TRAINING HANDBOOK
Community Based Tourism Training Workshop
for Senior Product and Operations Staff of
Greater Mekong Sub-region Tour Operators.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand, 8th to 12th June 2012.
Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I)
Thailand Community Based Tourism Network (CBT-N)
and partners.
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Contents
1. What is Community Based Tourism and how is it Different? 3
2. Why and How, CBT? 4
3. Why CBT training for Product and Operations Managers? 5
4. The Scope of this Handbook 6
5. Tips and Tools for CBT Product Development 7
6. Tips and Tools for CBT Marketing 18
7. Cooperation between professional guides and CBT guides 23
8. Introducing the Project Partners 27
Annexes
I. GMS CBT Training Workshop June 8-12th 2012, Program
II. List of participants
III. Further resources
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1. What is Community Based Tourism (CBT) and how is it different?
In the context of this handbook, community based tourism refers to tourism activities
and services which have been developed by local community members, working
together in a ‘CBT’ club or group, sometimes in partnership with the private sector.
Community members design tourism programs based on special elements of local
life, culture and nature which they feel proud and comfortable to share with visitors.
CBT offers visitors a unique opportunity to meet local people, experience and learn
about local culture, livelihoods and the natural world - directly from local people.
Activities are usually lead by local community tour guides and host family members.
Guests could explore a nature trail with a community guide, cast a net with a local
fisher family, or learn a local game. Sometimes, a community works and invests with
a tour operator to develop a more ambitious program, like a community lodge.
Visitors usually stay overnight in a homestay, a community lodge, or campsite.
Guests can expect clean, safe, welcoming and comfortable accommodation.
However, community members are usually not able to offer a luxury experience.
Guests can try typical dishes made from local ingredients, spiced down if necessary!
Guests often have the chance to join their host families collecting fresh ingredients
from their vegetable plot or orchard, or try their hand cooking a local dish, if they wish.
In addition to being a great cultural experience, CBT is designed to support social and
environmental work, build local skills and distribute benefits broadly. This is achieved,
for example, through training, establishing community funds and queue systems.
Some communities also offer the chance to ‘give something back’ through simple
volunteer activities. Other communities offer study tour programs for people who wish
to learn about community development and conservation initiatives in the field.
Because CBT is a community activity, visitors have a unique chance to meet lots of
different people and learn how they are harnessing tourism to share their stories with
the world, while helping to support local families and community development. CBT
also goes beyond just admiring nature, to seeing how nature and people still coexist.
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2. Why and How, CBT?
It is not easy to work at the community level to develop tourism. It is much easier to
work with a talented individual, or a motivated family… So, why community-based?
At the simplest level, tourism development uses shared resources, such as water and
community forest. The poorest people in the community tend to rely most on these
resources in their daily lives as farmers, fishers, etc. Tourism in a village can easily
impact livelihoods security and create conflict. Developing tourism in a group allows
local people to share the risks, responsibilities and benefits of developing tourism.
Moreover, CBT is designed to create benefits for the community and environment.
Objectives may include, for example, nature conservation, helping communities to
preserve cultural traditions and / or creating opportunities to earn extra income.
Many objectives cannot be achieved by a committed individual or even a family
working alone. It takes a united effort for a community to decide to conserve a forest,
or continue to practice an ancient tradition. Organisations like CBT-I help community
members to work together, identify their community development priorities, consider
how tourism can help them to achieve these goals, and put their ideas into action.
Local community members in these villages are agriculturalists. They are not tourism
professionals. Therefore, communities need help to develop the knowledge and skills
to welcome guests and link with partners in the tourism industry. Organisations like
CBT-I assist community members to consider the opportunities and risks of tourism,
and work together to plan, develop, manage, market, operate and monitor CBT.
Ideally, communities will work with tour operators and other partners to develop
activities, programs, prices, booking systems and other elements of a successful tour.
When local people work with the private sector, they still retain influence over
decision making and the overall direction of tourism development in the community.
Q’s at the start of the journey:
What are our community
development needs and priorities?
How can we design tourism to
support these priorities?
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3. Why training for product and operations managers?
Demand for authentic, local experiences is increasing. Tourists from as far afield as
Europe, the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and
Singapore are becoming more interested to experience life in local communities,
Community based tourism offers great opportunities for tour operators which
would like to offer authentic, inspiring experiences to their guests, and are
motivated to create tangible benefits for local people and the environment.
