Sukanlaya Choenkwan, A. Terry Rambo

Has Promotion of Community-based Tourism been A Successful Rural Development Strategy in Northeast Thailand?

Introduction

Has promotion of community-based tourism been a successful rural development strategy in northeast thailand?. Evaluate community-based homestay tourism (CBT) as a rural development strategy in Northeast Thailand. Uncover challenges, low success rates, and a re-evaluated impact on rural economic welfare.

Abstract

Promotion of community-based homestay tourism (CBT) in rural villages is an important element of Thailand’s rural development strategy. This paper assesses how the concept of community-based tourism has worked in practice by examining the present status of all 53 government-recognized homestay communities in Northeast Thailand. It also identifies the challenges faced by these communities in implementing CBT. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in every community with a total of 81 key informants. It was found that nearly half (45.3%) of these homestay communities were completely inactive because they had received no visits by tourists. The active homestay communities were classified into four types based on how they are organized, the volume of tourists received, and how benefits of tourism are shared within the communities. Only a handful of active homestay communities (5.7%) are categorized as practicing community-based tourism. This low success rate reflects the many challenges that communities seeking to implement the CBT strategy must overcome. It is concluded that if widespread development of community-based homestay tourism villages is the sole measure of success of this rural development effort, then it must be judged to have been a failure. However, if the measure of success is broadened to include increasing the economic welfare of some villagers, even if not the whole community, then the program as implemented in Northeast Thailand can be judged to have achieved somewhat greater, but still very limited success.

Review

The paper, "Has Promotion of Community-based Tourism been A Successful Rural Development Strategy in Northeast Thailand?", tackles a highly pertinent question regarding Thailand's significant investment in community-based homestay tourism (CBT) as a rural development tool. The research distinguishes itself through its remarkably comprehensive scope, examining all 53 government-recognized homestay communities in Northeast Thailand and gathering insights from 81 key informants via semi-structured interviews. This robust methodological approach provides a solid foundation for assessing the practical application and efficacy of the CBT concept, offering invaluable insights into a key aspect of the nation's development agenda. The findings present a sobering picture of the CBT initiative's real-world impact. A critical revelation is that nearly half (45.3%) of the surveyed homestay communities are entirely inactive, having received no tourist visits, underscoring a significant disconnect between policy promotion and ground-level engagement. Even among the active communities, a detailed classification based on organization, tourist volume, and benefit-sharing reveals that only a minuscule 5.7% genuinely embody the principles of community-based tourism. This starkly low success rate is attributed to the numerous implementation challenges faced by these communities, directly questioning the effectiveness of the strategy as a widespread development intervention. The paper's conclusion offers a nuanced yet critical assessment, suggesting that if success is solely measured by the widespread development of CBT villages, the strategy must be deemed a failure. However, it proposes an alternative metric, acknowledging some success if measured by increased economic welfare for *some* villagers, even if not the entire community. While this broadened definition offers a glimmer of positive impact, the paper candidly states that even by this revised standard, the success is "still very limited." This research provides crucial evidence for policymakers to re-evaluate the design and implementation of CBT programs, highlighting the complexities and significant hurdles in translating top-down development strategies into genuine, equitable, and widespread community benefits.

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