration The major advantage of Community Based Tourism is to avoid Emigration of local residents by providing them job opportunities at the local destination.
  • Preserving Culture Another major advantage of the Community Based Tourism is that it helps to preserve the local culture of the destination.
  • Honoring Traditional Knowledge The advantage of Community based tourism is to honor the traditional knowledge of the local communities through demonstrations, classes, walks and presentations.
  • Mitigation Environmental Impact To mitigate the environmental impact at the local destination is an advantage of community based tourism.
  • Learning about local culture during talks with the locals Community based tourism gives an opportunity to learn about the local culture during talks with the locals.
  • Learning to cook local style Community based tourism provides an opportunity to learn about the techniques to cook food local style at the particular destination.
  • Encourage demonstration of traditional Arts Community based tourism helps to encourage the demonstration of traditional Arts at the local destination.
  • Sustaining the livelihood of the local residents Sustaining the livelihood of the local residents is the advantage of community based tourism.
  • Building strong and vibrant communities Another advantage of the community based tourism is to build strong and vibrant communities at the tourist destination.
  • Delivering the authentic experience to the visitors Delivering the authentic and unique experience to the visitor at the destination is one of the major advantages of community based tourism
  • Create an understanding between tourists and local residents Community based tourism is to create an understanding between tourists and local residents.
  • Create long term opportunities and Economic prosperity The advantage of community based tourism is to create long term opportunities and economic prosperity.
  • Income generation by Employment The advantage is generation of income by employment.

B. Disadvantages of Community Based Tourism

These are few disadvantages of Community Based Tourism are as following:

  • Adds greatly to the cost of tourism planning and development: The major disadvantage of community based tourism is that it adds upon the cost of tourism planning and development.
  • Lengthens the period needed to develop tourism plans: The disadvantage of community based tourism is that it lengthens the period needed to develop the tourism plans at the particular destination.
  • Majority local community can discriminate against local ethnic minority groups: Majority local community can discriminate against local ethnic minority groups is another major disadvantage of community based tourism.

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What Is Community-Based Tourism? Definition and Popular Destinations

CBT provides communities with the opportunity to play a lead role in their own tourism industries.

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Community-based tourism is a type of sustainable tourism where residents invite travelers to visit or stay in their communities with the intent to provide an authentic experience of the local culture and traditions. These communities are often rural, economically struggling, or living below the poverty line, and community-based tourism (CBT) gives them the opportunity to take full ownership of their area’s individualized tourist industry as entrepreneurs, managers, service providers, and employees. Most importantly, it ensures that the economic benefits go directly towards local families and stay within the community.

Community-Based Tourism Definition and Principles

In 2019, travel and tourism accounted for one in four new jobs created worldwide, while international visitor spending amounted to $1.7 trillion, or 6.8% of total imports, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Surveys show that travelers are becoming more interested in sustainable travel trends and supporting small businesses and unique communities. An American Express poll of travelers in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and the U.K. found that 68% plan to be more aware of sustainable travel companies, while 72% want to help boost tourism revenue in the local economies of the destinations they visit.

While CBT is a form of sustainable tourism, it differs slightly from ecotourism and voluntourism . Rather than focusing specifically on nature or charity, CBT is meant to benefit the community and its environments as a whole. From the traveler’s perspective, CBT offers the chance to immerse oneself in local culture and participate in a completely unique tourism experience.

Responsible Travel , a UK-based activism company that has fostered sustainable travel opportunities since 2001, says that CBT can enable tourists to discover cultures and wildlife they might not have experienced in traditional travel situations. “For many, there is nothing like bridging centuries of modern development and making a connection with people whose lives are so very different to our own,” the organization writes. “And those of us privileged enough to have visited, and listened properly, will have discovered that traditional communities often have far more to teach us about our society and our lives than we can teach them about our world.”

CBT is often developed by the destination’s local government but can also get assistance from nonprofits, other community members, private funding, or even partnerships with travel companies. Most of the time, community-based tourism projects are successful due to cooperation between the community and some kind of tourism expert.

For example, in Madi Valley, Nepal, the Shivadwar Village community reached out to the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund ( WWF Nepal ) for help in 2015. The wild animals living in the famous Chitwan National Park were causing issues for the surrounding villages by wandering into their agricultural lands and damaging crops, limiting income and employment opportunities for the residents living in the popular national park’s buffer zone . WWF Nepal was able to apply for funding through their Business Partnership Platform and partnered up with travel company Intrepid to help the village develop a community-based tourism project. Today, 13 out of the 34 homes in Shivadwar Village operate as homestays, with the income going directly to the families.

Pros and Cons

When community members see that tourists are spending money to experience their traditional ways of life, it can empower them to help keep mass exploitative tourism from entering their communities. However, each situation is unique, and there is always room for advantages and disadvantages.

Pro: CBT Stimulates the Economy

A successful CBT program distributes benefits equally to all participants and also diversifies the local job market . Even community members not directly involved with homestays may also act as guides, provide meals, supply goods, or perform other tourism-related jobs. Women in the community are often responsible for the homestay components of a tourism program, so CBT can help create new spaces for women to take on leadership positions and even run their own businesses in underdeveloped communities.

Con: There’s a Potential for Benefit Leaking

Economic leakage happens when money generated by a certain industry, in this case tourism, leaves the host country and ends up elsewhere. According to a study conducted in the Muen Ngoen Kong Community of Chiang Mai, Thailand, some community members felt that “profit from tourism often does not filter down to the local economy and the costs they incurred far outweigh the benefits.” In this case, locally owned small businesses were also operating against stronger international competitors.

Pro: Environmental Conservation

CBT can help create alternative income for communities and less economic dependence on industries that can harm the region’s biodiversity, such as illegal logging or poaching. Members of the Chi Phat Commune in Cambodia, for example, went from relying on logging within Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains to generating income through sustainable family-run ecotourism businesses with help from the Wildlife Alliance .

Con: It’s Not Always Successful

If the CBT project doesn’t have a clear vision or management strategy from the start, it runs the risk of failing, which could be catastrophic for an underdeveloped community that has already invested time, money, or energy into the project. Successful CBT projects bring communities together with tourism experts who know how to operate in these unique situations.

Pro: CBT Can Help Preserve Cultures

Employment opportunities in CBT don't only provide members with valuable social skills and training, but also can prevent younger generations from leaving their own communities in search of work in larger cities. At the same time, the community will recognize the commercial and social values that tourism places on their natural heritage and cultural traditions, helping foster the conservation of these resources even further.

Community-Based Tourism Destinations

Thanks to the increasing popularity of sustainable tourism and greater accessibility to resources like the internet, small communities and travel experts are continuing to come together to create successful CBT programs.

Chalalan Ecolodge, Bolivia

The Chalalan Ecolodge is a joint indigenous community tourism initiative of the rainforest community of San José de Uchupiamonas and Conservation International (CI) in the Bolivian Amazon. Created in 1995 by a group of villagers and supported by CI through training in skills like management, housekeeping, and tour guiding, Chalalan is the oldest community-based enterprise in Bolivia. By February 2001, the indigenous community received full ownership of the property from CI and now directly supports 74 families.

Korzok, India

Known as the highest permanent civilization on Earth, Korzok village in Ladakh, India, rests at an altitude of 15,000 feet. Although the main source of income for most families here comes from pashmina, the village has developed a CBT model based on homestays with younger community members earning jobs as porters, cooks, and tour guides. During the tourist season from June to September, the occupancy rate for homestays is 80%, earning each family an average of $700 to $1,200 during those four months. For comparison, the average yearly income from pashmina ranges between $320 and $480, making CBT much more lucrative.

Tamchy, Kyrgyzstan

The Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan has fully embraced CBT as a tool for growth. The Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association has developed 15 different diverse CBT programs around the country, helping to organize and train remote mountain communities in tourism to help improve their economies and living conditions. One of the most successful is the tiny village of Tamchy, found right next to Issyk-Kul, the biggest lake in Kyrgyzstan and one of the largest mountain lakes in the world. The people of Tamchy welcome tourists to stay with them in traditional yurts and homestays while learning about the unique culture there.

Termas de Papallacta, Ecuador

Back in 1994, a group of six Ecuadorians from the small village of Papallacta village in Napo Province purchased a property that included natural thermal pools. The village is on the road to the Amazon from Quito, so it was a popular route but without much draw for tourism outside of that. The property started as a small spa and accommodation space for travelers but has since grown into the country’s most popular thermal wellness resort and one of the largest employers in the area. Termas de Papallacta also runs an independent foundation that helps train the local community in environmental issues and is certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

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Book cover

Handbook of Tourism and Quality-of-Life Research pp 547–564 Cite as

Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Development

  • Amir Shani 4 &
  • Abraham Pizam 5  
  • First Online: 01 January 2011

4827 Accesses

14 Citations

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Community participation (CP) is a vital component of sustainable tourism development and is advocated as a means to achieve both planning-oriented and community-oriented objectives. This chapter reviews critical issues in CP and its link with local residents’ quality-of-life while discussing pathways and pitfalls in the effective implementation of CP. Based on previous studies and past community participation initiatives, the chapter outlines recommendations for the successful integration of CP in tourism planning, including the need to match the proper CP techniques to the CP objectives. One of the important conclusions of the chapter is that despite the potential of CP in securing the interests of local residents, as well as in supporting tourism development projects, CP might not be the recommended course of action in all cases and should be carefully planned and adjusted to specific destinations, communities, and circumstances. The chapter also includes suggestions for future research on CP in tourism planning and development, including the need to develop comprehensive indicators for measuring the effectiveness of CP programs, which will evaluate both the outcomes of the CP programs, as well as the CP process itself. The need to explore the prospects of Internet-based CP in future programs is also discussed.

