This research aims to evaluate the use of tourism as a tool for poverty reduction in Bulon Island, Satun Province, Thailand. It focuses on local people’s perceptions of poverty and how tourism may be used to improve their livelihoods. It also critically evaluates the barriers to local people to participating in the tourism industry and how these may be overcome. An interpretive paradigm supported by the use of qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and focus groups has been adopted. Thirty-six local people participated in the research and two focus groups were conducted. The collected data was evaluated through thematic analysis to categorise the emergent key themes. The research findings are subsequently presented according to three main themes that emerged from the data. The first is local peoples’ perceptions of poverty focus on their ability to be self-sufficient rather than defining poverty solely as a measure of deficient income. Secondly, it is evident that local people benefit from tourism in terms of employment opportunities, which are important for supplementing work in the seasonal fishing industry. The creation of employment opportunities and an opportunity to earn income especially have direct benefits for local women, making them more independent and empowering them. The final iv thematic finding identifies the barriers to local participation in tourism, which centre upon deficiencies in financial, human and social capital. Recommendations are subsequently made on how to overcome these barriers and enhance the use of tourism for poverty reduction and alleviation in Bulon. Actions include capacity building and the establishment and strengthening of stakeholder partnerships.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:715313 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Limpradit, Banthita |
| Publisher | University of Bedfordshire |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622107 |
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