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Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Introduction
The development model.
The VWB’s first ecotourism product ‘The Pang Soong Nature Trail’.
A product with multi-market appeal.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) options.
Beyond ecotourism/geotourism.
The importance of research and scientific record keeping.
Addressing the misconceptions about voluntourism.
The benefits to the host community.
The benefits to the voluntourist.
The benefits to the NTO’s & the tourism industry.
Introduction
Track of the Tiger T.R.D. is a Chiang Mai based “tourism resources development company” that operates the non profit initiative - Voluntourists Without Borders or VWB.
VWB aims to use voluntourists labour, and their direct funding, to assist the rural village and ethnic minority groups of northern Thailand to build a world class ecotourism (geotourism) industry – in which they will operate the key attractions, and in which they will are the principal stakeholders.
In using voluntourism as an ‘ecotourism (geotourism) development tool’, and not a niche market tourism product in itself, VWB provides the individual voluntourist with the means to deliver both their funding and hands on assistance to the rural and ethnic minorities, in a very transparent manner, and without the deductions for ‘operational overheads’ that the ‘big organisations’ and some niche market operators tend to build into the costs.
By concentrating on empowering the rural villagers and ethnic minority groups to become stakeholders in the ecotourism / geotourism industry, and developing viable products, VWB is following the adage that it is better to give a man a fishing rod and teaching him to fish, than to give him a free meal.
The development model.
Once the project is in place, VWB moves on to its next project or projects and the village of Pang Mano markets and operates the trail under a tourism development agreement with Track of the Tiger T.R.D.
The tour operator is tasked to promote the attraction and ensure the product receives quality guests at rates that ensure operational viability – and perhaps more important to set an example for other communities that want to adopt the model.
The VWB’s first ecotourism product ‘The Pang Soong Nature Trail’.
VWB together with the villagers of Ban Pang Mano has opened the first eco-attraction under the Initiative’s umbrella; the stunning 4 km Pang Soong Nature Trail, complete with comprehensive trail guide book.
The trail starts from Pang Soong Lodge, Outdoor Education and Research Centre, follows the Mae Lai stream at (1'000-1450 m.a.s.l.) through the village’s pristine community forest in the Mae On district, one hour north of Chiang Mai.
It passes over or around some 17 waterfalls negotiated with the aid of bamboo bridges, ladders, steps cut into the banks, and safety railings. The trail guide put together from data provided by the CMU Herbarium Consultancy details some 300 tree species, 292 bird species, as well as the animals and insects of the area.
At only 45 minutes and 50kms from the city, accessed along winding roads through the stunning Mae Lai valley, the attraction (a work still in progress) is sure to have huge appeal to the upmarket nature lover, and to set the bar for the long overdue introduction of world class ecotourism (geotourism) tourism attractions in northern Thailand.
By entering a tourism development partner agreement with Track of the Tiger T.R.D., the village gain access to training, product development assistance, and to the tourist markets after the VWB has moved on. Track of the Tiger T.R.D. benefits from being the sole agent for a world class eco-tourism product for a fixed term.
A product with multi-market appeal.
Track of the Tiger T.R.D. has designed a range of products that will use the trail. They are aimed at the SAVE markets, considered to the building blocks of ecotourism./ geotourism product. S= Scientific. A = Academic. V = Voluntourist. E = Educational. (See file, on same press release CDRom by Prof. Don Hawkins).
Programmes in place at present are: environmental education and adventure (schools) corporate (team building) and ecotourism / geotourism (soft adventure) programmes, that will use the trail as an axis, providing revenue for the village through a combination of trail entry and community forest guide fees paid to the village committee.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) options.
The VWB Initiative and Track of the Tiger’s environmental education programmes provide the corporate sector with an excellent opportunity to use their CSR funding to subsidise school or university student groups in attending VWB Initiative programmes.
The programmes are priced at ‘fair trade rates’ of app. US$50 – 60 per day and are all inclusive of transport, meals, accommodation, supervision etc., and cover a day rate for local co-workers, as well as a development fee – a fixed per diem for the purchase of materials (wood, nails, wire, bamboo) used on the various VWB projects.
VWB appeals to the corporate sector to adopt schools, or allow us to match make them schools who need sponsorship assistance to attend our VWB Initiative voluntourist programmes, and in so doing present themselves to the next generation of potential employees.
Such programmes, are also good training grounds for junior managers, and indeed a welcome ‘mini career breaks’ for jaded middle level managers.
Beyond ecotourism/geotourism.
Other VWB project components that use the Pang Soong nature Trail, and the Pang Soong Lodge are at various stages of development, and are aimed at adding value and revenue to the project:
Forest augmentation - crops that can be farmed on an integrated basis within the forest, without the need clear cutting i.e. bamboo, rattan, palm, wild pepper, medicinal herbs. They provide a good all year round return for a low level of labour, and will be given market acces through an arrangement with restaurants in the town.
