TRAINING HANDBOOK. Community Based Tourism Training Workshop for Senior Product and Operations Staff of Greater Mekong Sub-region Tour Operators.

Transcription

1 TRAINING HANDBOOK Community Based Tourism Training Workshop for Senior Product and Operations Staff of Greater Mekong Sub-region Tour Operators. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand, 8 th to 12 th June Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I) Thailand Community Based Tourism Network (CBT-N) and partners.

2 Contents 1. What is Community Based Tourism and how is it Different? 3 2. Why and How, CBT? 4 3. Why CBT training for Product and Operations Managers? 5 4. The Scope of this Handbook 6 5. Tips and Tools for CBT Product Development 7 6. Tips and Tools for CBT Marketing Cooperation between professional guides and CBT guides Introducing the Project Partners 27 Annexes I. GMS CBT Training Workshop June 8-12 th 2012, Program II. III. List of participants Further resources 2

3 1. What is Community Based Tourism (CBT) and how is it different? In the context of this handbook, community based tourism refers to tourism activities and services which have been developed by local community members, working together in a CBT club or group, sometimes in partnership with the private sector. Community members design tourism programs based on special elements of local life, culture and nature which they feel proud and comfortable to share with visitors. CBT offers visitors a unique opportunity to meet local people, experience and learn about local culture, livelihoods and the natural world - directly from local people. Activities are usually lead by local community tour guides and host family members. Guests could explore a nature trail with a community guide, cast a net with a local fisher family, or learn a local game. Sometimes, a community works and invests with a tour operator to develop a more ambitious program, like a community lodge. Visitors usually stay overnight in a homestay, a community lodge, or campsite. Guests can expect clean, safe, welcoming and comfortable accommodation. However, community members are usually not able to offer a luxury experience. Guests can try typical dishes made from local ingredients, spiced down if necessary! Guests often have the chance to join their host families collecting fresh ingredients from their vegetable plot or orchard, or try their hand cooking a local dish, if they wish. In addition to being a great cultural experience, CBT is designed to support social and environmental work, build local skills and distribute benefits broadly. This is achieved, for example, through training, establishing community funds and queue systems. Some communities also offer the chance to give something back through simple volunteer activities. Other communities offer study tour programs for people who wish to learn about community development and conservation initiatives in the field. Because CBT is a community activity, visitors have a unique chance to meet lots of different people and learn how they are harnessing tourism to share their stories with the world, while helping to support local families and community development. CBT also goes beyond just admiring nature, to seeing how nature and people still coexist. 3

4 2. Why and How, CBT? It is not easy to work at the community level to develop tourism. It is much easier to work with a talented individual, or a motivated family So, why community-based? At the simplest level, tourism development uses shared resources, such as water and community forest. The poorest people in the community tend to rely most on these resources in their daily lives as farmers, fishers, etc. Tourism in a village can easily impact livelihoods security and create conflict. Developing tourism in a group allows local people to share the risks, responsibilities and benefits of developing tourism. Moreover, CBT is designed to create benefits for the community and environment. Objectives may include, for example, nature conservation, helping communities to preserve cultural traditions and / or creating opportunities to earn extra income. Many objectives cannot be achieved by a committed individual or even a family working alone. It takes a united effort for a community to decide to conserve a forest, or continue to practice an ancient tradition. Organisations like CBT-I help community members to work together, identify their community development priorities, consider how tourism can help them to achieve these goals, and put their ideas into action. Q s at the start of the journey: What are our community development needs and priorities? How can we design tourism to support these priorities? Local community members in these villages are agriculturalists. They are not tourism professionals. Therefore, communities need help to develop the knowledge and skills to welcome guests and link with partners in the tourism industry. Organisations like CBT-I assist community members to consider the opportunities and risks of tourism, and work together to plan, develop, manage, market, operate and monitor CBT. Ideally, communities will work with tour operators and other partners to develop activities, programs, prices, booking systems and other elements of a successful tour. When local people work with the private sector, they still retain influence over decision making and the overall direction of tourism development in the community. 4