  • Local Resident
  • Community Participation
  • Tourism Development
  • Tourism Destination
  • Psychological Empowerment

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Shani, A., Pizam, A. (2012). Community Participation in Tourism Planning and Development. In: Uysal, M., Perdue, R., Sirgy, M. (eds) Handbook of Tourism and Quality-of-Life Research. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2288-0_32

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Resident’s Perspective on Developing Community-Based Tourism – A Qualitative Study of Muen Ngoen Kong Community, Chiang Mai, Thailand

1 Department of Leisure Industry Management, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

Pidpong Janta

2 Department of Business Administration, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

Associated Data

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) has been presented as an alternative to sustaining tourism development in developing countries. This tourism model offers local residents an opportunity to manage natural and cultural resources in order to promote the local economy and generate greater benefits. The objective of the study is to investigate the benefits and challenges of CBT as well as solutions to address identified shortcomings by studying Muen Ngoen Kong community in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In order to achieve these objectives, qualitative methods, field observations, and interviews were employed, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the field observation and interview data from local residents were reported, analyzed, and discussed. To practice CBT, the findings indicated that several challenges had been experienced in the implementation of CBT, including conflict over resource ownership and benefit leaking, financial issues, and problems of community participation. However, an abundance of tourism resources and security related concerns were identified as benefits of CBT in the area. In close collaboration with government agencies, product development was recommended to create a unique condition for CBT and address the shortcomings. It is crucial to involve local residents, empower the local community, conserve and cultivate cultural resources, and, finally, to maintain the overall sustainability of tourism resources.

Introduction

Changes in tourist behaviors.

In recent decades, tourist behavior has begun to change as tourists seek a new inexperienced approach to destinations, where they can experience local culture and involve themselves in their travels. Therefore, their intent to travel is not only to explore new existing destinations, but also culture, ethics, ancient indigenous remains, and local history in which they can go beyond ordinary travels and have authentic and meaningful experiences based on personal perceptions. Likewise, from a tourism perspective, as tourism has become an activity to serve travel purposes and boost a country’s economy, it also allows local communities to offer an opportunity for the tourists to learn and enjoy their culture, promoting their own heritage and historical story ( López-Guzmán et al., 2011 ). Based on the basis of initiatives and the management of natural and cultural resources, the local community must be the one who serves tourists a tourism product; however, by doing that, it also brings limits of tourism improvement to the local community. Considering these aspects, the local community has increasingly been recognized as important in tourism development and in the future direction of tourism ( Butler and Pearce, 2003 ; Mason, 2003 ; Telfer and Sharpley, 2007 ).

Since the 1980s, tourism literature has observed that a basic key resource in tourist sustainability is involvement and inclusion of local residents in local communities ( Hardy et al., 2002 ). Community participation is considered as one of the most necessary tools for rural community development. Woodley (1993) ensures that community participation creates sustainability and better opportunities for local residents by generating valuable benefits from tourism in local residents’ locality. Tosun (2006) added that tourism promotes the conservation of local resources and offers employment opportunities, tourism revenue, and infrastructure improvement ( Liu and Var, 1986 ; Mehta and Kellert, 1998 ; Archer et al., 2001 ; Lindberg, 2001 ). Participation at a local level is primarily required to develop tourism planning and secure community economic growth ( Murphy, 1985 ), which leads to local economic development, by influencing business, industries, and job opportunities in communities ( Roseland and Connelly, 2005 ). To promote community participation, the concept of sustainable development has been called for improvement of life quality in the communities. This concept emphasizes and relies on issues of social quality and environmental responsibility. For this reason, the development gives residents with different levels of income and skills opportunities and provides them with a better quality of life, and, more importantly, provides their locality with environmental protection ( Roseland and Connelly, 2005 ). Local participation encourages community empowerment and involvement in decision-making, as well as identification of local problems and difficulties ( France, 2003 ). Lea (1988) points out that tourism will make local residents feel less valued if they are not empowered and fully participate in tourism developments. Consequently, sustainable outcome from tourism will be less likely to be generated ( Lea, 1988 ). Perhaps, local resident’s potential and local knowledge increases the possibility that community involvement can be of major importance in tourism development. Essentially, the participation of the local community is important in this industry as it ensures that tourists get a memorable, unforgettable visiting experience and enables the community to gain benefits from the their visits at the same time. Residents offer helpful supporting data in decision-making processes due to their local knowledge; therefore, tourism planning and development must utilize resident’s potential and encourage local involvement. Opportunities to access markets and grow businesses in communities can be created by doing so, thus offering job opportunities and poverty reduction in rural areas.

Tourist Behavior in Thailand

The context for this study is Thailand, which is known as the second largest economy in Southeast Asia. Its high ratio of revenue is in relation to the informal economy ( Çakmak et al., 2018 ). Thailand has witnessed an increasing number of tourists in recent years. With over 73 million visitors in 2017 ( Tourism Statistics 2017”, 2017 ), Thailand has become a popular travel destination for tourists all over the world. Chinese tourists in particular are attracted to the country, especially after the launch of the movie “Lost in Thailand” which was filmed in many cities in Thailand. In this sense, Chinese tourists have become and are considered as the largest group of tourists visiting Thailand. According to Tourism Statistic in 2019 ( Domestic Tourism Statistics (Classify by region and province 2019), 2019 ), there were 1.1 million tourists who visited Chiang Mai in January, in which 28.5% of them were foreign tourists. The number of tourists visiting Chiang Mai has increased since last year by 1.11% ( Domestic Tourism Statistics (Classify by region and province 2019), 2019 ). With the increasing number of tourists over recent years, Chiang Mai, once unpopular among tourists, has been rapidly explored by new groups of visitors. Chiang Mai, literally described as “a new city in the former time,” is the second largest city in Thailand. The city has the busiest international airport in Thailand’s northern part and contains a variety of natural resources, unique cultural heritage sites, and popular adventurer destinations, which attract international tourists. This city without a doubt attracts migrants from surrounding rural areas and neighboring countries. This phenomenon, both in number and choice of natural and cultural destinations, increasingly suggests a new trend in tourist behavior in Thailand.

The sections below are organized as follows. Section “Literature Review” introduces the concept of community tourism as an alternative means of tourism in developing countries, as well as in Thailand, and its related previous studies. Section “Methodology” presents the research design, data collection, and methods, interviewees’ profiles, and description of the research site. Section “Results” provides the findings of key concepts and themes derived from interviews. Sections “Discussion,” “Conclusion,” and “Suggestion for Future Studies” include explanations of the research site’s current circumstance, benefits, and challenges toward tourism development from both the community committee and local perspectives, and suggestions for future research.

Literature Review

Community-based tourism.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) has been presented as an alternative means to traditional mass tourism in developing countries, and is developed as a community development tool that aids communities in taking control over tourism management and development and deliver benefits to the communities which are generated by tourism activities ( Trejos and Chiang, 2009 ). Additionally, CBT as a community development tool helps to strengthen and empower remote communities by assisting in tourism resource management and ensuring community participation ( Jamal and Getz, 1995 ; Travel, 2009 ).

Concept of CBT

The concept of CBT was first presented in Murphy’s work ( Murphy, 1985 ) in which it is presented as directly related to community tourism in developing countries and was developed further to a greater extent by Murphy in 2004 ( Murphy and Murphy, 2004 ). The concept, in accompaniment with other existing works, advanced research and opportunities for tourism development in rural areas. There are other existing models of tourism, including Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT), that aids specific remote areas in poverty reduction by generating net benefits, and Community Benefit Tourism Initiatives (CBTIs) that helps distribute and transfer benefits to communities through tourism initiatives without control of projects ( Simpson, 2008 ), as well as Donor-Assisted Community-Based Tourism (DACBT; Harrison and Schipani, 2007 ) that alleviates community poverty by promoting subsistence economies and maximizing the use of natural resources in order to obtain benefits and create community enterprises for further income. In sum, the abovementioned works paved a line of initiatives necessary for communities to manage and control tourism planning and development due to residents participating in tourism activities in their own local communities, and offering tourism products which the tourists are seeking and help to determine the number of tourists visiting the area.

Importance of CBT

Considering tourism as an optional tool to strengthen local economies, CBT becomes a poverty reduction tool that aids local community in various ways, such as by offering educational opportunities, environment conservation and income-generating activities ( Cooperation, 2014 ). Hence, principles and mechanisms for developing CBT are mainstream ( Bramwell and Sharman, 1999 ). Although CBT can increase benefits for the community and reduce negative impacts obtained from the use of community resources, CBT calls for an effective long-term plan. Hence, a tourism project should firstly perform by empowering local communities in rural areas in order to advance their potential and utilize their land and resources for community development ( Mearns, 2003 ). Thus, with respect to this kind of tourism, possible solutions have emerged in order to deal with the negative impacts and problems of mass tourism in developing countries, consequently, to be future-oriented toward development planning for community improvement.

Objectives of CBT

The main purpose of CBT is to include local communities in tourism by managing tourism resources and by providing further fundamental infrastructure such as accommodation, restaurants, and additional services to host tourists. Simultaneously, further elements should be added to the communities, such as healthcare, transport systems, and learning and training sites or providers ( López-Guzmán et al., 2011 ). Following on from Hiwasaki (2006) , CBT typically has four objectives. (1) Conservation of resources: sustaining the environment and bringing about positive impacts on both natural and cultural resources in the area through tourism. Consequently, tourism creates value. (2) Social and economic development: delivering a new approach to local economic development, in which costs and benefits are equitably distributed to residents participating in tourism activities. (3) Empowerment and ownership: increasing empowerment and ownership which is recognized by local communities by allowing local residents to participate in appropriate tourism planning and management. (4) Quality visitor experience: ensuring tourists partake in authentic and meaningful experiences through social and environmental responsibility.

