The bottom-up approach of community-based ethnic tourism : a case study in Chiang Rai

This chapter introduces the concept of community-based tourism, as a part of economic development plans in Thailand. It presents alternative tourism experiences initiated by an ethnic minority community and a non-government organization in the Northern Province of Chiang Rai. The discussion focuses on the dynamic experiences of tourism and factors in a ‘bottom-up’ planning approach towards desirable development outcomes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the future implications of the implementation of the approach upon tourism policy involving ethnic minority communities applied beyond a single destination community.