CBT-I

"Thailand Community based Tourism Institute (CBT-I) is tourism that takes environmental, social and cultural sustainability into account. It is managed and owned by the community, for the community, with the purpose of enabling visitors to increase their awareness and learn about the community and local ways of life." (REST Project, 1997)

CBT-I was established in 2006, and lies under the umbrella of the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) Regional Office, based in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

CBT-I was founded based upon the conviction that ? tourism can be a tool for community development. However, for rural tourism to be sustainable, community members must participate in and benefit from tourism development.?  CBT-I is a partnership which unites the knowledge, skills and experience of two Thai organizations which have worked for many years supporting Thai communities to develop small-scale tourism programs, appropriate to their own cultures and environments:   

    •    The Responsible Ecological Social Tours Project (REST) worked for 12 years providing training and other support for community organizations to plan, develop, manage, market and monitor Community Based Tourism.      •    The Thailand Research Fund Regional Office CBT team worked for 5 years assisting community members to undertake their own ?community-based research? projects, utilizing simple research tools to find their own answers about if and how to develop tourism in their communities. 

This work has built the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence of community members across the country; celebrated traditional cultures; supported local rights; contributed towards more sustainable natural resource management, and lead to the development of Thailand?s largest network of CBT communities.  

CBT-I aims to move this work forwards, by stimulating greater support for CBT among stakeholders in rural Thai tourism; and inviting them to contribute towards a higher quality Thai tourism industry which values cross-cultural learning, sharing and respect; recognises commmunity stewardship of local resources and allows local people greater opportunities to participate in defining the direction of tourism development in their own communities.

To achieve this, CBT-I is working with local communities, Thai government, NGO's, academics and selected tour operators with a commitment to Sustainable, Responsible Tourism. The CBT-I team work across the country, covering diverse cultural and natural environments. Our work addresses a wide variety of community development and resource management issues.

Community based Tourism programs are developed based around special elements of local lifestyle, culture, people and nature that community members feel proud of and choose to share with guests.  

Guests have an opportunity to experience and learn about the community and the environment through fun, ?hands-on? activities lead by local community guides. These include jungle trekking, traditional fishing, natural dying, learning to cook local dishes, etc. 

Tourism services and activities are planned and managed by local people, working together in a ?CBT Group.? Tourism programs are especially designed to support community and environmental projects, to build local skills, and to distribute opportunities fairly.  

Guests experience and learn about rural Thai people, their lives, cultures, and inter-relationships with the natural world. It is hoped that this will increase respect for local cultures and the environment among hosts and guests.

Please visit: www.cbt-i.org