By building local skills and empowering community members as partners, rather
than objects in tourism development, tour operators can unlock local knowledge
and potential, working as a team to develop programs which are tailored to meet
the needs of niche markets, such as families, students, seniors and volunteers.
However, partnering with CBT projects can also be challenging, for example:
Working with a group of community members, who may need time to
discuss your proposal, can take longer than booking a regular excursion;
Additional costs, such as local community guides and contributions to
community funds, can make CBT comparatively quite expensive;
Tour guides may be used to running a ‘one man show’ and need some
extra help or training to work as a team with local guides and hosts.
The CBT-I team have worked for over 15 years to support communities and their
partners to develop CBT. We have experienced both successes and failures.
Our team have learned that a key to success is effective cooperation between
communities and the local tour operators which take tourists to the communities.
These crucial relationships on the ground will (or not) actually deliver the fun, safe
experiences which tourists, community members and tour operators’ expect.
This course has been designed to share techniques and best practices which CBT-I
hope will help tour operators and their staff to work effectively with community
members to develop and operate successful CBT, which meets the expectations
of guests and local people and creates benefits for community and environment.
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4. The Scope of this Handbook
CBT-I is a research and development organisation. Our initiatives are often piloted as
projects, with budgets and time allocated to try out new approaches. For example, in
some cases we have been able to send a team member to the field for 2 or 3 weeks,
or regularly over the course of several months to work with community members.
The target audience for this handbook is product and operations managers of tour
operators which want to offer CBT to their clients, and want their staff to be able to
coordinate as effectively as possible with the local community members who have set
up CBT programs, as well as to add value when marketing and promoting CBT.
CBT-I realise that a research and development organisation operates in a different
situation, with different limitations to those faced by most tour operators, which do not
necessarily have funds or staff available to spend long periods of time in the field.
In this handbook, CBT-I have tried to simplify tools and techniques as much as possible,
to make it easier for tour operators to put ‘best practices’ into practice easily. We
have also been selective, so the handbook is not too long for busy people to read.
Working with communities to develop tourism requires a mix of social work and tourism
skills. Where possible, we recommend that tour operators work with local NGOs or
government staff who can help you work with community members on the ground.
However, if this is not possible, we hope that this manual will at least provide new
ideas about how to approach CBT, with extra ideas from the social workers’ toolkit.
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5. Tips and Tools for CBT Product Development
5.1. Community Study: a frame for assessing community potential
When considering opportunities for developing CBT, it is natural for us to look for
attractions like beautiful scenery, interesting culture and activities. Of course, these
are very important for a good product. However, when working with a community,
many less obvious issues, ‘behind the scenes’ can also impact the success of CBT.
Conducting a community study helps us to assess local strengths and weaknesses
before developing CBT. Serious weaknesses can be identified. Also, by developing
CBT based on community strengths, less training and investment is needed.
The frame below can help you to assess many key issues which influence the
success of a CBT program. The outputs can be used to conduct a SWOT analysis.
ISSUE (INTERNAL) What to consider Strengths (e.g.) Weakness (e.g.)
1 Heritage, local
wisdom, living
cultural practice,
festivals and
traditions
- E.g. Religion, customs,
local dress and food,
dance performances,
arts and crafts (weaving,
carving), festivals,
games, traditional
musical instruments,
architecture, legends?
- Is culture still being
practiced (living)?
- Are there skilled local
‘resource’ people?
- Vibrant , living
culture, festivals
- Attractive material
culture (local dress,
architecture, etc)
- Local people are
enthusiastic about
practicing culture
- Skilled local people
who are interested
to share with tourists
- Outsiders are not
allowed to witness
or participate.
- Replaced by
outside culture
-Few local people
practice or have
cult. knowledge.
- Resource people
can’t speak the
national language
2 Links between
livelihoods,
agriculture, and
culture
- Map agricultural and
cultural activities by
season and month.
- How and when are
livelihoods, agriculture
and culture linked?
- Do people have time
for tourism? When?
- Traditional ways of
harvesting, weaving,
blacksmithing
- Traditional seasonal
ceremonies are still
being practiced
- Traditional tools
- Organic agriculture
- Local people too
busy w/ agriculture
- Local agricultural
knowledge is no
longer practiced
- income from
tourism is likely to
be less than from
agriculture
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3 Environment,
natural
resources,
conservation,
local wisdom
connected to the
environment,
land ownership
- Mountains, forests,
lakes, rivers, hot springs,
wild animals, herbal
plants / medicines, etc
- Local knowledge of
animals, edible plants,
medicinal plants / oils
- Map the links between
natural resources, local
livelihoods and culture.
