Influence of Community Based Tourism Promotion Policy on Solidarity of Tourism Communities in Thailand: The Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

This research aims to analyze a community-based tourism promotion policy in Thailand. It also examines how it started, what dynamism transpired it, and its impacts on the solidarity. And to propose a theoretical framework for analyzing and investigating the influences of the policy on community solidarity. Thailand has various policies for economic development, especially tourism promotion policy. The previous Thai government tried to promote it in various tourism activities and projects. However, the result of the policy has brought reordering and more conflicts in the communities. Various data from the National Social and Economic Development Plans, development plans of relevant tourism agencies, and a structured interview conducted with tourism communities in Thailand. Were gathered and documentary analysis was use to analyze the said data.

The research findings reveal that Thailand has utilized tourism as a major strategy for its economic development for five decades in an attempt to distribute tourism-oriented earnings to communities and to seek new tourist attractions. The government has issued community-based tourism promotion policy with dynamism on mass tourism, ecotourism, community-based tourism and to all community tourism. The change of the policy has brought state agencies using different development instruments and communities adapting to the policy. Each policy development has brought about changes in communities, because such tourism has led to changes of community relationship patterns in terms of access to community resources, assistance from the state sector, power relationship in community management, and conflicts in communities. Therefore, the research findings reveal that community development is not in accordance with tourism principles, weakening the communities and causing community solidarity problems.