ASSESSING COMMUNITY–BASED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THAILAND’S SOUTHERNMOST BORDER PROVINCE

This study aims to assess the capabilities and capacities of community-based tourism (CBT) in Thailand’s southernmost border province, Yalaprovince, andprovides guidelines for the development and improvement. This research employedmixed methods using the Community-based Tourism Indicatorsof Thailand(CBT-I standards) which abide by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)-Destination Criteria and the in-depth interview to assess and present the guidelines for the CBT communities.The participants of this study consist of 30 representatives of public and private agencies, villagers and community leaders. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics techniques. The results of the study showed thatThai community-based tourism needs effective management. Specifically, Thai CBT in the southernmost province lackspersonnel development and sustainable destination management. Therefore, the knowledge transfer and effective management systems towards sustainability are the most challenges in the Thai CBT development.Importantly, this research showed that the Thai CBT-I standards is well suited for assessing the CBT destinations withsocio-cultural diversity. This case study research also providesempirical evidence of the CBT development in thedeveloping country in Asia. It pinpoints areas needed for improvement tostrengthen the capabilities and capacities of the CBT communities. Private and government tourism organizations can use the practical implications of this research’s findings to enhance the CBT development in the country.