The Strategic Management for Community-based Tourism in the New Normal Era: A Case Study of Surrounding Communities of Sukhothai Cultural World Heritage Sites, Thailand

Abstract

Community-based tourism (CBT) is tourism in which local people enhance their involvement and participation capacity in term of tourism planning and developing in their areas, which highly represented the difference value of social, economic and environmental aspect. with this connection, the strategic role of local participation in regarding to strategic management of the community based tourism during the period of covid-19 pandemic has been provided in difference character of tourism reflection that could determine the role of local government at Muangkao-sub district area in developing the strategic guideline initiative aim to support more rebust resilience and recovery tourism policy surrounded the sukhothai cultural world heritage sites. That means the resource gaining from cultural tourism products has been deeply engaged with sustainable development initiative program in which other stakeholders such as DASTA, TATs, Sukhothai Provincial Board of Governor as well as Local Enterpreneur has been committed to work as a co-partnership aim to strengthen the local empowerment tourism project initiative with regard to cultural preservation practices, developing more public health responsiveness policy, increasing more community access to local investment fund, as well as improvement more necessary social infrastructure development. this research study will be applied the qualitative method aim to deeply understand more related to the policy guideline initative on How CBT program might be able to drive the sector of cultural tourism and bring the differences on the whole process of local administrative government strategy based on the main-key stakeholders Under the collaboration policy approach.To practice CBT, the findings indicated that several challenges had been experienced in the implementation of CBT, including conflict over resource ownership and benefit leaking, financial issues, and problems of community participation. In addition, The study found the strength of Sukhothai Muangkao were historical resource and community participation. However, the weakness of Sukhothai Old town might be identified based on the gaps of development and low intention participation in heritage management. Another importance of tourism is management leading to the development that require preparation on the part of the community moving toward community-based tourism.

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