Abstract
Community-based tourism (CBT) along Thailand’s Andaman Coast requires adaptation as it faces escalating climate risks that threaten both livelihoods and ecosystems. However, the effectiveness of adaptation depends on the enabling and constraining conditions that shape implementation. This paper identifies the key enablers and barriers to adaptation in CBT, the changes needed to scale up successful measures, and the incentives and support required to sustain action. Fieldwork across three communities combined household surveys, stakeholder workshops with both community and non-community stakeholders, and semi-structured interviews conducted across local, provincial, regional, and national levels. A mixed-methods approach with thematic and comparative analysis was applied to identify cross-level enabling and constraining conditions. Findings reveal that adaptation is enabled by strong community leadership, pride and recognition, academic and provincial partnerships, and emerging financial mechanisms. Current practices include ecosystem-based measures such as community-led mangrove restoration and marine conservation banks, structural responses like water storage and protective infrastructure, and institutional innovations including eco-learning trails, community rules, and climate-smart tourism products. At the same time, adaptation is constrained by fragmented governance, short-term project funding, limited technical capacity, and risks of maladaptation from top-down, one-size-fits-all approaches. Stakeholders emphasised that scaling up requires predictable long-term finance, integrated governance, and incentives such as climate funds, insurance schemes, and certification systems. Overall, the study highlights a persistent gap between bottom-up initiatives and systemic support, offering new insights into governance, finance, and incentive structures needed to embed CBT within sustainable tourism and climate adaptation scholarship.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
Adaptation Success; Maladaptation; Monitoring and Evaluation; Catalysing Conditions; Coastal Tourism