Previous Studies

As Table 1 illustrates, academic literature shows that many CBT projects have been introduced in Africa ( Briedenhann and Wickens, 2004 ; Lepp, 2007 ; Manyara and Jones, 2007 ; Novelli and Gebhardt, 2007 ; Kibicho, 2008 ; Sebele, 2010 ), Asia ( Hiwasaki, 2006 ; Nyaupane et al., 2006 ; Harrison and Schipani, 2007 ; Okazaki, 2008 ; Harris, 2009 ; Yang and Wall, 2009 ), Latin America ( de Holan and Phillips, 1997 ; Zorn and Farthing, 2007 ; Trejos and Chiang, 2009 ), and Oceania ( Dyer et al., 2003 ).

Academic literature in many CBT projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.

Generally, local communities suffer from a lack of financial resources to support project initiatives, probably due to the level of host involvement in management and the degree of economic leakage and local control. There may be conflicts between different actors involved in tourism areas where the local government is involved ( Nyaupane et al., 2006 ), which results in inadequate community priorities ( Manyara and Jones, 2007 ). In this sense, CBT helps avoid the conflicts by enabling coordination between several different types of policy and creating unity for exchanging knowledge and thoughts between all members of the community ( Kibicho, 2008 ). Finally, one sensitive controversial issue in academic literature concerns the number of tourists who visit the area. The number of tourists can vary based on travel style which depends on motivation, development of destination, event selection criteria, and involvement ( Priporas et al., 2018 ). Nyaupane et al. (2006) added that fewer tourists is better because it allows a greater degree of interplay with valuable community resources, such as living culture and heritage, and prevents interference in private areas of the local culture from tourists. However, it is important to note that income generated by tourism with fewer visitors will be limited.

As tourists are seeking activities they are inexperienced in the locality ( Valek and Fotiadis, 2018 ), CBT brings benefits for the communities in a variety of ways. In practice, CBT fulfills what tourists are seeking by allowing them to understand and learn about community culture and traditional lifestyles and to interact with resources of the communities. In the meantime, this event generates income for the communities and also generates tourism income for the communities. Community participation has been praised for its effective community development and is also a major key factor in successful CBT. This is emphasized by a study that showed when level of participation in an activity increases, the participants receive greater benefits generated from such an activity ( Chen et al., 2020 ). According to Tosun (2000) , community participation principles promote sustainable tourism development, provide employment opportunities for locals, and subsequently, produce greater outcomes for development taking place in the locality. In fact, unless the involved effort has reflected benefits, the community will be unlikely to participate ( Murphree, 2005 ). This is also found in a study by Lea (1988) that showed tourism will not reflect back benefits and is less likely to generate sustainable outcomes if resident empowerment and participation fail to take into account the decision-making process of tourism development.

Benefits and Challenges of CBT

Community-Based Tourism is an alternative optimal means for conserving natural and cultural resources and developing tourism projects. It is one of the potentially viable options to tactically sustain local livelihoods and eradicate poverty, as well as address the existing global challenges of tourism development ( Timothy and Tosun, 2003 ). The benefits of CBT are differentiated based on current community conditions and can be seen in various perspectives such as economic profits, environmental protection, and quality of life. One of its goals is to create jobs and economic security in communities ( Tamir, 2015 ). Jobs such as guides, travel agents, security guards, and cleaners are especially indicated in employment and even unskilled workers will be hired as CBT raises the need. Sebele (2010) stated that as long as there is waged employment in the locality, community members eradicate poverty and lift their standard of living.

Furthermore, the core of CBT is active community participation which bring about a positive impact on community resources and is considered as a development strategy that responds to community needs ( Tosun, 2000 ). Choi and Sirakaya (2006) stated that communities can take control over their resources and manage tourism activity after the communities have accomplished tourism development. As a result, the communities obtain a greater benefit. When using tourism to call for community development, it is reliable in principle, but in practice, it faces some challenges ( Scheyvens, 2002 ) and these must be identified in an initial stage of planning to ensure the possibility of success. A challenge can be related to the heterogeneous nature of communities or community members, for instance, class, gender, and ethical factors, which may negatively affect the intention of participation. Scheyvens ( Scheyvens, 2002 ), identified that inadequate resources, information, and consultation to make an effective engagement with stakeholders can lead to vulnerability in tourism. Financial risks are always an initially significant factor for business success or failure in communities ( Korol and Spyridou, 2020 ). When finance is unavailable at a local level, communities will lose their own control of resources to outside enterprises ( Scheyvens, 2002 ). It is noted that in order to anticipate the vulnerabilities and prepare backup plans, a financial warning system is essential for business ( Korol and Spyridou, 2020 ).

CBT in Thailand

The interests in experiencing the traditional way of life and cultural heritage along with the interests in improving the socio-economic status of local communities, many of which are rural and socioeconomically marginalized, have led to the development and promotion of CBT. In Thailand, several local destinations offer tourism in the form of CBT and related tourism structures such as homestay and agro-tourism. For decades, CBT in Thailand has been developed to create opportunities for sustainable development and address financial shortages in communities through participation enhancement. Since then, CBT enterprises have been established in many parts of Thailand. Some destinations were reported to have successfully aided in local communities in achieving the basis of CBT, while many did not ( Boonratana, 2009 ). Essentially, Boonratana (2009) had reported observations that a number of tourist destinations knowingly or unknowingly do not implement the ideals and principals of CBT. The same study also indicated that several destinations and product and service developments are managed by a few community members or by external businesses with little or no participation from the local communities, which results in a loss of control. In Thailand, the terms of “homestay” and “community-based ecotourism” are often used synonymously. CBT, community tourism, and ecotourism are frequently labeled as “One Tambon One Product.” Nonetheless, any form of tourism in Thailand associated with local communities is regarded as CBT and community-based ecotourism. Suansri (2003) summarized the implementation of CBT and relevant terms in Thailand as complex and confusing, and that CBT in Thailand is lacking a standardized terminology.

Methodology

Research design and methods.

As Figure 1 illustrates, this study employed a qualitative research design, relying on field observation and interviews. As the value of qualitative research is increasingly being recognized, qualitative methodologies intend to generate knowledge grounded in human experiences ( Sandelowski, 2004 ). These kinds of methods can offer insights to the question of why people engage in particular actions ( Rosenthal, 2016 ) and be used when analyzing large qualitative data sets. It is imperative to conduct this analysis in a rigorous and methodical manner to obtain meaningful and useful results ( Attride-Stirling, 2001 ).

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Research methodology employed in the study.

Two types of primary data collection are administered: one focuses on a self-administered field observation taking place in the community and the another aims at interviews with community committee members and local residents. Based on methodologies in literature review, these qualitative methods are used due to methodology designs employed in previous studies employed not adequately explaining phenomenon explored in qualitative studies. In other words, it allows for identifying gaps in the literature which this study can attempt to address.

While the field observation method of data collection is used to understand how groups of people interact and behave in a particular context ( Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007 ), interviews are used to ensure that interviewees clearly understand given questions and to ensure information accuracy. Additionally, it allows for a better understanding of context within a given scenario and shows how people interact in a specific field. More unexplored and unexpected answers can be given in individual questioning. Based on the literature, many attempts have been made in order to initiate and carry on tourism projects in specific rural communities. However, some are properly managed and accomplished. This raises a question, “What are the benefits and challenges that are derived from community resources in respect of CBT?” To answer the research question, three key sub-questions are posed: what are the challenges that are derived and distributed to the community in respect of CBT, what are the benefits that support CBT development in the community, and what is the solution to address the identified challenges? By using the research methods, the paper could contribute a deeper understanding on CBT in Thailand and further provide benefits to the relevant industries. In sum, qualitative methods provide precise answer to specific questions and reach a richness of description and explanation of nearly unidentifiable local contexts ( Miles et al., 2014 ).

Data Collection

As can be seen in Table 2 , the methodology used for this exploration begins with informal face-to-face interviews and free discussions with community committee members and local residents. Community committee members are regularly confronted with benefits and challenges in tourism development, resource management, and inducing participation. On the other hand, local residents relate to tourism activities and hospitality industries, taking into account those who have settled in and are intimately acquainted in the area. With aspects and opinions of the community committee members and local residents, interviews are conducted to obtain and perceive the basis of community benefits and challenges, how they are derived and distributed to the community, which constraints have been encountered, and the nature of interaction and community participation. In addition, meeting dialogues are audiotaped openly for the purpose of transcription and analyses. This relies on the collaboration of the local residents in Muen Ngoen Kong community.

Participant information, interview time duration, and field observation notes.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the benefits and challenges of a specific geographical area, Muen Ngoen Kong community in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and to discuss suggestions obtained from interviews in relation to existing knowledge of CBT development to address identified shortcomings found in terms of community tourism. In order to achieve these purposes, data collected from interviews were obtained after two research site visits between the middle of August in 2018 and late February in 2019 (a total of 7 months). Meeting with the community was established by the support of a lecturer in Chiang Mai Rajabhat University. Since the researcher was introduced to the community, the connection and relationship with the community was continuously sustained and the communication and opinion sharing occurred through social media platforms (LINE group and Facebook).

During August in 2018, the first visit was held and the meeting with community leaders and committees was also conducted. The researcher was given a 1-h community tour by a community committee. Geographic information, community facilities, important historical sites, culture, and living style were introduced. Informal interviews with community leader, committees, and several locals were spontaneously conducted during the meeting at Muen Ngoen Kong community office. The interview discussed major challenges that the communities had faced and solved, donor funds from the local government, and local perspectives toward tourism in the community.

