Our company goal is to be a DMC specialized in sustainable and responsible tourism. But not many know that community-based tourism is the core of our works. So, here is a small article about its definition and what you must expect for your trip when you hear this word.
COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM : A TRAVEL FULL OF AUTHENTICITY
According to ASEAN, Community-based tourism (CBT) is “tourism activity, community owned and operated, and managed orcoordinated 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.”.
To put it simply, community-based tourism is a tourism where local community (the area where people live and gather together sharing common culture, interests, …) and stakeholders (social enterprise, government institutions, ..) work together in order to uplift the community, preserve their culture, create sustainable job opportunities and take care of the environment. The three elements are :
- COMMUNITY
- ENVIRONMENT
- LOCAL ECONOMY
Community and tourism can work together but at one extent : including sustainability in it. In fact, everyone is aware of the mass tourism effect on the area and environmental. We must control the nature preservation and the amount of tourist (and by default income).
COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM VS OTHER TOURISM
Compared to the others type of tourism, CBT involve the local people in the process. Your local guide will be a villager that was born there and knows everything from the natural flora to the ancient legend. This is an experience of sharing deeply with another culture during your trip.
COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM INDICATORS
If you ever wonder how we select local community; here are the indicators :
- The community has natural resourceand good management.
- The community has a unique lifestyle.
- The community has a philosopher or people who have knwoledge of good management.
- The community can develop itself.
- The community has good regulations to manage the environment surrounds.
- The community can share benefit together with villagers.
- Every activity for a tourist can connect with the local lifestyle.
- The community can cultivate aboutmoral and reservation in natural resource for tourists and villagers.
A CONCRET EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM
It is always better to understand with a study case from an abstract concept.
Let’s talk about Ban Prasat Community.
They are located in Nakhon Ratchasima province, on the northeast of Thailand. This community is known for discovering ancient skeletons, utensils, and many more object aged of more than 3,000 years old. Today, they possess Thailand’s second Archeological site as an outdoor museum which is a sign of their perfect cultural management.
For those interesting in this community, you will be able to try some activities with them (cooking,….), stay at a homestay and discover other attractions such as the Phimai Historical Park.
Phimai Historical Park is an historical site about Khmer, a Khmer’s King named Jayavarman, building from 12th century and much more. Want to go deeper into the culture ? Followthis link of Tourism Authority of Thailand !
So, let's take Ban Prasat community case and apply CBT indicators on it, so we can easily understand CBT goal :
- The community has a unique lifestyle.
Every community has its own unique lifestyle. From their day life activities, we can understand more, how they live. The way they live is completely different from any other community. In fact, they share common point with others communities but in details (cultures, food, …) they are unique.
- The community has a philosopher or people who have knowledge of good management.
This community was able to apply management to its resources. They have tourist attractions that are entirely managed by them which gives skills and responsibility inside the community. They owned an exhibition hall that shows the local living life of people and their utensils. Also, they possess a Memorial Bridge that connects two communities together. Connection between two communities is a smart way as they will highlight their common and different cultural aspects. To finish, they own some excavations that reflect their ancient past.
The community can share benefit together with villagers.
Ban Prasat Community is known for producing cotton clothes by weaving and cooking traditional Thai snack. Those specific products are sent to a cooperative that will sell them to the travelers.The money gathered by the cooperative goes back to the community who can use it for its diverse projects.
- Every activity for a tourist can connect with the local lifestyle.
Ban Prasat Community propose workshops to travelers. Those activities are part of their daily life such as cooking for example. During those workshops, the villagers will teach local techniques to travelers and create a cultural exchange for both.
- The community can cultivate about moral and preservation in natural resource for tourists and villagers.
Natural conservation is important. The community is known for giving advice to travelers about the environment.
Overall
With SiamRise Travel, all the community we are working with are respectful of their environment. They are also eager to share their culture to travelers. For your next trip in Thailand, think about Homestay Experience and allow you to discover Thai culture. And,ow that you are an expert on community-based tourism, try to add a few experiences of this type into your journey in Thailand. You will see how much difference it will make to prioritize quality over quantity.