A critique of community-based tourism development: The comparative case of Betong and Pho Tak Districts, Thailand

ABSTRACT

Community-based tourism (CBT) promotes a model for enhancing communities’ social, environmental, and economic needs upheld as a post-Covid-19 revival strategy. This study aimed to critically review the model following longitudinal fieldwork in Thailand. “Reflection-in-action” methodology exposes CBT failings against sustainable development goals (SDGs). CBT falsely assumes: communities possess necessary capability for effective implementation; structural equity exists among host, and hosts possess uninhibited local control over their tourism assets. Such expositions underpin the study’s contributions: a supply-side focus on “community outputs” rather than the demand-side “expectations” of tourists; contradictions to known asset-based development assumptions; and theoretical extension to the CBT literature through critique to onsite experiences against sustainable development goals. Such may assist communities to move beyond their current “constraints” focus to that of “contextual experts” in local community assets. The study demonstrates a need for research, practice, and policy stakeholders to move CBT beyond theorization to a genuine sustainability tool.

KEYWORDS:

• Community-based tourism
• asset-based development
• CBT Thailand
• sustainable development goals (SDG)

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge and thank contributions from the respective project heads and respective village participants who enthusiastically supported the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Personal communication (14 April 2022) with one provincial office confirms a present key staff is moving to a new position outside of the province.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is a collaboration resulting from two research in-action projects: “Development of role-model communities in three southern Thai border provinces (2019-2020)” funded by the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) (Public Organization) RDG601T0124, Thailand; and “Pho Tak Research Program -Tourism Recovery Post Covid-19 (2020-2021)” funded by the Research and Graduate Studies Department, Khon Kaen University, RP64-10-003, Thailand.