However, the second visit was held in early February. Field observations was adopted and lasted from February 16th until 26th (a total of 10 days) and 27 important notes were created. The noted reports involved three main topics: benefits, challenges in relation to CBT development, and suggestions to address identified shortcomings. On the other hand, 10 interviews with community committees who are regularly confronted with benefits and challenges in tourism development, resource management, and community participation and local residents who are involved in tourism and hospitality industries, taking into account those whom have settled in and are intimately acquainted with the area, were conducted.

As can be seen in Table 2 , the informant careers are diverse, ranging from a diner owner, two grocery store owners, a landlord, hostel owner, hairstylist, hostel receptionist, grab driver, housewife, and coffeehouse owner, four of whom were community committees. Before interviews, the purpose of the interview and the theme created by the researcher which was to be discussed (generally the same) was informed to and clarified with the interviewee. Informants were asked and gave permission to be interviewed and audiotaped openly for the purpose of transcription and analyses. The interviews were mostly conducted at the interviewee’s home or workplace where they could feel comfortable cooperating with the researcher. The interviews lasted between 30 min and 1 h and the interviewees preferred to speak in the Thai language as it is the common language spoken in daily life. Total interview duration was 7 h 25 min and a 204-page conversation in Thai was obtained from the interviews and transcribed and translated into English.

Data Analysis

This research uses Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis procedure, a six-phased method, to analyze raw data and convert it into useful results. To establish and fulfill the trustworthiness assessment, as it is qualitative data, Lincoln and Guba (1985) outline criteria for trustworthiness during each phase of the thematic analysis. Indeed, Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phased procedure is iterative and reflective as it has been developed over time and links a continual moving between phases. This particular procedure includes revisiting collected data, generating codes, establishing themes, re-examining themes, defining themes, scripting, and, finally, reporting findings. Relying on the literature review, interviews, and field observation notes, suggestions are given in order to address the identified shortcomings.

Description of Research Site

Muen Ngoen Kong community, which is situated in the largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai, has occasionally been overlooked, and has not yet developed structured tourism as more emphasis is placed on other nearby communities. Set up in 1999, Muen Ngoen Kong is a community which was established by the collaboration of local aboriginal peoples. The purposes of the establishment are to solve problems that occur occasionally, to develop livelihoods, and to manage common property resources in order to present opportunities for economic development through the sustainable use of existing cultural resources, especially historical sites. It has an approximate area of 2.4 km 2 . Compared to other communities in Chiang Mai, the community, as shown in Figure 2 , is rather small. Arranged in the shape of an irregular hexagon, the community is situated in the Chiang Mai Old City, bordered by Khuan Khama community on the north, Buak Hard community on the south, Samlaan Road on the east, and Arak Road on the west, some 700 km from Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Chiang Mai Old City is one of the main places of interests for tourists. In the past, Chiang Mai Old City was founded by the first king of Lanna, King Mungrai, 720 years ago and the city used to be the center of the Lanna Kingdom which was a melting pot of culture and crafts. With the legacy of Lanna’s history, Lanna and Chiang Mai became the center for historical sites to visit in Asia.

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Location of Muen Ngoen Kong Community in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Muen Ngoen Kong community has a population of 1882 people (844 men, 1038 women, and 773 households in the 2018 census). The community is governed by a group of eligible and elected people including a leader, a vice leader, and seven committee members who were voted by the community citizens. In this community, tourism development has not been advocated for and prioritized yet as well as in other nearby communities. As a matter of fact, there are currently a few hotels and hostels in the hands of multinational foreign and local owners. With the respect of cultural resources in the community of Muen Ngoen Kong, and more particularly ancient historical sites, such as Phra Singh Temple and Prasat Temple, cultural preservation is the most important factor to be considered. Financial contributions made by the government have been very crucial in this area, creating and improving small businesses managed by local peoples. Furthermore, the attempt to increase tourist volume through the role of cultural resources has been noted as significant as well.

Research Results

To determine the understanding of participants, thematic analysis were employed and applied to analyze all the transcripts, and three key concepts were derived from the process. Based on research questions, these categories have been labeled as “Benefits,” “Challenges,” “Suggestions,” and “Miscellaneous Theme.” Miscellaneous Theme was conducted to store irrelevant notes that did not belong to any category. Unavoidably, participants’ understanding may overlap with existing categories or each other. The results consider that understanding of a specific context are well interpreted and concepts are relative to each other. As Figure 3 illustrated, interviews and field observation highlighted three key themes in Muen Ngoen Kong community and proved that the community has difficulty in participating in tourism management and planning. These include Challenges, Benefits, and Suggestions.

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Thematic network.

The Challenges of CBT

Muen Ngoen Kong community has several challenges toward CBT, these include the following:

Conflict Over Resource Ownership ( Tamir, 2015 ) and Benefit Leaking

An important determinant for success and failure of CBT development is ownership issue ( Denman, 2001 ). When tourism reaches a sufficient level, communities are involved in the industry. The analysis indicates that local residents lost a number of valuable natural resources, located in Muen Ngoen Kong community; the most important of these is land to outside investors. It is stated “a large number of guest houses are owned by outsider investors (Interviewee G).” It is indicated that to be successful in tourism management, resources must be managed efficiently and collectively, community member should be resourceful ( Fotiadis et al., 2019 ). In this regard, the community determined that loss of the right to possess and own the land has incurred more costs than benefits. An interviewee added “locals might not perceive its importance (of land ownership), but others do. That’s why they keep stepping into this area (Interviewee J).” In the perspective of a community committee, the resources ownership issue is considered as a major challenge. Several major service businesses operating in the community are owned and managed by outside investors who have signed long-term contracts (over five years in duration) with local landlords. A community committee described the impact of having outsiders in the community: Due to the number of non-registered populations and ownership by the outside investors, the community committee members had indicated that landlords have doubtlessly lost rights to possess and control land resources. From this an insight into the negative responses to leadership from the community hosts and local entrepreneurs was gleaned, as it is perceived that they cannot deal with the available resources productively ( Fotiadis et al., 2019 ).

Financial Issues

Almost every informant in this study revealed that financial resources and capital issues remain a big challenge for them to set up facilities in line with the minimum requirements. Developing tourism facilities in communities frequently requires funding or donor support from government sectors or stakeholders ( Reed, 1997 ). Hence, ownership issues, community interest, and knowledge are not the only key factors for community members to be involved in CBT, but also available financial resources at a local level. The need for financial resources for tourism investment is inadequate and not readily available in most cases, especially in developing countries ( Long, 1991 ; Pearce, 1991 ; Tosun, 1998 ) and also in the community. A local stated “as I noticed, if the resource is adequate, local government should provide a steady and progressive development, right? (Interviewee B).” This has become as a major challenge to implement tourism development in Muen Ngoen Kong community. Finance for tourism is insufficient at a local level and is derived from donors and a small number of government sectors. However, a community that is managing to survive with the limited and inadequate financial support from the government has shown high levels of effective cooperation in order to deal with the shortage that occasionally occurs ( Fotiadis et al., 2019 ). It is mentioned “in fact, locals are short of money to run a business and mostly, the outsider investors have a larger capital (Interviewee E).” With respect to non-local capital, the possibility to completely control and manage tends to be difficult and becomes an obstacle of the community to improve wellbeing and encourage a participatory approach.

Problems of Community Participation and Involvement

Community-Based Tourism involves local participation, with the handing over of control to communities resulting in more benefits to livelihood ( Mitchell and Reid, 2001 ). While CBT offers the high possibility to create jobs and increase a community’s income-generating capability through tourism development, local participation provides community members a greater opportunity to obtain benefits from the development ( Tosun, 2006 ). Since local residents are part of the tourist product, the success of tourism is decided by the participation and cooperation of the local community.

From the analysis, it is explicit that community participation and involvement are a vital part of shaping and achieving the expected developments in the community. A community committee stated that they organize some mutual activities for building intimacy through friendship among residents, for example, annual activities and festivals, maintenance of tourism historical sites and heritages, and street cleaning. A committee said “when we have street cleaning or maintenance of tourist sites, we prepare all the equipment and start doing it together (Interviewee E).” The same committee added “we informed business owners [of] the cleaning schedule and they sometimes gave us packs of bottled water.” However, it is more likely to be unsuccessful in different groups of local people. Despite the fact that the committee members regularly hold meetings at least once a month to follow up on local’s complaint letters and give written reports to community representative members, the closeness between local residents and the committee members and people’s attitudes to tourism development in the community is not likely to be improved. This reduces the possibility of board members to realize and understand local aspects and demands toward tourism development.

Essentially, the results of an interview revealed that some community members are participating in activities which took place in the community and was organized by tourism offices in regard to CBT development in the area. However, there was not much cooperation while the activities ran their course. A local argued to the above committee’s words “locals attended the activities in the temple (a common place that locals gather) but showed less cooperation (Interviewee B).” Thus, this ensures that the participation at the CBT development activities was restricted by receiving less cooperation with activities in terms of tourism development.

The Benefits of CBT

Muen Ngoen Kong community revealed the advantages it gained toward tourism resources and improvements to community security; these include the following:

Abundance of Tourism Resources

Muen Ngoen Kong community is promoted as a site for community tourism in Chiang Mai where famous ancient architecture, community culture, history, and a unique slow-paced way of life are major tourism attractions. The community is south-west of Chiang Mai city, which is a quiet quarter. Tucked away from the tourist-flooded streets and popular grand department stores, tourists will be surprised by the living city spirit. Local Lanna temples, traditional craftsmanship, edgy graffiti, Thai cooking classes, and spicy street food are the best way to understand their true way of life.

