y technology.
Especially Thailand has a waste problem and from my own observations in some communities, the locals them-self throw waste into the nature. CBT makes the locals aware of their waste problem, as on the one hand it makes not a good impression to tourists when the community is littered and the locals learn more about the causes of waste to the environment.
One benefit of CBT is that different kind of people come together. Domestic tourists as well as International tourists participate in CBT and thus, the community members need to learn how to communicate with foreign tourists. In Thailand the people are rather shy and one benefit of CBT is that the locals build self-confidence and improve their communication and speaking skills. There is not only an improvement in the skills of the individual community members, the whole community improves it skills, such as organization, planning and overall management skills.
Another advantage is that the community gets strengthen as a group itself. The community has to rely on each other’s skills and knowledge and the members have to work together in order to offer a community-based tourism experience to the tourists to a satisfactory level of all parties. Working closely together and discovering each other’s strengths, strengthens in the best case the bond between the community members and a foundation of trust, teamwork and collaboration can be laid for future generations. The stronger bond and self-confidence results in a greater decision-making power and the community dares to stand up for their own needs and rights in the public- and the private sector. The community builds up empowerment.
In CBT every single community member can play an important role, it does not matter whether one is young or old, female or male, disabled or not disabled for instance. Every community member has his/her own strong points and skills, which can be useful for CBT and in developing further the community. Thus, the sense of belonging and importance can be increased via CBT. Community members from a Mae Klong CBT villages reported that they did not know what to do anymore, they felt useless and when CBT got introduced they felt that they adding value to the community again.
During the last community stay we asked the members why they participate in CBT and one of the most stated answers were that they wanted to make friends. Outside and inside of their community. As aforementioned, CBT is a tool to bring all different kinds of people together and throughout the process of working together, discovering your own and others strengths and weaknesses as well as skills and developing further can create friendships and it is easy to network through CBT.
Often there is an increase in the living standards of the community members. This is one the one hand because some get support from the government when they offer CBT but on the other hand the communities are able to invest in their well-being from the income of CBT. Improved sanitation facilities could be for instance one example to improve the well-being of the community.
Certain cultural activities often lose their value for the locals, as it is normal for them or they think there are not special. When the community realizes that for the tourists it is something special and tourists value the cultural assets of the community, the community builds a sense of pride. They become aware again of their own cultural values and they become proud to share them with the tourists. In the community I have been, came the process of coconut sugar making back through the tourists. The community was always proud of their local wisdom of how to make palm sugar but over the years they did not value it anymore and stopped making it. When they thought of introducing community-based tourism, they reintroduced this local wisdom again and their former pride is back due to the feedback they receive from the tourists.
The exchange of cultures plays a major role in CBT and both, the communities and the tourists benefit from the exchange of their cultures. Not only have