Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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Sometimes, locals may not see their everyday life tasks and chores as having touristic
value. For example, in the Klong Khwang Village case (Thailand), during the mock tourism
day where locals were being prepared before the CBT product was fully launched, an
attempt to change the local dress code was observed; a female villager removed her head
cover to comply with the tourist expectations (Hatton, 1999). Therefore, an outsider with
experience in culture as a touristic asset may be needed to provide insight and vision for
the locals.
2.2.5. Destination SWOT Analysis
The assessment of the current situation (locals, networks and destination capital) needs to
be synthesized into a SWOT analysis, strengths, and weaknesses that stem from the
destination itself and opportunities and threats from external factors. Figure 3 reveals
examples of each category, potentially applicable for less developed localities.
Some cultural aspects could be both a strength and a weakness from a CBT development
perspective. For example, while serving their guests, locals’ genuine hospitality without the
commercial or other benefits in mind may facilitate moments of truth in service
encounters. However, it may also be the source of the lack of commercial interest and
business perspective and may hinder turning this strength into a cash-generating asset.
Besides, in some cultures, serving others for earning livelihood is a frowned upon business,
even if they display genuine hospitality while serving guests in their normal life. Therefore,
research is critical both before development to identify these potential strengths and
weaknesses initially and during other phases to monitor changes, negative changes and any
potential reason necessitating the need to overcome potential detrimental effects that
could hinder further development.