According to the tourist’s opinions, the purpose for visiting Muen Ngoen Kong community is to witness a perfect living city spirit, traditional workshops where they make clothing by hands, contemporary street art, and traditional food. The tourism products are the purely tangible cultural heritage and a way to interact with the local community. On the other hand, locals indicated that tourists visited their community with the aim to experience the community’s cultural attractiveness. Based on the analysis and field observation notes, potential attractive tourist destinations in the community are as follows:

The second most reputable active temple in Chiang Mai after Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a long-established temple in which its name is literally translated as “The Monastery of the Lion Buddha.” Wat Phra Singh is very busy with visitors and worshipers all year round and is usually overcrowded during the Thai New Year festival in mid-April, and religious holidays. Every Thai New Year festival (Songkran), Lion Buddha will be presented to Chiang Mai locals in the ceremonial event around main roads for ritual baths. Through providing a cultural environment and hosting religious holiday events, visitors are aroused and the community receives attention.

Located opposite Wat Phra Singh in the old city wall of Chiang Mai, the founding date is unknown but is generally believed to date back to the end of the 16th century. This is an attractive temple complex and the temple contains a ubosot (ordination hall), a viharn, (assembly hall), and two chedis (pagodas). The ordination hall, assembly halls, and one pagoda are constructed in a straight line. Another chedi, a tall cone-shaped structure which enshrine important relics, flanks the west wall of each of the buildings.

The remarkable and astonishing site is notable mostly for its viharn, whose walls are partly decorated with murals from the early 19th Century. The panels on the entrance and four sets of pillars made of teak are intricately decorated with Lanna-style carved flower motifs and animal figures of which the gilt has faded. A unique feature of this temple is the short tunnel that leads to the chedi directly behind it. While most temples usually have a set principle Buddha image in a viharn, the Wat Prasat Buddha image is in a chedi which can partly be seen from the viharn. Also, on both sides of the tunnel entrance are several seated Buddha images. One of the images is a bronze dating back to 1590, the others are stucco and of a more recent date. The temple is under the care of the Thai Fine Arts Department.

Location is an important factor for CBT projects because the area where tourism is taking place needs to be accessible. In most cities, the best attraction is located in center, so if this is what tourists intend for their trip, tourists might want to stay in a hotel with easy access to those amenities. In this case, Muen Ngoen Kong area, where Wat Phra Singh and Wat Prasat are located close to each other, is in the western part of the old city wall of Chiang Mai, and on the main street. The surrounding area of the community is also crucial. Interesting environments and varied infrastructure enabling attractive leisure activities can be essential factors attracting business clients. The community location is considered to be an advantage because tourists can visit one or more sites all together once they arrive at the community. Furthermore, there are night markets, traditional restaurants, and street food to attract tourists other than cultural attractions.

Security Related Concerns

Security issues have been identified as one of the major challenges in the implementation of CBT in local communities as criminal activity and traffic incidents are a primary concern to the tourism industry ( Tamir, 2015 ). The existence of drugs and events of theft, robbery, and begging in a destination can be perceived as harmful events to tourist flow. Committee members agreed that traffic accident issues around Muen Ngoen Kong community have been considered as the main barrier to promote tourism. Yet, traffic accidents and crime activity do not happen frequently. It is assured to be “Rarely seen. We have not been informed. Previously, it [bag snatching] happened in a small street, but it does not occur currently (Interviewee G).” However, the public may expect police to respond to these issues by focusing on its causes.

To address the issues, local governments have succeeded in strengthening and supplying effective crime prevention solutions through coordination and sharing of the best volunteer community police training programs. A committee added “we have volunteer community policemen. They are looking after us. They help monitor at night. One of our community committee [members] earned a place in the police team (Interviewee H).” Ample practice in volunteer community police roles in preventing crime have been implemented among community committee members and it has shown to reduce violence, including shootings and homicides, in neighborhoods.

In essence, community policing and its actions enable formalizing police-community collaboration and connection in which all civilians devote themselves to crime prevention through communication. However, educating the residents on security and safety and reporting crime to authorities may be required. Indeed, according to the analysis, the majority of informants reported the absence of a security problem. Seven out of 10 informants claimed that the possibility of crime occurrence in the community is very rare and it is not directed to foreign tourists. A committee added there is a higher possibility of crime happening during the festive season, and Muen Ngoen Kong community may be targeted. Thus, tourist security should always be considered and primarily prioritized in tourism planning and CBT implementation.

The Suggestion to Address the Identified Challenges

Muen Ngoen Kong community suggested product development as a solution to address the identified challenge.

Product Development

In most cases, CBT is progressed and developed in accordance with community resources, CBT aims, and specific local needs due to the core of the CBT plan being to determine how best to use resources as a development tool ( Scheyvens, 2002 ; Asker et al., 2010 ). However, there are many CBT projects that have failed because of the impropriety of products. The existing issues of products are that products are not designed to be demanded by buyers, and not developed in close consultation with partners who can provide training programs, necessary equipment, and market access, and without appropriate knowledge of product development, usually established by private sectors.

In the case of Muen Ngoen Kong community, informants indicated similar issues and suggested the need to increase the number of leading restaurants and develop superior products owned by the community. However, the first activity before going forward with what informants suggested above is to conduct market analysis and research for the strength and weakness of the community toward product development or business opportunities. Political situation, tourist volume, community readiness to take action to manage and tackle an incident, transport, and additional services should be all analyzed.

This study attempted to examine benefits and challenges of CBT in Muen Ngoen Kong community as well as suggestions in relation to local perspectives in order to address those shortcomings. This discussion addresses its current circumstances from the perspective of both community representatives and locals. This case study extends the literature by focusing on Muen Ngoen Kong community, which is located between well-known tourist destinations in the central of Chiang Mai Old City, Thailand. However, the community has been under-researched in regards to investigating CBT benefits and challenges.

Research Question 1: What Are the Challenges That Are Derived and Distributed to the Community in Respect of CBT?

Cole (2006) pointed to the lack of ownership as a challenge to CBT, and this has been evidenced by this study. The research findings from interviews indicated the inexistence of a sense of ownership over tourism development in the community. Community sustainability is often derived from opportunities and resources to develop on their own. As land is considered as a community resource, land ownership issues become a problem for developing accommodations in the area, resulting in difficulties for CBT development. When the resource is directly related to the community’s tourism and it will become an important determinant for the community’s economy ( Tamir, 2015 ), it becomes an issue of how the community land should be used by either the community or by foreign people.

Based on field observation notes, major service businesses are not only owned by foreign people but also by the community resident themselves. Some indigenous businesses that start their own enterprises are affected by public doubt about whether they can succeed or not. Hence, conflict over community land is sometimes raised by community capacity and intention where the community guesthouse, hostel, hotel, and homestay were constructed for business purposes. However, it is argued that tourism entrepreneurs can lead to successful rural development, if cooperation among the entrepreneurs and local government is formed ( Fotiadis et al., 2019 ). Alternatively, handing over of land ownership to foreign people who have larger capital for investment may be a conscious attempt to foster greater community economics. But, there is a possibility that this move instead results in a benefit leaking. Surrendering control of land ownership to outsiders without building a sufficient capacity, appropriate structures, and systems for their own community is a recipe for failure.

Scheyvens (2002) also identified insufficient financial resources as another challenge to develop communities using CBT principles. The same author ( Scheyvens, 2002 ) described that if financial resources are unavailable at a local level, there is a high possibility for communities to lose ownership of the community’s property in various ways to outsiders. From the interviews, local residents welcome and support outside donor projects taking place in the community and show an interest in tourism planning. Nonetheless, they need to accept that existing donor projects from outside will deny the community a participatory and decision-making approach. As seen in other cases, a long-term partnership between outsider stakeholders and communities can aid the communities in reaping benefits from tourism development. In this case, the community’s interest is the first concern and creating programs tailored to the need may help them the most. However, the community is in need of expertise and tools to make the programs possible. Therefore, it necessitates requesting outsider consultation. The community relies on outsider advice and know-how until they have the capability to forsake the help of outsiders, as observed in Bolivia ( Jamal and Stronza, 2009 ).

While CBT offers the high possibility of creating jobs and increases a community’s income-generating capability through tourism development, local participation provides community members with a greater opportunity to obtain benefits from the development.

As CBT is an alternative means to enhance a significant level of local participation by allowing communities to control tourism projects, there are also other means to present wider opportunities for a participatory approach. In bicycle tourism, it is reviewed that the behavioral intentions of participants can be enhanced by having compassion, encouragement, and support of friends and family ( Lin et al., 2020 ). Additionally, a study indicates that if a person put effort into an activity, a stronger feeling of involvement will be produced ( Chen et al., 2020 ). However, in this case, the interviews and field observation had shown that the absence of local participation is rather obvious. Despite the fact that the intention of participants cannot be created productively in different groups of local people, it also diminished the closeness of their friendship. Significantly, with the situation of elected committee members’ minority voice, the possibility of participating in community decision-making process for cultural managements is decreased. In developing tourism communities where group cohesion is required to acquire decision-making advantages and integrating tourism, group solidarity is essential ( Mitchell and Eagles, 2001 ; Mitchell and Reid, 2001 ). Therefore, management decisions should be done in close alignment with community members, because they are the ones that have a better understanding of the situation and the ones who receive the benefits that results from the management decisions ( Thaman et al., 2016 ). It is argued that, because management in the tourism industry field sometimes requires immediate decisions ( Murphy, 1985 ), it is difficult to ensure that all voices are represented in the decision-making process ( Nault and Stapleton, 2011 ). However, using forecasting models can address and ease strategic and urgent decision-making because it can assess weakness in order to minimize any risks ( Korol and Spyridou, 2020 ).

Research Question 2: What Are Benefits That Support CBT Development in the Community?

Although tourism in Muen Ngoen Kong community revealed various challenges, the community still has strong points to support CBT development. As the interview and field observation findings indicated, tourism resources in the community serve its purpose for CBT as they are located in the community and attract tourists all year around. Tamir (2015) described that locational advantages of an area being close to a top tourist destination is presented as an opportunity for CBT development. It may be convenient that tourists can enjoy one or more destinations and CBT sites at the same time.

