
Like the overall tourism industry, community-based tourism (CBT) has been affected by travel restrictions and changing customer behaviors due to the pandemic. In addition to the focus on sustainability, being anticipatory and adaptive is now critical to the survival of CBT, especially given that local communities might not have the same level of resources as large-scale players in the tourism industry.
This toolkit aims at empowering local communities that are involved in community-based tourism (CBT) to have the capacity to develop their CBT in a sustainable manner and become more anticipatory of uncertainties.
There are three categories of tools for your choosing. Each category focuses on different stages of your CBT journey. To take your CBT to the next level, it can be helpful to understand your past and present before imagining your future and designing your actions. Nonetheless, it is not necessary to strictly follow a linear path. You can always jump back and forth between each category to fill the gaps as you find them.
Under each category, there are several tools – some of which may seem similar but each one serves different purposes. Feel free to look into each tool and pick the ones that are most suitable for you!
In 2022, the UNDP Accelerator Lab Thailand in collaboration with the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Local Alike, and Thailand Policy Lab invited stakeholders from local communities, the government, the private sector, civil society, and academia to exchange views on the way forward for CBT in Thailand.
While the discussion reveals multiple areas for development and the need for multisectoral collaborations, capacity building for local communities stands out as one of the prerequisites for success. Since local communities are the main drivers of CBT, they must be equipped with frameworks and tools that will enable them to flourish in the VUCA world and continue to be a driving force toward sustainable tourism and the attainment of the SDGs.