Forest ecosystem restoration - the replanting of trees native to the area in a manner calculated to best improve the biodiversity of the forest.
A jungle challenge and 'river tracing' course – set up on the nature trail - that is a real outdoor team building, leadership and self confidence training tool.
A modification of the classic canopy walk – aimed not at the ‘adventure junky’ but at the more mature ‘nature lover’ using the system for access to the flora as opposed to adventure.
We have built Pang Soong Lodge, Outdoor Education & Research Centre on private land at the trailhead, to provide accommodation and services to clients using the nature trail.
The research centre component - It is our intention to seek assistance from experts in various fields to establish baseline studies - environmental, social, economic etc., that visiting school, university or special interest groups can, given direction, provide ongoing data gathering research for, and in so doing record the effects of our interventions over time.
The importance of research and scientific record keeping.
The results of scientific record keeping that accurately record positive change are of course the strongest argument in support of expanding the VWB Initiative concept beyond its pilot programme locations.
They will be of great value to both private and public sector bodies interested in this type of development model.
Appeal.
We at VWB would like to explore any opportunities for collaboration with those interested in responsible tourism development, along the lines of His Majesty’s ‘sufficiency economy theory” as practiced here, be they like minded businesses, educational institutions and/or organisations.
In particular we encourage and invite enquiries regarding participation by the corporate sector interested in supporting our educational programmes through the ‘match making system’.
Addressing the misconceptions about voluntourism.
The most popular misconception about voluntourism is that it is a short term aid delivery system that allows wealthy people to feel good about helping those less fortunate than themselves. As a result, many NTO’s and individuals see voluntourism as exposing the soft underbelly of their country’s social problems, and feel it does not fit into the product mix that they would like to showcase when marketing their destinations.
This perception of voluntourism can be changed, if the product is properly designed, packaged and marketed.
We at VWB feel that the model of voluntourism that sees untrained individuals painting schools, building houses etc, is one that can in most cases be more cost effectively undertaken by local people and funded by the major aid agencies - and provides only short term or partial solutions, with little follow up support.
Consider the findings of the post Tsunami aid reports, which show that in their admirable rush to help, overwhelmed agencies made many poor judgements that wasted money and labour:
Doctors without Borders – building houses (60-80% of which are now declared not safe or of the right designed for the locations they are in) instead of focussing on its core competencies.
Habitat for Humanity – delivering food aid – instead of building houses.
Hundreds of NGO’s building boats – for those who live in fishing areas that are ravaged and wont recover for 5 years, and where the ‘supply chain’ for getting the fish to market is not in place.
There should be a distinction made between the roles of the voluntourist in:
Disaster mitigation
Long term intervention to provide solutions to poverty, environmental damage that are at the heart of, or hinder recovery from natural and man made disasters.
At VWB we believe that the efforts of the voluntourist are best employed on programmes designed to provide lasting solutions to poverty alleviation and environmental degradation, such as ecotourism developments, (complete with secondary non tourism reliant revenue streams) that utilise the local knowledge to its fullest extent, and are then properly supported by the public/private sector supply chain – on a build, operate, transfer arrangement.
The project must be properly designed through consultation between experts in the various fields, the voluntourist project operator, and the leaders of the host community with objectives, goals and proper project planning put in place.
The roles of all involved must be carefully allocated so as to make the best use of the skills that each individual brings to the project. In particular, the role of the ‘non qualified’ voluntourist must be established in order that that the value of the contribution is maximised and therefore more rewarding.
The benefits to the host community – from a project that restructures the way they utilise their skills, local knowledge and the advantages of their location. The dignity of the villager is restored by the respect the voluntourist (and his family) affords his local knowledge of the forest and its uses, because those skills are the platform on which the new economy of the village will be built.
The benefits to the vountourist – from having had the opportunity to live and work amongst the host community in an environment of mutual respect that allows an exchange of skills and values – the ultimate geotourism experience.
The voluntourist goes home with the knowledge that he or she has made an important direct, lasting and personal contribution that is focussed on alleviating poverty, reducing environmental damage, and delaying or avoiding the conflicts that a lack of intervention in those areas will bring to the world.
The experience invariably leaves him or her with a better understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures, that will have a profound impact on the way they view and address problems and make the seemingly mundane decisions they face in their daily routine.
The benefits to the NTO’s (National Tourism Operators) & the tourism industry.
The industry is being gifted the opportunity to use one of the world fastest growing markets, voluntourism as a development tool, and thereby gain access to what must be the world’s other fastest growing tourism niche market – the geotourist market (See the relevant WTO reports).
Thailand, and the north in particular, is well placed to take advantage of this opportunity as it has the already has the USP’s in place in terms of good community forest and culturally interesting rural communities.
Please contact: tiger@loxinfo.co.th for more details.
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