- Are there any local
conservation efforts?
- Any serious pressures on
the environment?
- Traditional resource
management is still
being practiced (for
example, traditional
land management)
- Local people still
use the environment
to find wild forest
foods, medicines...
- Local people can
explain the uses of
different plants, local
land management,
relationship between
community and the
environment, etc
- active conservation
- Unattractive
-Local knowledge
connected to the
environment is
mainly forgotten.
- Inside protected
areas (community
without authority
to make decisions.
Will depend on
relationships with
government).
-A lot of land is
owned by outside
investors (difficult
to direct tourism
development)
4 Community
organisations
and community
development:
+/- experiences,
achievements,
unity Vs conflict
- Any successful
community groups?
- Failed community
initiatives? Why?
- Do local community
members feel positive
about working together?
- Leaders & ordinary
people are active
- Community groups
organised around
various issues: e.g.
conservation, youth,
women, arts, etc
- Good cooperation
between community
groups and formal /
elected leaders
- Community hosts
regular study tours
- History of conflict
- Lack of
transparency
- Overworked
leadership
- Over centralised
(difficult for local
people to
participate)
- Lack of active
participation of
local people (they
are not active)
5 Strengths /
weaknesses
Community
finances / funds
/ accounting
- Past failure of
community groups due
to poor financial
management, mistrust
-Do people trust one
another with money?
- Successful savings,
credit groups,
cooperatives.
- Savings in local
savings banks,
cooperatives
- History of failure
of community
initiatives w/ shares
/ cooperative
structures
- Lack of
transparency or
talk of corruption
(be sensitive)?
Have previous community initiatives succeeded or failed? Why?
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6 Tourism
resources,
facilities,
activities,
highlights
-What can tourists do?
- Are the natural and
cultural resources
identified above really
appropriate for
developing activities?
- Is the community
attractive / charming?
- Highlights? What is
unique or really special?
- Water, electricity
- Clean and safe,
not overdeveloped
- Unique or very
special activities
- pleasant climate
- warm welcome
- No real highlights
- Water shortages
- no electricity
7 Souvenirs / local
products
- Any local souvenirs?
- Appropriate for what
types of visitors?
- Interesting processes for
tourists to observe?
- Possible to develop a
‘hands-on’ activity?
- Diverse products
- Appropriate for
your target markets
(e.g. Thais like to try
local snacks / foods)
- Possible to see how
they are made
- No local products
- Unlikely to be
able to sell to
target visitors (It’s
still possible to
show tourists the
process, but the
activity needs to
be well managed.
8 Experience,
capacity of
community /
local guides with
tourists, local
participation in
tourism
management,
beneficiaries +/-
impacts of
tourism
- Can local people
present their community
to guests confidently?
- What experience do
community members
have welcoming tourists?
- Is there already a
tourism group?
- +/- impacts of tourism in
the community now?
- Community have
some experience
welcoming guests
- Confident and
motivated people
with the ability to be
local guides
- Positive about
working together to
develop tourism.
- Lack of people
who can present
the community
(can be trained)
- Internal
competition or
entrenched
private interests in
the community
9 Accessibility distance from
transport hubs /
availability of
facilities
- How far from transport
hubs and hospitals?
- Is it on the way to / from
established destinations?
- How long does it take to
drive to community from
main tourism routes?
- 1-1.5 hours from a
main destination
- Access to hospital
-possible to stop by /
visit on the way
between established
destinations
- More than 1.5
hours from main
destination
- Far off route
- Difficult access in
rainy season
- No transport to
the community
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10 Vulnerability:
poverty, drugs,
legal status, land
tenure, gender;
- How much authority
does the community
have to develop
tourism? Do they have
land rights? In a
protected area?
- Sensitive issues which
could affect security?
- citizenship and
land rights;
- awards for drug /
alcohol free;
- women are active
in community work
- drug or alcohol
problems;
- lack of land rights
or citizenship
- Lots of land is
owned by outside
investors
11 Leadership
- Formal and informal
leaders (including
religious leaders)
-Attitude towards tourism
- Resources to support
tourism
- Cooperation and
conflict
- Enthusiastic formal
and informal leaders
- Positive attitude
towards community
participation
- Will make a
commitment –
people, time, $
- Leaders opposed
to tourism
- Leaders are
competing with
CBT group
- Conflict between
formal and
informal leaders
ISSUE (EXTERNAL) What to consider Opportunities (e.g.) Threats (e.g.)
