Sustainable Tourism Governance in Thailand: Policy Adaptation and Community-Based Management in the Post-Pandemic Era
Main Article Content
Abstract
The COVID-19 epidemic significantly impacted Thailand's tourism industry, revealing inherent vulnerabilities linked to its dependence on mass travel and centralized administration. This paper analyzes post-pandemic policy modifications and assesses the contribution of community-based tourism (CBT) to the promotion of sustainable tourist governance. The study used a qualitative documentary research design to examine national tourism development plans, policy frameworks from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, as well as pertinent foreign publications and academic literature from 2015 to 2025. The findings indicate a transition in policy from volume-centric expansion to value-driven and sustainability-focused tourism, encompassing the promotion of high-value segments, domestic tourism, and digital transformation. This shift mostly indicates policy layering rather than a fundamental structural upheaval. Despite the growing integration of CBT into policy discussions, its execution is hindered by restricted decision-making power, unequal resource allocation, and capacity deficiencies at the local level. Legal impediments, including ambiguous frameworks for community ownership and insufficient acknowledgment of local governance rights, coupled with financial constraints such as limited fiscal decentralization and poor funding access, further inhibit its revolutionary potential. The study suggests that Thailand's post-pandemic tourism governance exhibits adaptive recalibration within a pre-existing centralized structure rather than profound institutional restructuring. Fortifying decentralization, augmenting legislative frameworks for community engagement, and instituting enforceable sustainability metrics are crucial for attaining enduring resilience and sustainable development in the tourism industry.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/ jopart/mum032
Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225
Bache, I., & Flinders, M. (2004). Multi-level governance. Oxford University Press.
Birkland, T. A. (1998). Focusing on events, mobilization, and agenda setting. Journal of Public Policy, 18(1), 53–74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X98000038
Boin, A., ’t Hart, P., Stern, E., & Sundelius, B. (2017). The politics of crisis management: Public leadership under pressure (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Buckley, R. (2012). Sustainable tourism: Research and reality. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 528–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.03.003
Chatkaewnapanon, Y., & Lee, T. J. (2022). Planning sustainable community-based tourism in the context of Thailand: Community, development, and the foresight tools. Sustainability, 14(12), 7413. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127413
Dolezal, C., & Novelli, M. (2022). Power in community-based tourism: empowerment and partnership in Bali. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 30(8), 1735–1753. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/09669582.2020.1838527
Dredge, D., & Jenkins, J. (2007). Tourism planning and policy. John Wiley & Sons.
Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Capstone.
Folke, C., Hahn, T., Olsson, P., & Norberg, J. (2005). Adaptive governance of social-ecological systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 30, 441–473. https://doi.org/10. 1146/annurev.energy.30.050504.144511
Goodwin, H., & Santilli, R. (2009). Community-based tourism: A success? (ICRT Occasional Paper No. 11). International Centre for Responsible Tourism.
Hall, C. M. (2011). A typology of governance and its implications for tourism policy analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(4–5), 437–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582. 2011.570346
Hall, C. M., Scott, D., & Gössling, S. (2020). Pandemics, transformations, and tourism: Be careful what you wish for. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 577–598. https://doi.org/10. 1080/14616688.2020.1759131
Khamprem, C., & Tangtenglam, S. (2025). Development of spiritual tourism routes linking Thai beliefs to promote soft power of Singburi Province. Journal of Multidisciplinary in Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(5), 2313–2328. Retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jmhs1_s/article/view/280641
Khemthong, S., et al. (2024). Identifying the determinants of tourism receipts of Thailand: Evidence from time-series analysis. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0308153. https://doi.org/10. 1371/journal.pone.0308153
Mahoney, J., & Thelen, K. (2010). Explaining institutional change: Ambiguity, agency, and power. Cambridge University Press.
OECD. (2018). Multi-dimensional review of Thailand: Volume 2. In-depth analysis and recommendations. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307674-en
Sann, R., et al. (2022). Crisis adaptation in a Thai community-based tourism destination during COVID-19. Sustainability, 15(1), 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010340
Sansri, R., & Vorasingha, T. (2024). Sustainable tourism in Thailand: A scoping review. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Thonburi University, 18(3), 1–11. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/trujournal/article/view/275261
Scheyvens, R. (1999). Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tourism Management, 20(2), 245–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(98)00069-7
Scheyvens, R., & Biddulph, R. (2018). Inclusive tourism development. Tourism Geographies, 20(4), 589–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2017.1381985
Sharma, G. D., Thomas, A., & Paul, J. (2021). Reviving tourism industry post-COVID-19: A resilience-based framework. Tourism Management Perspectives, 37, 100786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100786
Sigala, M. (2020). Tourism and COVID-19: Impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research. Journal of Business Research, 117, 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.015
Siri, R., & Chantraprayoon, O. S. (2017). Local community participatory learning with a nature interpretation system: A case study in Ban Pong, Sansai district, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 38(2), 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss. 2016. 04.003
Streeck, W., & Thelen, K. (2005). Beyond continuity: Institutional change in advanced political economies. Oxford University Press.
Tosun, C. (2000). Limits to community participation in the tourism development process in developing countries. Tourism Management, 21(6), 613–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0261-5177(00)00009-1
Tosun, C. (2006). Expected nature of community participation in tourism development. Tourism Management, 27(3), 493–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.12.004
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (2018). Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030. UNWTO.
Vongvisitsin, T. B., Huang, W.-J., & King, B. (2024). Urban community-based tourism development: A networked social capital model. Annals of Tourism Research, 106, 103759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2024.103759
World Bank. (2026). International tourism, number of arrivals - Thailand. World Development Indicators.