5 3. Why training for product and operations managers? Demand for authentic, local experiences is increasing. Tourists from as far afield as Europe, the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore are becoming more interested to experience life in local communities, Community based tourism offers great opportunities for tour operators which would like to offer authentic, inspiring experiences to their guests, and are motivated to create tangible benefits for local people and the environment. By building local skills and empowering community members as partners, rather than objects in tourism development, tour operators can unlock local knowledge and potential, working as a team to develop programs which are tailored to meet the needs of niche markets, such as families, students, seniors and volunteers. However, partnering with CBT projects can also be challenging, for example: Working with a group of community members, who may need time to discuss your proposal, can take longer than booking a regular excursion; Additional costs, such as local community guides and contributions to community funds, can make CBT comparatively quite expensive; Tour guides may be used to running a one man show and need some extra help or training to work as a team with local guides and hosts. The CBT-I team have worked for over 15 years to support communities and their partners to develop CBT. We have experienced both successes and failures. Our team have learned that a key to success is effective cooperation between communities and the local tour operators which take tourists to the communities. These crucial relationships on the ground will (or not) actually deliver the fun, safe experiences which tourists, community members and tour operators expect. This course has been designed to share techniques and best practices which CBT-I hope will help tour operators and their staff to work effectively with community members to develop and operate successful CBT, which meets the expectations of guests and local people and creates benefits for community and environment. 5

6 4. The Scope of this Handbook CBT-I is a research and development organisation. Our initiatives are often piloted as projects, with budgets and time allocated to try out new approaches. For example, in some cases we have been able to send a team member to the field for 2 or 3 weeks, or regularly over the course of several months to work with community members. The target audience for this handbook is product and operations managers of tour operators which want to offer CBT to their clients, and want their staff to be able to coordinate as effectively as possible with the local community members who have set up CBT programs, as well as to add value when marketing and promoting CBT. CBT-I realise that a research and development organisation operates in a different situation, with different limitations to those faced by most tour operators, which do not necessarily have funds or staff available to spend long periods of time in the field. In this handbook, CBT-I have tried to simplify tools and techniques as much as possible, to make it easier for tour operators to put best practices into practice easily. We have also been selective, so the handbook is not too long for busy people to read. Working with communities to develop tourism requires a mix of social work and tourism skills. Where possible, we recommend that tour operators work with local NGOs or government staff who can help you work with community members on the ground. However, if this is not possible, we hope that this manual will at least provide new ideas about how to approach CBT, with extra ideas from the social workers toolkit. 6

7 5. Tips and Tools for CBT Product Development 5.1. Community Study: a frame for assessing community potential When considering opportunities for developing CBT, it is natural for us to look for attractions like beautiful scenery, interesting culture and activities. Of course, these are very important for a good product. However, when working with a community, many less obvious issues, behind the scenes can also impact the success of CBT. Conducting a community study helps us to assess local strengths and weaknesses before developing CBT. Serious weaknesses can be identified. Also, by developing CBT based on community strengths, less training and investment is needed. The frame below can help you to assess many key issues which influence the success of a CBT program. The outputs can be used to conduct a SWOT analysis. ISSUE (INTERNAL) What to consider Strengths (e.g.) Weakness (e.g.) 1 Heritage, local wisdom, living cultural practice, festivals and traditions - E.g. Religion, customs, local dress and food, dance performances, arts and crafts (weaving, carving), festivals, games, traditional musical instruments, architecture, legends? - Is culture still being practiced (living)? - Are there skilled local resource people? - Vibrant, living culture, festivals - Attractive material culture (local dress, architecture, etc) - Local people are enthusiastic about practicing culture - Skilled local people who are interested to share with tourists - Outsiders are not allowed to witness or participate. - Replaced by outside culture -Few local people practice or have cult. knowledge. - Resource people can t speak the national language 2 Links between livelihoods, agriculture, and culture - Map agricultural and cultural activities by season and month. - How and when are livelihoods, agriculture and culture linked? - Do people have time for tourism? When? - Traditional ways of harvesting, weaving, blacksmithing - Traditional seasonal ceremonies are still being practiced - Traditional tools - Organic agriculture - Local people too busy w/ agriculture - Local agricultural knowledge is no longer practiced - income from tourism is likely to be less than from agriculture 7

