Decoding the three-decade community-based tourist management: Ban Na Ton Chan

Abstract

Baan Na Ton Chan has taken over three decades building up itself to become a role model of community-based tourism with firmly developed and managed organization. The objectives of this research are 1) To decode community-based tourist management 2) To study factors supporting community resources 3) To conclude a key success elements of a creative community-based tourism case. This is a qualitative research, focusing on an in-depth interview about management system with a group of leaders of Baan Na Ton Chan Community. Tourist behavior was also observing to analyze and synthesize with related theories. The results show that the community development has been evolved in four stage: an initiative stage (1984-1993), an identity development stage (1994-2006), an opening stage (2007-2016), and an innovative living stage (2017-now). Each stage had different supportive factors such as founding of community organization chief, granting from outsource public and private parties, empowering human resources and oversea case study site visiting
. Three inclusive key success factors are core value transformation, community-tourism competency developmental balance and experience-based tourism.