Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization)

“Lifestyle, Identity, and Culture” – Key Factors for Attracting Tourists

          Although “Bang Krachao” and “Damnoen Saduak Canal” are situated in developed areas of the city, both tourist attractions have effectively retained their communities’ authentic lifestyles and identities. Many tourist attractions are unable to preserve their communities’ traditions and cultural identity due to the impacts of swift social development.

          This is a result of collaborative efforts between the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization), or DASTA, with local administration networks to retain and preserve the communities’ lifestyles, identities, culture, and natural resources. DASTA applies its experience and expertise in this endeavor, which is its specialization in developing “community-based tourism.”

          Watcharee Churaksa, Assistant Director of DASTA, states that community-based tourism serves as a tool for managing the “Bang Krachao and Damnoen Saduak Canal” areas, with the objectives of improving the local communities’ quality of living, encouraging local participation in tourism management, and creating value from the communities’ identities, culture, and natural resources via tourist activities. Tourists will be able to experience the communities’ unique lifestyles on a preplanned tourism route. DASTA’s Designated Area 1 Office is responsible for managing the Bang Krachao area. The organization plans to develop the area’s community-based tourism competencies through the following five measures:
 

Miss Watcharee Churaksa
 

             1. Developing sustainable tourism management mechanisms, starting at the subdistrict level. The following six subdistricts are committed to strengthen their community-based tourism competencies: Song Kanong subdistrict; Bang Kasob subdistrict; Bang Yor subdistrict; Bang Namphueng subdistrict; Bang Koh Bua subdistrict; and Bang Krachao subdistrict. The priority of this year is to assess and evaluate development efforts, using the findings to create a Sustainable Community-Based Tourism Continuous Development Plan (2021-2023) for each subdistrict. DASTA and its joint networks also collects tourist and revenue statistics, which will contribute to a more fair and efficient revenue distribution model for the local communities. Moreover, DASTA shall disseminate and implement regulations pertaining to tourists and visitors. The organization is committed to creating knowledge and understanding on professional accounting practices for the local communities and related parties to utilize.

          DASTA’s Designated Area 1 Office collaborated with Krungthai Bank (KTB), which also specializes in community development projects. KTB has launched the “Krungthai loves the Community” campaign since the previous year to support local community development.

          The next level of management mechanisms focuses on the Bang Krachao area at the bend of the Chao Phraya River. The “Kung Bang Krachao Community-Based Tourism Development Association” is responsible for driving tourism development in the area, consisting of 4 representatives from each subdistrict.

          Another management mechanism is the Sustainable Tourism Committee, led by the Chaipattana Foundation. The committee focuses on sustainably developing community-based tourism in Bang Krachao via seven key areas. The Director of DASTA serves as the Chairman of the committee, which consists of 63 members from 46 organizations under the public sector, private sector, educational institutions, and tourism associations.

          2. Strengthening the core competencies of the community’s tourism activities. This involves training community members to be effective communicators and storytellers, providing visitors with the knowledge on interconnected tourism routes between the subdistricts. Effective communicators can enhance the charm of the community and enrich tourists’ experiences – creating additional value to the products and services of the destinations. Handbooks for training community communicators and storytellers are also prepared.

             3. Implement public relations campaigns to create awareness of the community-based tourism attractions in Kung Bang Krachao. Public relations media shall be prepared for both online and offline platforms in the form of travel guidebooks and video clips featuring each subdistrict and the entire Bang Krachao area. Online content shall be published on tourism social media pages to boost public awareness.

          4. Enhance creative tourism activities to be more relevant to the target market. Model creative tourism activities were established since the year 2019, such as the “Hom Pa Chak” Learning Center, Nipa Palm Milk Tea, and local cuisine cooking workshops featuring the signature menu of “hot and sour curry.” In the year 2020, the Bang Kasob Subdistrict Tourism Development Association expanded these creative tourism activities to two additional subdistricts. The first activity is the “Miniature Centipede Flag-making Workshop” organized by the Song Kanong Subdistrict Community-Based Tourism Development Association. The second activity is a culinary workshop to prepare the local cuisine of “Lotus Petal Chili and Herbal Wraps” conducted by the Bang Koh Bua Subdistrict Community-Based Tourism Development Association. During the year 2021, DASTA intends to promote creative tourism activities in three model subdistricts to strengthen the communities’ positioning in the tourism market.

             5. Strengthen gastronomy tourism pertaining to the local cuisine of Kung Bang Krachao, serving as a tourism product and public relations strategy to create awareness to tourism businesses and the target market.