K.I.Asia NewsBytes
Partnering for Sustainable Development:  November 2007 (#99)

Feature Story:

K.I.Asia helps Phang-nga communities to build their capacity for sustainable tourism

It has been nearly three years since the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami hit the coast of southern Thailand. Many organizations around the world have generously helped improve the livelihood of those affected by the tsunami. Phang-nga province was one of the hardest hit areas in Thailand, but now the community is moving ahead with development, especially on the mainstay of the economy—tourism.  Hotel occupancy rates are set to hit 75% this high season. The goals of the local people, however, go beyond just financial improvement. The challenge is to develop tourism in Phang-nga so that it preserves the natural environment and traditional culture and benefits local communities as well as outside investors.  In order for local people to benefit more directly from tourism, they need access to finance and training that will help them own and manage their businesses. They also need to work together to avoid unplanned tourism development that damages the local environment and culture that are the main attractions for tourists.

K.I.Asia recently launched a new project —Community-Based Tsunami Recovery Action Initiative for Phang-nga (CB–TRAI) – that will leverage other K.I.Asia efforts to help Phang-nga develop a strong and sustainable tourism business.

The Project:

The Community-Based Tsunami Recovery Action Initiative for Phang-nga (CB–TRAI) is funded by the European Union and supervised by the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives as part of the EU-Thailand Social Support Project, Tsunami extension. A key objective is to build the capacity of community groups in entrepreneurship, business development, marketing, and community financing. The emphasis is on tourism-related occupations that support environmentally friendly development and improved livelihoods for people in the tsunami-affected areas. To ensure sustainability, the program will develop the ability of local education institutions, including the Phang-nga Community College, vocational colleges and non-formal education center, to deliver training in entrepreneurship, community-based tourism and microfinance to local young people.

Activities:

The CB –TRAI program consists of four main project activities:

Microfinance and Entrepreneurship Training provides assistance to nine targeted community savings groups with a total of 564 members.  This help includes training to improve management of funds, monitoring of the groups’ activities and finances, and entrepreneurship training based on K.I.Asia’s Rural Entrepreneurship through Active Learning (REAL) program. After the training, K.I.Asia’s microfinance team follows up with monthly visits to the community savings groups to monitor the fund management techniques of each community. 

Marketing Training is being given to 14 community savings groups with a total of 920 members. The training covers market segmentation and needs assessment, product development processes and production and quality control. The participants produce marketing plans that include promotional tools and distribution channels. One participant said she used to think th