The Rethinking Kho Yao Noi Community-Based Tourism from Crisis to Sustainability

บทคัดย่อ

          Community-based tourism in Koh Yao Noi has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, as CBT plays a major role in supporting the local economy, creating community development, job creation, and environmental protection. This research aims to identify the economic and non-economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents of Koh Yao Noi and develop a model for adaptation to community-based tourism (CBT) for Koh Yao Noi. Qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and focus groups have been adopted. The data obtained was analysed using thematic analysis to categorize the emergent key themes and sub themes. The findings of the research show that lack of income, migration and changes in local people’s way of life are the impacts that the local people are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the adaptation strategy that this research recommended are rethinking the community-based tourism (CBT) plan to be more sustainable and inclusive. The rethinking plan includes community waste bank project and life skill development for local people, encourage local tourism enterprise, focus on domestic tourists, and an alternative form of international tourists like ‘nomadic workers’.