8 3 Environment, natural resources, conservation, local wisdom connected to the environment, land ownership - Mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, hot springs, wild animals, herbal plants / medicines, etc - Local knowledge of animals, edible plants, medicinal plants / oils - Map the links between natural resources, local livelihoods and culture. - Are there any local conservation efforts? - Any serious pressures on the environment? - Traditional resource management is still being practiced (for example, traditional land management) - Local people still use the environment to find wild forest foods, medicines... - Local people can explain the uses of different plants, local land management, relationship between community and the environment, etc - active conservation - Unattractive -Local knowledge connected to the environment is mainly forgotten. - Inside protected areas (community without authority to make decisions. Will depend on relationships with government). -A lot of land is owned by outside investors (difficult to direct tourism development) 4 Community organisations and community development: +/- experiences, achievements, unity Vs conflict - Any successful community groups? - Failed community initiatives? Why? - Do local community members feel positive about working together? - Leaders & ordinary people are active - Community groups organised around various issues: e.g. conservation, youth, women, arts, etc - Good cooperation between community groups and formal / elected leaders - Community hosts regular study tours - History of conflict - Lack of transparency - Overworked leadership - Over centralised (difficult for local people to participate) - Lack of active participation of local people (they are not active) 5 Strengths / weaknesses Community finances / funds / accounting - Past failure of community groups due to poor financial management, mistrust -Do people trust one another with money? - Successful savings, credit groups, cooperatives. - Savings in local savings banks, cooperatives - History of failure of community initiatives w/ shares / cooperative structures - Lack of transparency or talk of corruption (be sensitive)? Have previous community initiatives succeeded or failed? Why? 8

9 6 Tourism resources, facilities, activities, highlights -What can tourists do? - Are the natural and cultural resources identified above really appropriate for developing activities? - Is the community attractive / charming? - Water, electricity - Clean and safe, not overdeveloped - Unique or very special activities - pleasant climate - warm welcome - No real highlights - Water shortages - no electricity - Highlights? What is unique or really special? 7 Souvenirs / local products - Any local souvenirs? - Appropriate for what types of visitors? - Interesting processes for tourists to observe? - Possible to develop a hands-on activity? - Diverse products - Appropriate for your target markets (e.g. Thais like to try local snacks / foods) - Possible to see how they are made - No local products - Unlikely to be able to sell to target visitors (It s still possible to show tourists the process, but the activity needs to be well managed. 8 Experience, capacity of community / local guides with tourists, local participation in tourism management, beneficiaries +/- impacts of tourism - Can local people present their community to guests confidently? - What experience do community members have welcoming tourists? - Is there already a tourism group? - +/- impacts of tourism in the community now? - Community have some experience welcoming guests - Confident and motivated people with the ability to be local guides - Positive about working together to develop tourism. - Lack of people who can present the community (can be trained) - Internal competition or entrenched private interests in the community 9 Accessibility distance from transport hubs / availability of facilities - How far from transport hubs and hospitals? - Is it on the way to / from established destinations? - How long does it take to drive to community from main tourism routes? hours from a main destination - Access to hospital -possible to stop by / visit on the way between established destinations - More than 1.5 hours from main destination - Far off route - Difficult access in rainy season - No transport to the community 9

