DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM: THE CASE OF FLOATING MARKETS IN THAILAND A Dissertation by THANATHORN VAJIRAKACHORN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2011 Major Subject: Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences Determinants of Success for Community-based Tourism: The Case of Floating Markets in Thailand Copyright 2011 Thanathorn Vajirakachorn DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM: THE CASE OF FLOATING MARKETS IN THAILAND A Dissertation by THANATHORN VAJIRAKACHORN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Sanjay K. Nepal Committee Members, Tazim B. Jamal William A. McIntosh Norbert Dannhaeuser Head of Department, Gary D. Ellis August 2011 Major Subject: Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences iii ABSTRACT Determinants of Success for Community-based Tourism: The Case of Floating Markets in Thailand. (August 2011) Thanathorn Vajirakachorn, B.A., Thammasat University, Thailand; M.S., University of Wisconsin-Stout Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Sanjay K. Nepal Community involvement has been promoted and studied in diverse disciplines including planning, geography, community development, and others. In the tourism field, the shift from conventional tourism toward sustainable forms of tourism which emphasizes community-based practices in planning, development, and management has been broadly encouraged, especially in the developing world. Variously labeled, but commonly identified as Community-based tourism (CBT), this form of tourism is considered essential for community development, with an ultimate goal of sustainable development. Although many destinations have attempted to translate the CBT concept into practice, its appropriateness and success has been questioned and debated among practitioners and scholars. This research explores how members of local communities evaluate the CBT success factors discussed in the tourism literature. These factors include: 1) community participation, 2) benefit sharing, 3) tourism resources conservation, 4) partnership and support from within and outside of the community, 5) local ownership, 6) management iv and leadership, 7) communication and interaction among stakeholders, 8) quality of life, 9) scale of tourism development, and 10) tourist satisfaction. The main objectives of this study are: 1) developing an integrative measurement scales to evaluate the success of a CBT destination, 2) identifying the determinants of success as perceived by local communities at a CBT destination, and 3) examining the differences in CBT success factors between two communities relative to the duration and scale of tourism development, and size of the community. This dissertation employed mixed methods, combining questionnaire interviews, in-depth qualitative interviews, and participant observation as data collection tools. The fieldwork was conducted in Thailand during February – June 2010. Amphawa and Bangnoi floating markets were evaluated based on the ten factors. Results show that Amphawa, a larger and longer developed destination, is more successful than Bangnoi, a smaller and newly developed destination. Findings also indicated that the ten factors are important determinants of the success of tourism development in the two communities. Additional factors that the communities identified were advertising and the use of media as well as social networks. The integration of success factors reported in this study is recommended as a guideline for improvements in CBT development and evaluation. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without support and guidance from many individuals and institutions. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of them. First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Sanjay K. Nepal, my advisor, for his guidance, support, feedback, and patience throughout the Ph.D. program and the completion of this dissertation. Appreciation is extended to Dr. Tazim Jamal and Dr. Norbert Dannhaeuser for their counsel and encouragement as well as valuable insights to improve this study. Special gratitude is extended to Dr. Alex McIntosh for being accessible and supportive and for helping me in the theoretical and practical aspects of executing the research instruments in the field. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with such a helpful and understanding committee. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, in particular the School of Business, who provided me with a full scholarship and kindly took care of all administrative matters during my study. I owe a special thanks to the residents of Samut Songkhram, government officials, and local organizations who assisted me during my preliminary visit in 2008 and during the fieldwork in 2010. Particularly, I would like to express appreciation to all participants in this study who kindly volunteered their time and provided me with invaluable personal and community information. Many residents offered me vi accommodation, meals, and transportation during the fieldwork. Some of them also guided me around the communities. I am indebted to all of them. I further wish to express sincere appreciation to RPTS staff, in particular Marguerite Van Dyke and Irina Shatruk for their encouragement, assistance, and warm hugs. I would also like to thank fellow graduate students who have endured the dissertation process with me, especially Naho Maruyama, Blanca Camargo, Linda Lelo, Hanyoung Go, Ramaa Shingote, Amanda Bentley, Smriti Dahal, and Sunwoo Lee. I am thankful for their friendship and wisdom. Outside of the RPTS department, I would like to express my gratitude to Jongsawas Chongwatpol, for his caring, support and motivation to overcome my frustrations throughout the process of my study. I would also like to extend my warm thanks to past and present members of the Thai Student Association at Texas A&M University, especially Panitan Kewcharoenwong and Sakunchai Khumsubdee who made my stay in College Station happy, warm, and safe as home. Last and most importantly, my heartfelt appreciation goes to my family, especially my grandmother, mother, father, uncle, and aunt, who have made it possible for me to pursue this degree by supporting me mentally and financially. I am deeply grateful for their dedication, love, and understanding throughout my years far away from home. This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved grandfathers who are now in heaven. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Community-based Tourism ............................................................ 2 Problem Statement ......................................................................... 4 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................... 8 Significance of the Study ............................................................... 9 Dissertation Organization ............................................................... 10 II LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 11 Sustainable Development ............................................................... 11 Sustainable Tourism ....................................................................... 13 Community-based Tourism ............................................................ 21 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 32 III METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 33 Study Sites and Sites Selection ...................................................... 33 Preliminary Visits ........................................................................... 35 Research Design ............................................................................. 36 Research Hypotheses ...................................................................... 39 Data Collection ............................................................................... 40 Data Analysis ................................................................................. 47 Summary ........................................................................................ 49 viii CHAPTER Page IV STUDY AREA ..................................................................................... 50 Thailand .......................................................................................... 50 Samut Songkhram .......................................................................... 52 Amphawa ......................................................................................