Community - Based Tourism Management of Ban Prasat, Non Sung District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

Abstract

Abstract

Tourism has long been recognized for its major contribution to Thailand’s economic growth. The country has continuously promoted the tourism sector for over 30 years, undertaking numerous campaigns and strategies to foster the development of tourism. More recently, efforts have been emphasizing on tourism development at the community level in which tourism is increasingly being recognized for its socio-economic benefits to the host communities. Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is the approach that recognizes the social, environmental and economic impacts of tourism upon the local community and its surroundings. CBT focuses on the involvement of local community in the development process and ensures that a major share of tourism benefits remains within the community. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the development of CBT at Ban Prasat village archaeological site in Thailand, with a specific focus on its local management practices. Specifically, the paper outlines three main themes. The first is to examine the development of CBT in the village and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promotional and training programs, followed by a brief synopsis of three different periods of the development. Second, the paper will explore the management practice of Ban Prasat’s community-based approach to tourism and the role of key stakeholders and their contributions to the success of CBT, The third theme will discuss issues and challenges facing CBT practices at Ban Prasat in particular, and Thailand in general.

Keywords : Community Based Tourism, CBT Management, Homestay, Thailand