10 10 Vulnerability: poverty, drugs, legal status, land tenure, gender; - How much authority does the community have to develop tourism? Do they have land rights? In a protected area? - Sensitive issues which could affect security? 11 Leadership - Formal and informal leaders (including religious leaders) -Attitude towards tourism - Resources to support tourism - Cooperation and conflict - citizenship and land rights; - awards for drug / alcohol free; - women are active in community work - Enthusiastic formal and informal leaders - Positive attitude towards community participation - Will make a commitment people, time, $ - drug or alcohol problems; - lack of land rights or citizenship - Lots of land is owned by outside investors - Leaders opposed to tourism - Leaders are competing with CBT group - Conflict between formal and informal leaders ISSUE (EXTERNAL) What to consider Opportunities (e.g.) Threats (e.g.) 12 Nearby, established destinations 13 Local Networks and Cooperation - How many and what types of tourists visit? From where, how often, what channels? - Demand in nearby destinations or along this route for CBT style experiences - Current partnerships and potential networks for developing multi-day programs, routes. - Opportunities for cooperation with local businesses and org s. 14 Competition - Competitors within hours from the community 15 GOV (local/ central) / NGO support / availability of local facilitating organisation - Potential support from government policy and NGOs / academics 16 Funding support - To share investment costs - Destination is popular for culture / eco (demand) - Visitors all year - Tourists visiting the destination could be interested in CBT. - (Potential) partners who can add value to CBT program. E.g. accommodation, local restaurants, shops, tour guides, national parks, etc. - The community has unique, v. interesting / attractive highlights - Potential for a good value price - Leaders cooperate well w/ Gov. / NGOs - Facilitating org. which is prepared to invest time, values local participation - Government, NGO, private sector funds - Short seasonal destination - Destination popular with visitors who do not plan ahead (e.g. long weekend, domestic visitors) - community is very isolated - conflict with private sector in the area - Other nearby destinations or tour companies offer similar, cheaper experiences - Community has protested against gov. in the past - Staff and policy often changing - Facilitating org. focuses on own needs, wants quick results - No co-funding opportunities 10

11 5.2. Tools to assist a community study Map (potential) tourist attractions and infrastructure in the village Such a map can be used by community members and partners assess potential Map to show distribution of public / development jobs You can see who may have time and motivation to commit time to tourism. 11

12 Tool for studying the annual, agricultural / life cycle of the community Important external issues for consideration: Access from transport hubs / popular destinations Market potential (overall, from nearby destinations) Potential Partnerships Networks / for inclusion in routes / links with day trips Competition from similar / cheaper excursions Government / NGO support (funds, people, skills, material) Partners can assist community members to learn about external issues, by sharing information, and helping them to consider how external factors may impact their CBT program. A study tour can also be a good way of giving local people new experiences, and introducing them to outside ideas and perspectives Who conducts the community study? Community members who are interested in tourism, alongside government, NGO and / or private sector supports should conduct the study together. Local youth can help to collect information about local life by interviewing senior community members. 12

13 5.3. How to organize and facilitate a participatory community meeting When information has been collected through a community study, it can be used as the foundation for a community meeting to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks of developing tourism. Organising a community meeting which results in a sincere consensus, and leads to active commitment and action is not easy Participation Broad participation helps facilitators to understand the situation in the community more deeply and broadly, and ensures that CBT programs can benefit from the skills and experience of a broad range of local people. It can reduce potential for conflict later down the track. To help different perspectives to be heard, invite representatives from different groups in the community. These could include, for example, a balance of men and women, elders, formal and informal leaders and local youth. The participants can listen to the outcomes of the community study, and consider: Positive and negative aspects of life socially, economically, culturally, etc Change over time: what is better than in the past and what is worse? What do people at the meeting want to improve? What do they want to preserve? Where is the common ground between different groups, ages, etc? It s easy for one or two people to dominate the discussion. The facilitator can use different tools and techniques to give more people the chance to share their ideas and opinions, and to show their potential to their peers and neighbors! Tools include: Open floor discussions, including all participants; Peer group discussions with presentations making presentations; Mapping exercises, (e.g. resources, cultural areas which are / not sensitive) Role play (e.g. tourists, community members, tour operators, national park). You can use role plays to discuss practice thinking about different perspectives. Shopping different groups post their ideas, pictures, etc to the walls. Participants move around the room to look, read or listen to presentations. Ranking games to prioritize importance of ideas, goals, or actions. Ask the participants to put the most important ideas into a pyramid shape, with the most important idea at the top, 2 nd and 3 rd most important underneath, etc. 13

