ALTERNATIVE TOURISM PROJECT

Building off the growing interest in eco-tourism, Ashoka Fellow Chantasith Boonyasaranai launched the Alternative Tourism Project. Currently eco-tourism focuses on creating awareness and understanding for natural resources, cultural heritage, and local communities with the participation of the local community, which benefits both directly and indirectly from this type of tourism. The Alternative Tourism Project follows this strand of thinking and moves beyond it, with the understanding of providing a joint learning experience for both the tourist and local communities.

Through this mutual learning experience, the natural environment as well as community welfare is improved. By pulling resources from various sectors in Thailand for equipment, capital, folklore and information, and volunteer services, the public understanding of rural needs is strengthened. This promotion of a joint learning process and knowledge exchange will promote meaningful cooperation between various sectors of Thai society as well as providing a support base for various rural groups and improving child education in rural areas. This type of cooperation will also provide income generation for rural communities through eco-tourism and sales of local crafts, which will ultimately create a sustaining economy for them.