12 Nearby,
established
destinations
- How many and what
types of tourists visit?
From where, how often,
what channels?
- Demand in nearby
destinations or along this
route for CBT style
experiences
- Destination is
popular for culture /
eco (demand)
- Visitors all year
- Tourists visiting the
destination could be
interested in CBT.
- Short seasonal
destination
- Destination
popular with
visitors who do not
plan ahead (e.g.
long weekend,
domestic visitors)
13 Local Networks
and Cooperation
- Current partnerships
and potential networks
for developing multi-day
programs, routes.
- Opportunities for
cooperation with local
businesses and org’s.
- (Potential) partners
who can add value
to CBT program. E.g.
accommodation,
local restaurants,
shops, tour guides,
national parks, etc.
- community is
very isolated
- conflict with
private sector in
the area
14 Competition - Competitors within 1-1.5
hours from the
community
- The community has
unique, v. interesting
/ attractive highlights
- Potential for a
good value price
- Other nearby
destinations or tour
companies offer
similar, cheaper
experiences
15 GOV (local/
central) / NGO
support /
availability of
local facilitating
organisation
- Potential support from
government policy and
NGOs / academics
- Leaders cooperate
well w/ Gov. / NGOs
- Facilitating org.
which is prepared to
invest time, values
local participation
- Community has
protested against
gov. in the past
- Staff and policy
often changing
- Facilitating org.
focuses on own
needs, wants
quick results
16 Funding support - To share investment
costs
- Government, NGO,
private sector funds
- No co-funding
opportunities
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5.2. Tools to assist a community study
5.2.1. Map (potential) tourist attractions and infrastructure in the village
Such a map can be used by community members and partners assess potential.
5.2.2. Map to show distribution of public / development jobs
You can see who may have time and motivation to commit time to tourism.
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5.2.3. Tool for studying the annual, agricultural / life cycle of the community
5.2.4. Important external issues for consideration:
Access from transport hubs / popular destinations
Market potential (overall, from nearby destinations)
Potential Partnerships Networks / for inclusion in routes / links with day trips
Competition from similar / cheaper excursions
Government / NGO support (funds, people, skills, material)
Partners can assist community members to learn about external issues, by sharing
information, and helping them to consider how external factors may impact their
CBT program. A study tour can also be a good way of giving local people
new experiences, and introducing them to outside ideas and perspectives.
5.2.5. Who conducts the community study?
Community members who are interested in tourism, alongside government, NGO and
/ or private sector supports should conduct the study together. Local youth can help
to collect information about local life by interviewing senior community members.
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5.3. How to organize and facilitate a participatory community meeting
When information has been collected through a community study, it can be used
as the foundation for a community meeting to discuss the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and risks of developing tourism. Organising a community meeting which
results in a sincere consensus, and leads to active commitment and action is not easy.
5.3.1. Participation
Broad participation helps facilitators to understand the situation in the community
more deeply and broadly, and ensures that CBT programs can benefit from the skills
and experience of a broad range of local people. It can reduce potential for conflict
later down the track. To help different perspectives to be heard, invite representatives
from different groups in the community. These could include, for example, a balance
of men and women, elders, formal and informal leaders and local youth.
The participants can listen to the outcomes of the community study, and consider:
Positive and negative aspects of life – socially, economically, culturally, etc
Change over time: what is better than in the past and what is worse?
What do people at the meeting want to improve? What do they want to
preserve? Where is the common ground between different groups, ages, etc?
It’s easy for one or two people to dominate the discussion. The facilitator can use
different tools and techniques to give more people the chance to share their ideas
and opinions, and to show their potential to their peers and neighbors! Tools include:
Open floor discussions, including all participants;
Peer group discussions with presentations making presentations;
Mapping exercises, (e.g. resources, cultural areas which are / not sensitive)
Role play (e.g. tourists, community members, tour operators, national park).
You can use role plays to discuss practice thinking about different perspectives.
‘Shopping’ – different groups post their ideas, pictures, etc to the walls.
Participants move around the room to look, read or listen to presentations.