14 Different participatory activities to learn about community members ideas: The facilitator should look out for active, committed people, and see how well they cooperate with other community members. This is an important success factor for CBT Tool for analyzing change over time, and prioritizing development needs 14

15 5.4. Helping community members to understand market needs and fine-tune CBT Standard Program: Our Good Things Community members usually develop CBT based on aspects of local culture, lifestyle, arts, crafts, nature, etc which they feel proud and comfortable to share with visitors. These Good Things can be identified by brainstorming with community members: What aspects of local life, nature and culture are most important to the community? What is a must see if people visit the community? Which local people possess highly interesting skills or knowledge which the community feel proud of (making traditional instruments, weaving, etc)? Appropriate good things can be adapted to create activities, such as a boat trip through local mangroves, trekking with a local guides, a village temple visit etc. 15

16 How to help community members adapt to meet market needs Standard CBT programs can also be fine-tuned to make them better suited to the needs of specific target tourists, such as seniors, families, volunteers, etc. We can work with community members to help them to understand the needs and expectations of specific target groups, and adapt their programs to be a better fit with their guests. When community members understand the needs and expectations of their guests, they are more likely to get good feedback. We can ask community members to look at cartoons or photos of different target groups, and consider how the expectations of these tourists might be different. How does the community need to prepare for visitors with these kinds of expectations? 16

17 We can help community members, by sharing knowledge about different tourists. E.g.: Community members can adapt their program and services, based on issues such as: What will be the highlights for guests which these specific expectation? How do you need to adapt the timing, rythm, flow of the program? (For example, perhaps shortening a trek, or early / later starts to the day). How will times of day / seasons impact these kinds of people? (Perhaps moving a hot activity earlier in the day in summer, or even replacing it) Do you need to adapt services? (Food how many local dishes? How big should the portions be? Will you need more local guides / assistants than usual to help with small children, or the needs of volunteers?) Safety what are the extra risks? What else needs to be done? Will this impact costs / prices? 17

18 6. Tips and Tools for CBT Marketing partnerships steps towards CBT partnerships which are responsive to community needs The steps below can be carried out by tour operators who wish to work with a CBT project. These recommendations have been summarised from experiences working with CBT communities and tour operators for over 10 years. Numerous discussions with community members, tourists and tour operators have shown that these actions are highly appreciated by communities, and can lead to a better experience for guests. Due to the usual limitations (time, money, people) it is not always possible to put all of the recommendations below into practice. It s OK. Let s just do as much as we can! Kindly note the focus of these recommendations is on actions which can be taken by tour operators. CBT program, services and facilities must be ready for market before being promoted. The steps below do not cover getting CBT ready for market. I. Sharing information between tour operators and the CBT community group It is helpful for the community members to know a little about your business and guests before you develop a program together. This also helps you, because if community members understand your needs, then they will be better prepared to meet them. For example, you can introduce your company, trip style and main target tourists. If you have a specific market in mind for a program, please do share what their expectations might be for experience, services, comfort, timing of the program, etc. As far as possible, also give an idea of the size and frequency of groups / visitors. Finally, please take the time to ask why the community developed community based tourism. This is important when for promoting, training guides and orientating guests. Why take the time? CBT invites visitors into people s homes and lives. This goes beyond normal tourism services (clock-in, clock-out), into people s private spaces. This situation brings opportunities and risks. CBT can t be sustainable if local people have no idea or control over who will arrive, with what kinds of expectations, in what scales of volume. Beyond this, local people are not tourism professionals. Often, they are unable to distinguish clearly between the expectations of different kinds of visitors. This can lead to activities being inappropriate for your guests, and to avoidable complaints. For example, local guides may take young families or older travellers down a nature trail which is more appropriate for fit adults. You can help community members to understand the needs of different types of tourists, increasing their ability to prepare for your guests, including tailoring their standard programs if needed. By doing this, you help the CBT group to understand tourism and do a better job for your guests. 18

