Individual and collective benefits from tourism: A case study of village tourism in Thailand

Abstract

Many developing countries perceive tourism as an effective means to boost economic growth by increasing employment and bringing more income to local communities. However, it is doubtful how much, and in what ways, local people benefit from tourism, particularly in poor rural communities in developing countries, such as Thailand. These doubts raise important questions, such as: what are the challenges in ensuring rural communities receive economic benefits from tourism? And, how can tourism development, and these economic benefits, be sustainable? The case study presented in this paper demonstrates two mechanisms facilitating a balance of tourism income distribution in a rural Thai community: a concrete model of tourism income reporting and distribution, coupled with a mechanism through which local people can participate and share opinions on tourism development indirectly through their representatives