Although the culture of the community appreciates and attracts a number of guests, this study has shown a high level of security protection through community policing and actions. Arguably, Tamir (2015) indicated that the security issue is one of the major challenges in implementing CBT, as criminal activity threatens the tourism industry. Although the community crime scale is small, criminal activities such as bag snatches and theft are major security-related challenges toward CBT initiatives.

Research Question 3: What Is Solution to Address Identified Challenges?

CBT projects often suffer from a lack of financial sustainability. Mostly, it is due to the absence of business expertise, knowledge among members ( Forstner, 2004 ; Gascón, 2013 ; Kontogeorgopoulos et al., 2014 ), and access to the market. When CBT is developed based on community assets, the aim to develop a greater economy is the first major concern. Marketing notable community products and introducing special offers may become a focus for the supply side of the spectrum, but what tourists are going to buy might be overlooked. In this sense, products should be designed based on market demand. From interviews and field observations, findings mentioned the need for superior products locally owned by the community as a solution toward financial sustainability. Häusler (2005) suggested communities must conduct a market analysis in order to explore their strengths and weaknesses and then determine business opportunities. Additionally, products should be developed through a partnership in which they can assist in providing necessary skills and market access ( Dodds et al., 2018 ), and marketing strategy can be more successful if a communication plan is built based on tourist motivation and involvement ( Priporas et al., 2018 ). Kontogeorgopoulos et al. (2014) advised the third government agency to assist with the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) program. Because the purpose of the program is to promote the best local products at a local level, communities can adopt this program to put themselves into a proper market in order to foster community wellbeing. In the work of Kontogeorgopoulos et al. (2014) , it is demonstrated that OTOP program application has assisted Mae Kampong village in developing community-based homestay projects. As a result, the village received its recognition for OTOP Village Champion in 2014.

Through the case study at Muen Ngoen Kong community, Chiang Mai, Thailand, this study attempted to investigate the benefits and challenges of CBT in Muen Ngoen Kong community and discuss the suggestions obtained from two qualitative data collection methodologies: interviews and field observations, and the thematic analysis process. It concluded that CBT efforts in the community affect the livelihoods of local residents in two different ways: abundance of tourism resources and security-related concerns. Community-Based Tourism contributed its benefits to community subsistence by allowing large volumes of tourists seeking a new approach to discovering cultural destinations and experiencing local culture in order to involve themselves in their travels, and providing criminal protection programs to ensure tourists’ and local’s safety. In most cases, the security issue is a major challenge that hinders the progression of tourist development. However, in this case, the community succeeded in strengthening and supplying effective crime prevention solutions through coordination with local government.

Despite the attractiveness of tourism resources and the benefits of a volunteer police program in addressing security issues, there have been several barriers to sustain the community in the long-term. The key challenges that determine the success of CBT are: conflict over land ownership and benefit leaking, financial issues, and problems of community participation and involvement. The community shared some of these challenges which may occur in many developing countries. Several studies had indicated that, without creating opportunities for local residents to possess their land and to participate in the decision-making process, benefits that are generated from the tourism development are nearly impossible to be sufficient ( Long, 1991 ; Tosun, 1998 ; Clancy, 1999 ; Timothy, 1999 ). According to this challenge, it was revealed that some community members felt the profit from tourism often does not filter down to the local economy and the costs they incurred far outweigh the benefits. Additionally, it may become a critical issue that locally owned small businesses are operating against stronger competitors and under imperfect market conditions. Consequently, they lost the essentials for their wellbeing.

CBT initiatives in relation to product development must be developed according to the strength of the community and should embrace collaborating with third government agencies. While many CBT initiatives emphasize the importance of collective management in communities, external tourism enterprises with the potential to provide knowledge, market access, and additional sources are often overlooked ( Dodds et al., 2018 ).

Suggestion for Future Studies

The research findings of this study indicate that several challenges have had a negative impact on the development of CBT at the research site. Additionally, this study investigated benefits and opportunities that should be strengthened and developed in the future steps of community development. Based on the findings of the research, solutions to address the identified challenges were suggested by local residents. However, product development as the solution to overcome several challenges remains an issue of how community land should be used by the community or foreign people.

Essentially, to increase the consistency of coding procedures, multiple coders or a team of researchers with expertise in qualitative research and coder comparison analysis should be applied. This quality assurance method will ensure that the coding process and interpretation are illustrative of the data. If multiple coders or coder comparison are not possible, detailed notes of any decision that had been made should be kept.

In qualitative research, the researcher is a part of the research process itself. Knowing biases occur during the interpretation and analysis processes should be reported openly in manuscripts. Hence, it must be clear to the reader on how the background could produce biased findings.

With the rich conversation transcribed from the recordings, there should be hidden and unexplored challenges, benefits, and solutions regarding the possibilities of CBT development. Careful coding processes and interpretations with multiple coders should be reprocessed in order to discover hidden challenges and benefits as well as solutions in relation to CBT. Another limitation that should be considered is the generalizing of findings due to unique cultures and locations. Nonetheless, it can be the basis for more consideration of community development contexts in coping with CBT.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

Y-CL made substantial contributions in exploring research concept, developing the research framework, and designing the methodology. PJ made substantial contributions in data collection, writing the manuscript, and searching for references. Both authors made substantial contributions in data analysis, result interpreting and discussing, drafting the manuscript, and writing the authors’ response notes.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Center for Social Development Studies

Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Publications

Critical nature: community-based tourism in thailand: impact and recovery from the covid-19.

by Orapan Pratomlek*

[Thai version available here ]

Local Taxi that provide service for toursits visiting (c) Orapan Pratomlek

Local Taxi that provide service for toursits visiting (c) Orapan Pratomlek

Introduction

The bamboo rafting in Klong Lad Node is an ecotourism activity popular among both Thai and foreign tourists. Managed by the Community Tourism Enterprise of Muang Kluang in Ranong Province, this activity combines adventure with preserving the natural environment. The Muang Kluang community has received acclaim for their efforts to encourage local government agencies to participate in helping with promotion and marketing tourism in the community. In 2019, in recognition of their efforts, the community received the 12th Thai Tourism Industry Award in the category of Community-Based Tourism from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) [i] .

Muang Kluang located in Kapoe District in Ranong Province is a Muslim community where the main sources of livelihood are fishing, gardening and raising livestock. Community tourism in Muang Kluang is operated through small community enterprises that empowers the local people by involving them in decisions over natural resources management. During the tourism season from November to February, the community can get extra income providing services for taxi and boat tours, as local guides, for homestay, and for selling local home-made products. The community act as local entrepreneurs using tourism to support the local economy while also acting as conservationists in preserving natural ecosystems.

But the emergence of COVID-19 in Thailand has affected community tourism. The travel restrictions and country-wide lockdowns and curfews have caused severe economic distress by shutting down all tourism activities. Visitors can no longer travel to communities like Muang Kluang because of the fear of spreading the disease. This not only affects local tourism but also the mental state of the community members who increasingly feel insecure about their health and livelihoods. The lack of tourism and income-earning opportunities has made their future uncertain while they wait for government support and the economic recovery post COVID-19.

At present, like many others around the world, the Muang Kluang community is uncertain about how long the pandemic will last and the government’s measures to revitalize tourism. Before the COVID -19 outbreak, the community already met significant challenges in carrying out tourism activities due to the topographical and climatic conditions of Ranong province with its long rainy season. The pandemic has further complicated matters creating a major challenge for the community to rebuild confidence and sustainable tourism activities along with efforts to recover their health and local economy after the pandemic.

In this article, I discuss the importance of community tourism in Thailand, and propose ways to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic that support and empower community-led tourism initiatives.

Community-based tourism and plan in practice

Community-based tourism as a tourism activity is mainly concerned with supporting the community to earn some income through tourism activities together with local environmental conservation [ii] . It can be a tool to strengthen local community organizations in managing resources through enhanced local participation in formulating and implementing plans for local community development and resource management.

Alongside the large-scale mainstream tourism industry, community-based tourism has opened up spaces for creating income and development based on local decision-making. Community members act as service providers to assist the visitor, but at the same time also undertake to monitor and preserve the local resources from degradation. This kind of tourism can help empower the community and provide a sense of identity especially to poor or marginalized communities. At the same time, compared to the mainstream tourism business, community tourism also allows for the visitor to obtain a more direct social and cultural experience by interacting closely with local ways of life. Community-based tourism operates for local benefits while also not being completely dependent on it as a source of income in case visitor arrivals drop for economic or other reasons. 

Thailand is widely recognized as a key tourist destination with the country reliant on tourism as one of the main pillars of economic growth. The Government of Thailand has acknowledged the importance of distributing tourism income from the national to the local level in line with the government’s national development plan. In the ongoing National Tourism Development Plan No.2 (2018 - 2021) [iii] , the government aims to further improve the quality of tourism. The government tourism promotion policy has an influence on the local government authorities in trying to motivate and encourage the community to implement and create new tourism projects and activities and meet the needs of tourists.

Under the National Tourism Development Plan, sustainable tourism management is considered as a challenge for the community to create a new form of tourism activity with increasing competitiveness and larger market share. The government provides financial aid and technology to assist local agencies and communities for effective tourism management as well as tourism promotion projects both to publicize tourism and empower the communities.