19 II. Visit the community to meet CBT group members, and survey the program. CBT programs are more likely to succeed if tour operators send a staff member to visit the community, meet and discuss with at least 3 or 4 representatives of the CBT group, survey their services and activities, and develop (or draft) a program face to face. Ideally, this staff member will be a senior member of the product development team, so that any discussions or agreements reached can move smoothly into action. Why take the time? Although community members are keen to welcome guests, levels of comfort and service in local communities are not strictly standardised. When you visit the community, you will be able to assess the level of comfort, safety, etc yourself. You will be able to develop accurate promotion which creates realistic expectations, and a higher chance that your guests will be well prepared when they arrive. This will increase the chances of an enjoyable experience by your guests and their hosts. Moreover, in rural villages, people are simply not used to developing trust and making commitments based on or phone conversations. If you take the time to travel to the community to meet the CBT group face to face, people will trust you more and will be more likely to remember and honour agreements which you have made. III. Clarify program, price, booking system and prior commitments with CBT Club. There are many variables in rural villages, such as seasonal conditions, road access, festivals and agricultural cycles where people spend hours in the fields or out at sea. To ensure the program you want to offer your clients is definitely possible, you should clarify what activities and services are available during different months and times. If you want to price for a year, make sure that community members understand this. Consider adding a small cushion to cover unanticipated increases in the cost of living. Check program, price, how to book and how many days notice are needed. Check the maximum number of guests per house / guide / vehicle, etc. Check if the community have prior commitments to other visitors, cultural events or agriculture. We recommend to contact the community to clarify if a speculative proposal (an opportunity) is definitely possible, at the time of year which you want to propose. 19

20 IV. Interview community members about livelihoods, culture, etc including important do s and don ts. Develop appropriate information to promote, prepare and inform guests (e.g. handbook, language sheet, do s and don ts). If your clients are well informed, there is a higher chance that they will be well prepared and enjoy their time in the community. Interviewing community members can help you to develop information for your clients. Useful information includes: A handbook about the community (e.g. history, livelihoods, culture etc); A language sheet so that guests can practice a little of the local language; Advice about local culture (guidelines, code of conduct or do s and don ts); A 1 page introduction to the community for your guests, and tour guides / leaders, explaining the background behind the project. This can be given to visitors the night before they arrive in the community if they travel with a guide. V. Record the agreement in a simple document which both sides can refer to; This does not need to be a formal contract. It can be a report of your meeting, which clearly describes the agreements which you made, and is signed by both parties. The following information is important: 20

21 o Who is making the agreement? o The names of the organisations making the contract; o The names and roles of the people signing the contract; o The date and place where the contract / agreement was made o Details of the most important services which the community has agreed to offer the tour operator what are they, what is included, how much does it cost? o Details of coordination and management for example: o Any months / times when it is not possible to offer a tour; o How many days notice the CBT group requires before booking a tour; o When, how and by whom the community will be paid; o Details of commitments which the tour operator makes to the community. E.g.: o Give information to tourists in advance o Send trained guides to the project VI. Honest, value added promotion of CBT If CBT is prioritised in marketing and promotion, then there is much higher chance that programs will sell. Product developers and RT staff can help by working with marketing and sales departments to help inform your clients why CBT is different and special! Please give an honest idea of what guests can expect in the community, to avoid wrong expectations and disappointment. For example, if Muslim fishers request that guests do not drink alcohol, it s better for guests to know before they book! We recommend to ask communities what information they would like guests to receive. 21

22 VII. Touch base communicate, update Good follow-up communication and updates will assist effective cooperation and help to protect bookings. Tour operator should ask that the community informs them of any dynamic situations which could effect the published, brochured program. VIII. Use trained tour guides / tour leaders, who understand and appreciate CBT; Professional guides are usually responsible for all aspects of running the tour. It s not easy or common sense for them to share the spotlight and release responsibility to community members. Tour guides need to understand CBT, how it is different from regular tours, the roles of local people and how to work as a team. Tour operators can help by training guides to work effectively with community members in the CBT group. IX. Backstopping during operation: Although training is given to prepare the community, being able to welcome tourists and operate a program requires experience, including the chance to learn by doing and make a few mistakes. Local community members will not have had a sophisticated education or industry experience. Sometimes, service may be slow, or different to guests expectations. During tour operation, professional tour guides who are working with the CBT group can help by being flexible; giving space to the local staff to learn by doing; and being prepared to help them out if necessary. X. Tour operators and community members share feedback and plan forward It s very helpful if a partner tour operator takes the time to visit the community in person at least once per year. An evaluation can be completed in around half a day. This will help all partners to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to develop a program and coordination system which is most responsive to everyone s needs; 22

