MASTER PLAN DEVELOPMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM IN PHUKET

Abstract

This research on developing a master plan for sustainable management of community-based tourism in Phuket aims at examining the potential of communitybased tourism in Phuket, as well as, approaches to its development and management in order to propose a fiveyear tentative master plan (2018-2022) to the Phuket Office of Tourism and Sports. This research employed qualitative research methods in which the main research instruments were focus group interviews, collaborative fieldwork with the Phuket Community Based Tourism Network, and document analysis. The sample consisted of seven groups from the Phuket Community Based Tourism Network as officially proclaimed by the Phuket Provincial Office in 2016. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The findings highlighted the outstanding potential of community-based tourism in Phuket which includes the diversity of tourism resources and hospitable community members. Its weaknesses were unreadiness of tourist facilities, inconsistent funding support, and insufficient promotional activities. Its opportunities involved the current governmental tourism policies and the well-built reputation of the tourism industry in Phuket. In contrast, the crucial threats were the changing needs of current tourists and increasing global competition. This research proposed a tentative master plan for sustainable management of community-based tourism in Phuket with seven main strategies and 27 strategic projects for its development and enhancement.