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
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.
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* 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