23 7. Cooperation between professional guides and CBT guides The Safety Meaning Service (SMS) Frame for Community CBT guides CBT-I have observed common obstacles faced by local community guides. SMS Community Guide Training was developed to help overcome these challenges. Different community members have different roles operating and managing CBT programs, depending on the services which each community offers, and the management system they have developed. Local community staff may include: CBT Group coordinators Homestay hosts Transport providers (van, boat, car, elephant!) Local guides or local resource people with specialized local knowledge. Local Community Guides lead guests to experience and understand their life, culture and environment. There may be a special group of local guides, or all CBT Group members (e.g. homestay hosts, boat and van drivers, etc) may be guides. To keep training simple, guide s roles can be divided into 3 main areas: Safety The first responsibility of guides is for the safety of their guests. No matter how much that a guest enjoys the tour, or how much they appreciate the services a community offers, if they become sick or suffer injury this will spoil their experience. Local guides are responsible to ensure that all necessary preparation and care on site is undertaken to ensure that the trip is as safe as possible for their guests. Meaning CBT communities choose special elements of their culture, lifestyle and environment to share with their guests.these elements are developed into the CBT program. CBT guests are interested in an authentic, local experience. They hope to discover local culture, experience a completely different way of life, learn and make friends. One of the core responsibilities of a local guide is to lead guests through the program so that they leave the community having experienced the most important aspects of the communities culture, lifestyle and environment and understood why they are important to the community. Service Finally, local guides need to take care of their guests service needs: in particular their food, drink, accommodation, transportation, toilet, wellbeing and comfort during activities. All of these responsibilities need to be coordinated carefully with other staff members fwho are involved in the CBT program. These may include homestay families, transport providers and resource people inside the community, or professional guides or tour leaders from outside. 23

24 Professional guides and tour leaders can work with local guides, to help them deliver a safe, interesting and enjoyable tour. This requires team work and close cooperation. The importance of team work between local community and professional tour guides 24

25 Working together to deliver safety, meaning and service to guests in a community Safety mapping a simple tool to identify and manage risks 25

26 Working together to interpret meaning... why is this place, person, important / interesting? Planning and clarifying services 26

27 8. Introducing the Project Partners CBT-I would like to recognize partner organisations which have helped to fund and support this workshop, without which it would have been very difficult organize. Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) DASTA was established by Royal Decree, as the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) B.E.2546(A.D.2003) and started its operation on 1 st October DASTA is a public organization, responsible for coordinating and integrating stakeholder cooperation in areas with valuable tourism resources, to achieve sustainable tourism operation. DASTA aims to be an important driving force in the sustainable administration of Thailand s tourism industry both in short and long terms. DASTA actively supports community based tourism. CBI - Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (Netherlands) CBI is an Agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Established in 1971 in order to support producers / exporters to get a foothold in the Netherlands market, support Business Support Organisations in improving their capabilities and to act as a Matchmaker between suppliers and buyers. CBI actively support community based tourism, and assist responsible tour operators to reach EU markets. The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, Thailand, was set up with seed funding from the GMS Tourism Working Group representing the six national governments in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. The MTCO has two primary functions:- 1) Development To co-ordinate sustainable pro-poor tourism development projects in the Mekong in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and 2) Marketing To promote the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination. Payap University and Paradornphap International House Payap University, dedicated to Truth and Service, offers degrees in Liberal Arts in Thai and English, including International Hospitality Management. 27

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