Community Based Tourism
Finding the Euilibrium in the COMCEC Context
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the positive outcomes of CBT initiatives (e.g. Songup Folk Village in South Korea;
Mennonite culture in St. Jacobs).
Many of the cases reveal the expected benefits of CBT. However, when underlining
premises that are overlooked, CBT practices can also incur negative economic, socio-
cultural or environmental impacts on the community and the destination.
3.5. Costs Reported in CBT Cases
Some of these negative impacts discussed in the CBT literature include:
 Disrespect by tourists towards the privacy of local community;
 Reduced quality of life for the community due to high tourist traffic;
 Inadequate or limited overall economic benefits for the local community;
 Unfair distribution of benefits among the locals;
 Growing drinking problems among the locals;
 Economic dependence on external funds;
 Worsened intergroup conflicts;
 Economic leakages through the outsourcing of goods and services;
 Negative impacts on nature from tourist traffic;
 Disruption of local practices (e.g. fishery) and access to communal land by locals;
 Erosion/loss of cultural identity of the local community;
 Increased economic costs of heightened natural protection measures.
Koh Yao Noi Community Based Eco-tourism was initiated in the 1990s by the local small
fishers as a way to stop and remedy the damage done to the natural environment by
commercial and illegal fishing in the area, as well as bettering the living conditions of the
local community. Comprised of fishers, the local community has adopted a grassroots CBT
development approach where the locals are the decision makers. The primary beneficiaries
for the tourism returns are the local community and the natural environment.
The bottom-up community-based organization among the villagers resulted in the
establishment of Koh Yao Noi Eco-Tourism Club (KYN CBT Club). The club has facilitated
villagers’ participation in the planning and management of the growing tourism movement
in the region. The objectives of the club is stated in their website as 1) raising awareness
about natural resource conservation; 2) encouraging local participation in tourism
management; 3) creating more jobs and income opportunities for local people; and, 4)
supporting proper sanitation, waste management, and safety in tourism.
The Responsible Ecological Social Tours (REST) Project, an initiative of the Thailand
Community Based Tourism Institute has collaborated with KYN CBT Club to develop a
model of tourism for conservation, community development and cross-cultural sharing.
CASE 1 – Thailand: Koh Yao Noi Community Based Eco-tourism