Creative Community-Based Tourism Activities: Income Creation Channels through the Community Guide Process

Abstract

This research aims to 1) design creative community-based tourism activities that contribute to the spending of tourists and 2) develop a community guide’s model consistent with such tourism activities. The acquisition of data for this research uses qualitative data collection through a participatory research process. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with community tourism stakeholders as well as focus group meetings to mobilize opinions among local residents, government sectors, and private sectors involved in tourism in the area.

The findings of this study found that community tourism resources can design creative tourism activities in communities that contribute to the spending of tourists' money. There are 7 activities: making bamboo garlands, making wooden furniture, hand-woven embroidery, Phu Thai cooking classes, making cocoon soap, making wicker containers, and making souvenirs. All of these designed activities are connected to the way of life, art, culture, and wisdom of the people in the community. Moreover, under the above activities, it has been used as information to develop villagers into community guides, with the following development results: 17 community guide models and 52 youth community volunteer guides were created and upgraded, for a total of 69 people. This is considered an important mechanism for managing community tourism more completely because community guides will facilitate the sale of tourism products and services in the community to tourists, motivate and stimulate the spending of tourists, and increase income opportunities to distribute to the community.