UN project redefines village tourism

Reflecting the ethnic diversity of Mae Hong Son in the northwestern corner of Thailand, two villages, Muang Pon a Tai Yai community in Khun Yuam district and Muang Pam a Karen community in Pang Ma Pha district, were selected by the United Nations for a pilot scheme to introduce community-based tourism programmes. The communities have just welcomed their first ecotourism guests for a test drive to gain feedback to enable further improvement. TTR Weekly covered the tour. Backing the effort is the United Nation Joint Programme on Integrated Highland Livelihood Development in Mae Hong Son. It is a collaboration between eight UN agencies –FAO, UNIDO, UNFPA, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, WHO and UNESCO and the provincial government covering agriculture, small-scale businesses, natural resources management, health, education, legal status and tourism. The agencies identified that community-based tourism as well as ecotourism could be sustainable alternatives to mainstream tourism to help improve the livelihood of people in the area without causing cultural stress. The tourism project will be completed in mid-2013 under the Community-based Tourism Institute in close collaboration with UNDP and FAO. UNESCO is also one of the key financial supporters of the project. Both Muang Pon and Muang Pam are not new to tourism, but like most villages in the province, they have always been passive partners on the losing end of  the business. Their culture and surrounding natural resources were exploited by tourism operators without any tangible benefits filtering through to the villages. Muang Pon, located just 12 km from Khun Yuam district town established a homestay group around five years ago to accommodate tourists, mainly Thais, who pack the district during November when the famous Tung Bua Tong or Mexican Sunflower fields are in full bloom, and also during the well-known Tai Yai festivals. But it was more a bed & breakfast arrangement rather than showing visitors the culture and way of life of Tai Yai, which is still practiced actively in Muang Pon. In Muang Pam, the situation is different. The village is located next to fertile jungle and not far from beautiful caves. During its hayday, local villagers earned decent money as trekking porters, and by offering elephant rides. However, around 10 years ago, trekking tourists moved to Laos and Vietnam for a ‘raw’ experience. The tour operator who set up an elephant camp near the village moved out. Chiang Mai tour operators focused on Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai villages to save costs and tourism in the village went downhill fast, with only occasional visits from independent travellers or small trekking groups. When the UNJP picked the two communities, a new chapter for sustainable tourism was written, but this time with the participation of villagers under the guidance and training by CBT-I. Muang Pon In Mae Hong Son, Tai Yai is the largest ethnic group living on lowlands scattered north-to-south in the province. However, as modernisation intruded ethnic culture and traditions suffered. Some communities can conserve better than others and Tai Yai of Muang Pon sub-district was one of a few that could retain identity and resist change for the sake of it. The pilot tour programme crafted by villagers following months of input from CBT-I spans three days and two nights featuring the village and hands-on activities, which can give visitors an insight into various aspects of traditional Tai Yai life. It was also scheduled to start during the Poy Ong Jod, a celebration during the last day of Ork Pansa (end of the Buddhist Lent) festival for the visitors to get a chance to join one of their key annual festivals.