‘Ranking’ games to prioritize importance of ideas, goals, or actions. Ask the
participants to put the most important ideas into a pyramid shape, with the
most important idea at the top, 2nd and 3rd most important underneath, etc.
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Different participatory activities to learn about community members’ ideas:
The facilitator should look out for active, committed people, and see how well they
cooperate with other community members. This is an important success factor for CBT.
5.3.2. Tool for analyzing change over time, and prioritizing development needs
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5.4. Helping community members to understand market needs and fine-tune CBT
5.4.1. Standard Program: Our Good Things
Community members usually develop CBT based on aspects of local culture, lifestyle,
arts, crafts, nature, etc which they feel proud and comfortable to share with visitors.
These “Good Things” can be identified by brainstorming with community members:
What aspects of local life, nature and culture are most important to the
community? What is a ‘must see’ if people visit the community?
Which local people possess highly interesting skills or knowledge which the
community feel proud of (making traditional instruments, weaving, etc)?
Appropriate ‘good things’ can be adapted to create activities, such as a boat trip
through local mangroves, trekking with a local guides, a village temple visit etc.
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5.4.2. How to help community members adapt to meet market needs
Standard CBT programs can also be fine-tuned to make them better suited to the
needs of specific target tourists, such as seniors, families, volunteers, etc.
We can work with community members to help them to understand the needs
and expectations of specific target groups, and adapt their programs to be a
better fit with their guests. When community members understand the needs and
expectations of their guests, they are more likely to get good feedback.
We can ask community members to look at cartoons or photos of different target
groups, and consider how the expectations of these tourists might be different. How
does the community need to prepare for visitors with these kinds of expectations?
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We can help community members, by sharing knowledge about different tourists. E.g.:
Community members can adapt their program and services, based on issues such as:
What will be the highlights for guests which these specific expectation?
How do you need to adapt the timing, rythm, flow of the program? (For
example, perhaps shortening a trek, or early / later starts to the day).
How will times of day / seasons impact these kinds of people? (Perhaps
moving a hot activity earlier in the day in summer, or even replacing it)
Do you need to adapt services? (Food – how many local dishes? How big
should the portions be? Will you need more local guides / assistants than
usual to help with small children, or the needs of volunteers?)
Safety – what are the extra risks? What else needs to be done?
Will this impact costs / prices?
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6. Tips and Tools for CBT Marketing partnerships
6.1. 10 steps towards CBT partnerships which are responsive to community needs
The steps below can be carried out by tour operators who wish to work with a CBT
project. These recommendations have been summarised from experiences working
with CBT communities and tour operators for over 10 years. Numerous discussions with
community members, tourists and tour operators have shown that these actions are
highly appreciated by communities, and can lead to a better experience for guests.
Due to the usual limitations (time, money, people) it is not always possible to put all of
the recommendations below into practice. It’s OK. Let’s just do as much as we can!
Kindly note the focus of these recommendations is on actions which can be taken by
tour operators. CBT program, services and facilities must be ready for market before
being promoted. The steps below do not cover getting CBT ready for market.
I. Sharing information between tour operators and the CBT community group
It is helpful for the community members to know a little about your business and guests
before you develop a program together. This also helps you, because if community
members understand your needs, then they will be better prepared to meet them.
For example, you can introduce your company, trip style and main target tourists. If
you have a specific market in mind for a program, please do share what their
expectations might be for experience, services, comfort, timing of the program, etc.
As far as possible, also give an idea of the size and frequency of groups / visitors.
Finally, please take the time to ask why the community developed community based
tourism. This is important when for promoting, training guides and orientating guests.
Why take the time?
CBT invites visitors into people’s homes and lives. This goes beyond normal tourism
services (clock-in, clock-out), into people’s private spaces. This situation brings
opportunities and risks. CBT can’t be sustainable if local people have no idea or
control over who will arrive, with what kinds of expectations, in what scales of volume.
Beyond this, local people are not tourism professionals. Often, they are unable
to distinguish clearly between the expectations of different kinds of visitors. This can
lead to activities being inappropriate for your guests, and to avoidable complaints.
For example, local guides may take young families or older travellers down a nature
trail which is more appropriate for fit adults. You can help community members to
understand the needs of different types of tourists, increasing their ability to prepare
for your guests, including tailoring their standard programs if needed. By doing this,
you help the CBT group to understand tourism and do a better job for your guests.