The government also provides incentives for community tourism. In 2018, the Council of Ministers approved a budget of nearly 10 billion Thai Baht to promote community based-tourism activities and products under the "OTOP Inno-life Tourism-Based Community" [iv] , which is managed by the Community Development Department. The concept of this project is to introduce modern innovations combined with the villager’s traditional way of life and promote local products in tourism activities. According to the plan, tourism will draw on the charm of the community culture and natural resources. Much of this budget has been allocated to the Provincial authorities in order to operate and promote tourism plans by working closely with local agencies and representatives in setting measures for the community to enhance sustainable tourism management and promote local products [v] . However, not all communities are able to successfully implement tourism activities due to their lack of understanding of what is expected for tourism management under the project, while some communities also face difficulties in accessing the financial support from the government. But if the community formulates an effective tourism plan and short-term strategic framework, this can motivate and encourage community members to participate in tourism plans.

The community strategic tourism plan is a key mechanism for tourism development that could provide large benefits to the community. However, there are still many factors that affect local participation in tourism development. These include lack of understanding of how to participate, and of the benefits and the roles in possible tourism activities. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the community members to develop their potential through sharing and discussing the necessary knowledge of the pros and cons of tourism as well as connecting tourism activities between communities to add value to local products.

The Muang Kluang community is trying to encourage community members to get more involved in tourism activities by being a member of the community enterprise group and recognizing the importance of tourism. Aside from the benefits such as income generation, tourism can also help strengthen negotiation power between the community and the local government in order to preserve and maintain natural resources. Local tourism activities such as bamboo rafting activities raise environmental awareness about conservation of ecological systems in mangrove forests. The tourism activities involve the participation of community members, and ensure that the economic benefits are distributed fairly and equally. Income distribution to communities has been calculated and decided jointly between the committees and the members of the community enterprise groups. During the tourism season, the average income will be around 500 – 1,000 Thai Baht per day, but it can be increase by around 3-10% during the peak of tourism.

Thailand tourism and impact of the disease COVID – 19

Tourism is a key economic activity in Thailand, generating 9% - 17% of GDP [vi] . The outbreak of COVID – 19 has led to the decline in the number of foreign tourists entering the country. From January – March 2020, the number of foreign tourists was 6.69 million people, which is 38% less than last year. The income generated from tourism, at 330 billion baht, is 40% less compared to the same period last year. [vii]

The unexpected occurrence of the pandemic has affected tourism and its related services at both the national and community levels. Furthermore, the government’s promulgation of the Emergency Decree along with curfew measures has caused economic disruption in local community tourism areas like Muang Kluang. At present, the community enterprise group is attempting to provide economic remedies for its members by processing products for sale or distributing aid to those in need. However, this ad hoc measure to respond to the crisis is not enough to meet community members’ needs.

Under this emergency situation, the government has issued measures to deal with the spread of the COVID-19 which mainly focuses on the reduction of infection among people through measures such as travel prohibition across provinces and self-quarantine efforts. There are measures to remedy those affected by lack of income and unemployment. This may help deal with the immediate problems, but in restoring the economy and tourism after the pandemic, it is necessary to have comprehensive policies and measures in order to solve the problems.

Recovering for the better in community tourism

The outbreak of COVID-19 is changing Thailand’s economic, social and political structures, as people try to cope with the ‘new normal’. Many policymakers and scholars predict further macro-level impacts that can affect people in both rural and urban areas. However, the range and impacts of these problems are still far from being fully understood. The lockdown and curfew measures are affecting local community tourism activities. How can the Muang Kluang community adapt, what are the new conditions under which tourism activities will have to be undertaken, and what does the future hold?

In the short-term, the government should provide financial aid for affected community tourism businesses to stimulate employment in the tourism and service industry, and to encourage the community to prepare for the return of tourists after COVID-19. Financial support can be distributed by allocating budgets from the central government to the provinces that can then help to provide aid and assistance to the community through the community saving cooperatives.  The community should be prepared by empowering their members to rebuild the community tourism. For example, the community needs to assess their tourism sites and provide clear guidelines for safety and cleanliness consistent with current guidelines on preventing COVID-19 transmission to build the trust of tourists who are interested to visit the community.

The medium-term measures should aim to create tourism activities designed by the community that attracts tourists with diverse interests that also respects local cultures and protects the environment. The government should support these initiatives in various ways, such as providing tools and experts. Additionally, financial support and investment in community tourism should be provided in order to support employment and empower community members developing local products and services.

In the long-term, further integration among the community tourism plans and the government’s tourism framework is needed. The community should bring new policy recommendations for tourism development with the support of local government agencies in order to encourage long-term sustainable tourism. The government agencies can help in promoting cooperation with the private sector in creating marketing plans or designing tourism activities that are consistent with the local ways of life while increasing the value of local resources and knowledge. Promoting domestic tourism may also offer more economic sustainability than continued dependence on international visitors especially when a pandemic occurs that halts overseas travel.  

Lastly, to rebuild the local economy and support local income generation through community tourism like at Muang Kluang, it may be necessary to strengthen local knowledge to deal with health or other crisis caused by external factors. This can help build the confidence of community members and visitors to return to the community and create a learning process to strengthen tourism in the community.

  * Researcher, Center of Excellence in Resource Politics for Social Development, Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

โครงการสร้างเสริมพลังจุฬาฯ ก้าวสู่ศตวรรษที่ 2 ช่วงที่ 2 ประเภท โครงการมหาวิทยาลัยกำหนดประเด็น (ครั้งที่1/2562) เรื่อง โครงการการพัฒนาการท่องเที่ยวเชิงสร้างสรรค์ โดย สำนักบริหารวิจัย ผ่านการบริหารโครงการวิจัยโดยสถาบันเอเชียศึกษา จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย

[i] Boonluang Phromprathanakun., 77kaoded.com, “Float Rafting in Klong Lad Node” won the Thailand Tourism Award on Community-Based Tourism, 3 October 2019 https://www.77kaoded.com/news/bunluan/892596

[ii] Department of Tourism (2018) “The Tourism Development Strategic Plan 2018-2021” May 2018

[iii] Department of Tourism (2018) ‘The Tourism Development Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021’ May 2018

[iv] Community Development Department, Ministry of Interior, “Guidebook for OTOP Inno-life Tourism-Based Community Operation and Management”

[v] OTOP Inno-life Tourism-Based Community project management and Guideline 2018

[vi] Wikipedia, Tourism in Thailand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand

[vii] Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Executive Summary on Thailand Tourism Situation in March 2020, https://www.mots.go.th/download/article/article_20200428141351.pdf

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25 Important Disadvantages of Tourism

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I am sad to say that there are many disadvantages of tourism. Tourism has the power to do so much good, but equally it also has the power to do so much bad. The key is careful and sufficient tourism planning and management. So what are these disadvantages of tourism, why are they so bad and how can we overcome them? Read on to find out…

The 3 categories of disadvantages of tourism

Natural habitat disruption, resource depletion, climate change, wildlife disturbance, coral reefs damage, seasonal nature of tourism, economic dependence, revenue leakage, unequal distribution of income, opportunity cost, over-reliance on a single industry, environmental costs, cost of living, cultural commodification, cultural displacement, commodification of culture, overcrowding, increased crime, social inequality, change in local lifestyles, loss of local employment, inflation in property prices, sustainable tourism practices, involving local communities, education and awareness, diversification of the economy, government regulations and policies, infrastructure development, long-term planning, adaptable management strategies, the disadvantages of tourism- to conclude, the disadvantages of tourism.

As one delves into the captivating world of globetrotting, it is easy to become enamored with the captivating allure of exploration, adventure, and cross-cultural interactions that define the tourist experience. Tourism, undoubtedly, contributes significantly to the economic prosperity of nations, providing employment , generating foreign exchange, and fostering cross-cultural understanding . Yet, there exists a darker side to this glittering façade, one that, more often than not, escapes the radar of mainstream discourse.

This post will highlight the less celebrated aspects of tourism, focusing on its potential downsides that are, somewhat ironically, entwined with its many benefits. Despite the ubiquity of tourism and its significance in today’s globalised world , it is crucial to address its potential for harm in the name of balance and long-term sustainability .

The downsides of tourism are numerous, encompassing aspects such as the environment, culture, economy, and social fabric of tourist destinations . Through this article we will delve into these impacts, seeking to not merely criticise, but also to inspire a rethinking of our attitudes and practices around tourism. By doing so, we endeavour to shed light on how we might navigate these complex issues and foster a more responsible and sustainable approach to tourism .

The disadvantages of tourism can be broken down into three categories: economic, environmental and social. I have summarised these below for you.

Now lets dig a bit deeper into the disadvantages of tourism outlined above one by one…

Environmental Disadvantages of Tourism

If responsible tourism practises are not employed, tourism can, and does, cause significant harm to the environment. I have outlined some of the most common examples of the environmental disadvantages, also known as environmental impacts of tourism , of tourism below for you.

tourism in Ecuador. Disadvantages of Tourism

Tourism often leads to deforestation and disruption of natural habitats to accommodate tourists , causing a significant loss of biodiversity. This could involve clearing land for accommodations or other facilities, thereby endangering flora and fauna unique to the area.

How can we mitigate or reduce this disadvantage of tourism?

Sustainable tourism practices, including limiting development in sensitive areas, promoting eco-tourism , and educating tourists about responsible travel , can help preserve natural habitats.

Tourism can strain natural resources, particularly water and food supplies, especially in regions where these resources are already scarce. The increased demand can lead to overexploitation, endangering the long-term availability of these resources.

Implementing resource management strategies, promoting the use of renewable resources, and encouraging tourists to respect local resources can help mitigate this issue.

Tourism contributes to various forms of pollution. Air pollution results from transport, noise pollution from increased activity, litter from irresponsible disposal of waste, and other types of pollution, all of which can degrade local environments and disturb wildlife.

Establishing and enforcing environmental regulations, utilising environmental impact surveys , promoting green travel options, and educating tourists about proper waste disposal can help reduce pollution.

