Community Identity Management Based on Participatory Processes for Creating Environmentally Friendly Community-Based Tourism: A Case Study of the Red Lotus Sea, Kumphawapi District, Udon Thani Province DOI:

Abstract

This study examined community identity management based on participatory processes for creating environmentally friendly community-based tourism at the Red Lotus Sea, Kumphawapi District, Udon Thani Province. A qualitative methodology was employed in conjunction with Participatory Action Research (PAR). Key informants comprised 55 individuals selected through purposive sampling across five target groups: community leaders and core members, tourism entrepreneurs and community enterprises, local government leaders and public sector officials, tourist representatives, and academic and network sector representatives. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and multiple rounds of participatory action workshops, and were subsequently analyzed using qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis.

          The findings revealed that the Red Lotus Sea community possesses three interrelated dimensions of community identity: the Nong Han natural resource capital dimension, the cultural and belief capital dimension centered on the legend of Phadaeng - Nang Ai, and the livelihood and indigenous knowledge dimension rooted in traditional freshwater fishing practices. Through the participatory action research process, the community was able to transform these identity dimensions into four types of creative, environmentally friendly tourism products: eco-tourism routes, cultural activity programs, indigenous knowledge-based products, and community-standard homestays - all without diminishing the authentic cultural values of the locality. Furthermore, the level of community participation advanced from passive awareness toward active co-decision-making and co-evaluation, achieving all four dimensions of participation: participation in decision-making, participation in implementation, participation in benefit-sharing, and participation in evaluation. Concrete evidence of this progression was observed in the establishment of a community-based tourism working committee, the drafting of community regulations grounded in traditional beliefs, and the development of a transparent benefit-sharing system. Concurrently, a collaborative network was formed among the community, local government organizations, and academic institutions, with the resulting tourism products and management mechanisms formally incorporated into the local development plan. The study therefore recommends strengthening community-based tourism management mechanisms through explicit integration with local development plans and provincial policies, utilizing cultural and belief capital as a foundation for designing contemporary community regulations, and reinforcing the role of universities as co-developers across both knowledge generation and process facilitation dimensions.