Participants at a recent workshop on community tourism in Thaliand agreed that communities should get a fair price for hosting UK visitors. But there was concern about how this could be guaranteed.
Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association president Duangkamoi Chansuriyawong said: “At the moment, a fair share does not go to the community.
“We know tour operators in England have to be competitively priced. Companies like the idea of responsible tourism when they see the programme, but they do not like the price. Then they copy the programme. How do we stop someone cheating?”
Exodus product and operation executive Nick Nikolsky insisted: “Price is not a stumbling block. We can charge a higher price as long as we offer something more – as long as we can justify the price and show where the money is going.
“We will get clients who ask what people are being paid, and if we say £3 they will say ‘that is not much’. If a community is being screwed by an inbound operator, the whole idea is screwed.”
Travel Foundation programmes officer Rachel James agreed: “People will pay extra for exclusivity and to make a difference. The point is to monitor [the impact] to demonstrate you are making a difference so tour operators can justify the price.
“It is important to monitor and communicate the information so you can say how much the community income has increased and the ways in which lives have improved.”