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II. Visit the community to meet CBT group members, and survey the program.
CBT programs are more likely to succeed if tour operators send a staff member to visit
the community, meet and discuss with at least 3 or 4 representatives of the CBT group,
survey their services and activities, and develop (or draft) a program face to face.
Ideally, this staff member will be a senior member of the product development team,
so that any discussions or agreements reached can move smoothly into action.
Why take the time?
Although community members are keen to welcome guests, levels of comfort
and service in local communities are not strictly standardised. When you visit
the community, you will be able to assess the level of comfort, safety, etc yourself.
You will be able to develop accurate promotion which creates realistic expectations,
and a higher chance that your guests will be well prepared when they arrive. This will
increase the chances of an enjoyable experience by your guests and their hosts.
Moreover, in rural villages, people are simply not used to developing trust and making
commitments based on e-mail or phone conversations. If you take the time to travel
to the community to meet the CBT group face to face, people will trust you more and
will be more likely to remember and honour agreements which you have made.
III. Clarify program, price, booking system and prior commitments with CBT Club.
There are many variables in rural villages, such as seasonal conditions, road access,
festivals and agricultural cycles where people spend hours in the fields or out at sea.
To ensure the program you want to offer your clients is definitely possible, you should
clarify what activities and services are available during different months and times.
If you want to price for a year, make sure that community members understand this.
Consider adding a small cushion to cover unanticipated increases in the cost of living.
Check program, price, how to book and how many days notice are needed. Check
the maximum number of guests per house / guide / vehicle, etc. Check if the
community have prior commitments to other visitors, cultural events or agriculture.
We recommend to contact the community to clarify if a speculative proposal
(an opportunity) is definitely possible, at the time of year which you want to propose.
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IV. Interview community members about livelihoods, culture, etc including
important ‘do’s and don’ts’. Develop appropriate information to promote,
prepare and inform guests (e.g. handbook, language sheet, do’s and don’ts).
If your clients are well informed, there is a higher chance that they will be well
prepared and enjoy their time in the community. Interviewing community members
can help you to develop information for your clients. Useful information includes:
A handbook about the community (e.g. history, livelihoods, culture etc);
A language sheet so that guests can practice a little of the local language;
Advice about local culture (guidelines, code of conduct or do’s and don’ts);
A 1 page introduction to the community for your guests, and tour guides /
leaders, explaining the background behind the project. This can be given to
visitors the night before they arrive in the community if they travel with a guide.
V. Record the agreement in a simple document which both sides can refer to;
This does not need to be a formal contract. It can be a report of your meeting, which
clearly describes the agreements which you made, and is signed by both parties.
The following information is important:
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o Who is making the agreement?
o The names of the organisations making the contract;
o The names and roles of the people signing the contract;
o The date and place where the contract / agreement was made
o Details of the most important services which the community has agreed to offer
the tour operator – what are they, what is included, how much does it cost?
o Details of coordination and management – for example:
o Any months / times when it is not possible to offer a tour;
o How many days notice the CBT group requires before booking a tour;
o When, how and by whom the community will be paid;
o Details of commitments which the tour operator makes to the community. E.g.:
o Give information to tourists in advance
o Send trained guides to the project
VI. Honest, value added promotion of CBT
If CBT is prioritised in marketing and promotion, then there is much higher chance that
programs will sell. Product developers and RT staff can help by working with marketing
and sales departments to help inform your clients why CBT is different and special!
Please give an honest idea of what guests can expect in the community, to avoid
wrong expectations and disappointment. For example, if Muslim fishers request that
guests do not drink alcohol, it’s better for guests to know before they book! We
recommend to ask communities what information they would like guests to receive.
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VII. ‘Touch base’ – communicate, update
Good follow-up communication and updates will assist effective cooperation and
help to protect bookings. Tour operator should ask that the community informs them
of any dynamic situations which could effect the published, brochured program.
VIII. Use trained tour guides / tour leaders, who understand and appreciate CBT;
Professional guides are usually responsible for all aspects of running the tour. It’s not
easy or common sense for them to share the spotlight and release responsibility to
community members. Tour guides’ need to understand CBT, how it is different from
regular tours, the roles of local people and how to work as a team. Tour operators can
help by training guides to work effectively with community members in the CBT group.