High tourist traffic can cause physical damage to natural landscapes. For example, excessive hiking and foot traffic can lead to soil erosion and degradation of historic sites, damaging these irreplaceable resources.

Restricting access to vulnerable areas, creating designated pathways, and educating tourists about the importance of preserving these sites can help reduce erosion.

The carbon footprint from travel, especially air travel, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, leading to global climate change. Tourism’s contribution to climate change can have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems worldwide.

Promoting low-carbon transportation options , implementing carbon offset programs, and raising awareness about the environmental impacts of travel can help mitigate tourism’s contribution to climate change.

Human interaction can disturb the natural behaviour of wildlife. Some species may become overly dependent on human food sources, while others may react aggressively or retreat from their natural habitat, disrupting the balance of local ecosystems.

Educating tourists about respectful wildlife interaction, enforcing rules about feeding wildlife, and promoting non-intrusive wildlife viewing experiences can help to reduce disturbance.

Activities like snorkelling and diving can unintentionally damage delicate coral reefs . Additionally, increased boat traffic can lead to oil leaks and other pollution, posing a threat to marine life.

Implementing and enforcing marine protected areas, educating tourists about coral-friendly snorkelling and diving practices, and monitoring boat activity can help protect coral reefs.

Economic Disadvantages of Tourism

Unfortunately, there are many economic disadvantages of tourism, also known as negative economic impacts of tourism . I have outlined the most common below.

Jobs in travel and tourism. Disadvantages of Tourism

Tourism tends to be seasonal, often peaking during particular times of the year. This fluctuation can lead to periods of high employment followed by periods of widespread job loss, creating economic instability. This cyclical pattern can be challenging for local communities that heavily depend on tourism, making budgeting and financial stability a strenuous task.

Diversifying tourism offers, promoting off-peak travel and developing other forms of sustainable local industries can help smooth out the seasonal fluctuations of tourism and provide more stable employment.

The increased demand for goods and services during the tourist season often leads to price inflation . This surge in prices can result in an increased cost of living for local residents, making everyday goods and services more expensive and less accessible.

Implementation of policy measures to control inflation and monitoring of prices, especially of essential goods, during the peak season can help ensure that locals are not negatively impacted.

Regions that rely heavily on tourism can become economically vulnerable in the face of downturns in the industry. These downturns can be triggered by numerous factors such as natural disasters, political instability, global pandemics, or even changing travel trends. This economic fragility poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of local communities.

Diversifying the local economy by promoting and developing other industries can help reduce dependence on tourism and build economic resilience.

Often, a substantial proportion of the revenue generated by tourism does not benefit the local economy but ends up in the hands of foreign-owned businesses , such as international hotel chains and airlines. This phenomenon, known as revenue leakage, can undermine the local economic benefits of tourism.

Encouraging and investing in locally owned businesses and promoting local goods and services can help ensure that more of the tourism revenue stays within the local economy.

The economic benefits of tourism are often unevenly distributed within a community, exacerbating income disparities. More affluent regions or populations tend to gain more from tourism, while less affluent regions or marginalised populations gain less, exacerbating economic inequality.

Implementing policies and practices that promote equitable distribution of tourism revenue can help counter this problem. This might include investing in community-based tourism projects and ensuring fair wages for all tourism-related workers.

Investment in tourism-related infrastructure and services can lead to the neglect of other sectors of the local economy, potentially limiting overall economic development. The resources devoted to tourism could be used elsewhere, potentially offering better long-term economic outcomes.

Balanced investment in various sectors of the economy can help ensure broader economic development, reducing the opportunity costs associated with over-investment in tourism.

Over-dependence on tourism can lead to the neglect of other potential industries, limiting the diversification of the local economy. This lack of diversification can leave the local economy vulnerable to shocks in the tourism industry.

Diversifying the local economy by promoting various industries can help ensure economic stability even when tourism experiences downturns.

Tourism often drives environmental degradation and loss of natural resources, which have their own economic costs. These can include the expense of building infrastructure in sensitive areas, cleaning up pollution , and the lost opportunities for alternative uses of the land .

Implementing sustainable tourism practices that prioritise environmental conservation can help to reduce these costs. This includes regulating tourist activities in sensitive areas and investing in sustainable infrastructure.

Increased tourism can raise property prices and the cost of living, making it challenging for local residents to afford their community. As demand for properties increases with tourist influx, locals may be priced out of their own housing market.

Governments can implement regulations and controls on property prices, especially in regions that are experiencing or are at risk of high tourism-driven property inflation. Policies can also be put in place to ensure affordable housing for local residents is protected and preserved.

The commercialisation of local culture and traditions for the tourist market can lead to “ staged authenticity ,” where cultural activities are modified to cater to tourists. This commodification can potentially lead to the loss of cultural heritage and its inherent economic value, damaging the uniqueness that made the location attractive in the first place.

Policies that protect and promote the preservation of cultural heritage can help counter this effect. Additionally, educating tourists about the importance of preserving local culture and promoting authentic cultural exchanges can lead to more respectful and sustainable tourism practices.

Social Disadvantages of Tourism

There are also many social disadvantages of tourism, also known as social impacts of tourism , that need to be considered. I have outlined the major issues that are commonly encountered below.

Cultural erosion. Disadvantages of Tourism

The influx of tourists can lead to displacement of local populations and their cultural identities, resulting in a loss of cultural diversity . This phenomenon often results from the pressure to accommodate tourists and can erode the local way of life.

Respecting and protecting local cultures, promoting responsible tourism , and involving local communities in tourism planning can help mitigate cultural displacement.

The commercialisation of local customs and traditions for the tourist market can lead to the loss of cultural authenticity and exploitation of cultural heritage. Traditional practices may be transformed into spectacles for tourists, sometimes leading to staged and insincere representations.

Promoting cultural understanding and respect among tourists, supporting community-owned tourism initiatives, and setting guidelines for respectful cultural engagement can help preserve cultural authenticity .

An influx of tourists can lead to overcrowding, straining local facilities and infrastructure, and reducing the quality of life for local residents. This can create tension between tourists and local communities and degrade the visitor experience.

Implementing visitor management strategies, promoting off-peak travel, and developing infrastructure in a sustainable way can help manage overcrowding.

Some destinations may experience an increase in crime rates associated with tourism, including theft, drug trafficking, and exploitation. This can disrupt the local social fabric and lead to unsafe conditions for both tourists and locals.

Enforcing laws, ensuring adequate security measures, and educating tourists about safe practices can help curb crime associated with tourism.

Tourism can exacerbate social inequalities if the financial benefits of tourism are not evenly distributed within the community. This can lead to social tension and resentment within the local population .

Ensuring fair wages, promoting local ownership of tourism businesses, and implementing policies that promote the equitable distribution of tourism revenue can help address social inequality.

The presence of tourists can influence the behaviour and attitudes of local people, sometimes encouraging undesirable behaviours such as begging or petty crime. This can disrupt local norms and create social issues.

Promoting responsible tourism, involving local communities in decision-making processes, and ensuring that tourism benefits flow to the community can help reduce negative influences on local lifestyles.

In some cases, tourism can lead to the displacement of traditional industries, causing job loss among local populations. This can destabilise local economies and disrupt social structures.

Encouraging sustainable and inclusive tourism development that complements rather than replaces local industries can help preserve local employment.

An influx of tourists can increase demand for real estate, inflating property prices and potentially making it unaffordable for locals to own property in their own community. Companies such as Airbnb can exasperate this issue. This can lead to social displacement and exacerbate economic inequality.

Implementing policy measures to control property price inflation and ensuring affordable housing for locals can mitigate this impact.

How Can Destinations Balance The Disadvantages of Tourism With The Advantages of Tourism?

Balancing the disadvantages of tourism and advantages of tourism is a delicate task requiring thorough planning, strategic management, and conscious efforts from all stakeholders involved, including tourists, the local community, and the government. Below are some strategies that can help:

disadvantages of community based tourism

This approach focuses on minimising the disadvantages of tourism while maximising the advantages of tourism. These practices might include limiting the number of tourists allowed in a certain area at any one time, promoting off-peak travel, and supporting eco-tourism initiatives.

By involving local communities in the planning and decision-making processes, destinations can ensure tourism development aligns with local needs and values. This can also help distribute the economic benefits of tourism more evenly, reducing social inequality.

Raising awareness among tourists about the impacts of their behaviour can lead to more respectful and environmentally friendly behaviours. This can be achieved through informational campaigns, signage, and guidelines, all of which can help to reduce some of the disadvantages of tourism.

By promoting other sectors of the economy alongside tourism, destinations can mitigate the risk of over-dependence on tourism and provide alternative employment options for local communities.

Governments can establish regulations and policies to manage the disadvantages of tourism. This might include zoning laws to protect sensitive environments, regulations to prevent exploitation of cultural heritage, and policies to ensure equitable distribution of tourism revenue.

Thoughtful and sustainable infrastructure development can manage the influx of tourists, mitigate environmental impacts, and enhance the quality of life for local residents.

Taking a long-term perspective in tourism development can help balance immediate economic benefits with the need to preserve a destination’s cultural and natural resources for future generations.

Given the unpredictability of tourism demand , adaptable management strategies can help destinations respond to changes and mitigate negative impacts. This might involve regular monitoring of tourism impacts, feedback mechanisms, and flexibility in policy implementation.

By adopting these strategies, destinations can work towards a more balanced and sustainable tourism model that reaps the benefits of tourism while managing the disadvantages of tourism.

As you can see, there are unfortunately many disadvantages of tourism. However, just because these disadvantages of tourism currently exist, doesn’t mean that have to continue. With adequate planning, policies and governance and with sustainability principles and long-term planning at the forefront of our minds, we can limit the disadvantages of tourism significantly.

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