IX. Backstopping’ during operation:
Although training is given to prepare the community, being able to welcome tourists
and operate a program requires experience, including the chance to ‘learn by
doing’ and make a few mistakes. Local community members will not have had a
sophisticated education or industry experience. Sometimes, service may be slow, or
different to guests’ expectations. During tour operation, professional tour guides who
are working with the CBT group can help by being flexible; giving space to the local
staff to learn by doing; and being prepared to help them out if necessary.
X. Tour operators and community members share feedback and plan forward
It’s very helpful if a partner tour operator takes the time to visit the community in
person at least once per year. An evaluation can be completed in around half a day.
This will help all partners to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to develop a
program and coordination system which is most responsive to everyone’s needs;
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7. Cooperation between professional guides and CBT guides
The ‘Safety Meaning Service’ (SMS) Frame for Community CBT guides
CBT-I have observed common obstacles faced by local community guides. SMS
Community Guide Training was developed to help overcome these challenges.
Different community members have different roles operating and managing CBT
programs, depending on the services which each community offers, and the
management system they have developed. Local community staff may include:
CBT Group coordinators
Homestay hosts
Transport providers (van, boat, car, elephant!)
Local guides or ‘local resource people’ with specialized local knowledge.
Local Community Guides lead guests to experience and understand their life, culture
and environment. There may be a special group of local guides, or all CBT Group
members (e.g. homestay hosts, boat and van drivers, etc) may be guides.
To keep training simple, guide’s roles can be divided into 3 main areas:
Safety
The first responsibility of guides is for the safety of their guests. No matter how much that a
guest enjoys the tour, or how much they appreciate the services a community offers, if they
become sick or suffer injury this will spoil their experience. Local guides are responsible to
ensure that all necessary preparation and care on site is undertaken to ensure that the trip is as
safe as possible for their guests.
Meaning
CBT communities choose special elements of their culture, lifestyle and environment to share
with their guests.These elements are developed into the CBT program. CBT guests are
interested in an ‘authentic’, local experience. They hope to discover local culture, experience a
completely different way of life, learn and make friends. One of the core responsibilities of a
local guide is to lead guests through the program so that they leave the community having
experienced the most important aspects of the communities’ culture, lifestyle and environment
and understood why they are important to the community.
Service
Finally, local guides need to take care of their guests’ service needs: in particular their food,
drink, accommodation, transportation, toilet, wellbeing and comfort during activities.
All of these responsibilities need to be coordinated carefully with other staff members fwho are
involved in the CBT program. These may include homestay families, transport providers and
‘resource people’ inside the community, or professional guides or tour leaders from outside.
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Professional guides and tour leaders can work with local guides, to help them deliver
a safe, interesting and enjoyable tour. This requires team work and close cooperation.
The importance of team work between local community and professional tour guides
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Working together to deliver safety, meaning and service to guests in a community
Safety mapping – a simple tool to identify and manage risks
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Working together to interpret meaning... why is this place, person, important /
interesting?
Planning and clarifying services
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8. Introducing the Project Partners
CBT-I would like to recognize partner organisations which have helped to fund and
support this workshop, without which it would have been very difficult organize.
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA)
DASTA was established by Royal Decree, as the Designated Areas for
Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) B.E.2546(A.D.2003) and
started its operation on 1st October 2003. DASTA is a public organization, responsible
for coordinating and integrating stakeholder cooperation in areas with valuable
tourism resources, to achieve sustainable tourism operation. DASTA aims to be an
important driving force in the sustainable administration of Thailand’s tourism industry
both in short and long terms. DASTA actively supports community based tourism.
http://www.dasta.or.th/en/home/index.php
CBI - Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (Netherlands)
CBI is an Agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Established in 1971 in
order to support producers / exporters to get a foothold in the Netherlands market,
support Business Support Organisations in improving their capabilities and to act as a
Matchmaker between suppliers and buyers. CBI actively support community based
tourism, and assist responsible tour operators to reach EU markets. http://www.cbi.eu/
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO)
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, Thailand, was set up
with seed funding from the GMS Tourism Working Group representing the six national
governments in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. The MTCO has two primary functions:-
1) Development – To co-ordinate sustainable pro-poor tourism development projects in
the Mekong in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and
2) Marketing – To promote the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination.
http://mekongtourism.org/website/
Payap University and Paradornphap International House
Payap University, dedicated to “Truth and Service”, offers degrees in Liberal Arts in Thai
and English, including International Hospitality Management.
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