How to combine the right ingredients. By Dirk Sixma & Marcel Van Der Zalm by Somphop Ibmaysa

2013

How to combine the right ingredients.

D Sixma & M.Van Der Zalm

This article demonstrates how the community of Muang Paem can use their natural resources such as the forest, fish area and agricultural ground to create an attractive and educational food tourism product for the tourists

CBT-I Stenden Rangsit university 159565 & 163252

The north eastern part of Thailand close to the Myanmar border can still be seen as untouched by mass tourism and therefore the opportunities in this area are still unexplored and present. Besides beautiful scenery, nature and landscapes the area has a lot of local hill tribes such as the Karen, the Lahu and the Akha, all trying to preserve and keep their traditions and culture alive. The main income for most of the tribes or communities exists of agricultural work where the tribes use cultivated mountain areas to grow fruit, rice, corn, peanuts and other crops. Most of the tribe people are bilingual and speak their native tongue as well as Thai. Due to this self reliant way of living tourism is not a must for the inhabitants and can be seen as an additional income. One of these beautiful local communities is the community of Muang Paem, a Karen hill tribe with around 570 inhabitants located 40 min from the main road in the middle of a very scenic mountainous area. Geographically Muang Paem can be found between Mae Hong Son and Pai two slightly more known and bigger places in the same area and by car it can be reached within 2 hours from Mae Hong Son or Pai and 4 hours by car from Chiang Mai. The community of Muang Paem was founded in the year of 1961 and has had some experience with tourist in the previous years. Back in the days the community offered a elephant tour for the tourists but due to destruction of the agricultural lands as well as the forest the community stopped with this attraction, another activity the community offered was bamboo rafting but due to the new dams this is not longer possible. Both attractions already mentioned above are not comparable at all with the setup and intensions of CBT and due to this the community itself had little to no benefits in the past from the tourists visiting their village. This is a sad thing because due to this the community of Muang Paem still has a lot to learn in terms of English, tourist needs and seeing and using opportunities. To help the community of Muang Paem and other similar communities this article is written, and this article tends to demonstrates how the community of Muang Paem can use their natural resources such as the forest, fish area and agricultural ground to create an attractive and educational food tourism product for the tourists. According to the outcome of a survey conducted among tourist by the Bangkok University Research center and published on the website of The Government Public Relations Department (2010) of Thailand showed that food tourism in Thailand is getting more popular. The outcome of the questionnaire was that 63,3 percent of the international tourists visit the country because of the food, this fact alone can be seen has a major stimulator why it can and should be successful.

For the community itself it is important to understand and realize what they have in terms of natural resources and opportunities for creating an attractive food tourism product. It is also important to see if there is a demand for this type of product and what the possible hazards might be while implementing it. In order to see if there are any hazards, chances or opportunities for this food tourism product 15 interviews have been conducted with tourists from all over the world, varying from the United States of America to Germany. Thirteen of the fifteen interviews have been conducted in Chiang Mai and two interviews where done with tourists passing by in Muang Paem. The tourists interviewed in Chiang Mai where all met in different bars and most of these tourists looked interesting from a personal point of view. The two tourists passing by in Muang Paem where nature lovers and both around the thirty years old, a nice fact was that both of them liked the idea of a food tourism product in combination with a home stay. All the interviews schemes are included in the appendix of this article and the interviews function as source for the following paragraphs. Furthermore can be said that the interviews among the tourists have been conducted to show the demand side; are the tourists willing to go there and would a food tourism product make it more appealing. All the interviews and observations done in the community itself are done with the help of a translator or with a local guide/farmer who only could speak very basic English. Besides the interviews with tourists as well as locals the authors of this article conducted research via observation and small talks with the local community members. To start, it can be mentioned that many people are not familiar with the term community based tourism, a few of the interviewees made a wild guess and described the words more literally than the actual idea behind community based tourism â&#x20AC;?tourism in a small communityâ&#x20AC;? was one of the most common guesses. The good thing was that after a short explanation about what community based tourism entails and what the main goals are many of the interviewees seemed to be more interested. Besides this observation of body language one can also assume that many of the interviewees are willing to book a community based tourism trip but many of the interviewees had no clue where to book it. Due to this one can assume that there is an interest for this type of tourism but the companies organizing these tours are coping with more or less the same problems as the term itself and are lacking in proper marketing(Personal communication, interviews tourists 12-06-2013).

Do you know about community based tourism? (In total 15 persons asked) Yes, but extra explanation was needed.

After the short introduction about community based tourism in general the interviewees where asked if a food tourism product would increase the likeability of them booking a tour, according to the World Food Travel Association (2012) food tourism can be explained as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pursuit and enjoyment of unique and memorable food and drink experiences, both far and nearâ&#x20AC;? this can be linked to Muang Paem where they have opportunities to combine hiking and food gathering together with cooking workshops in order to design an appealing food tourism product what could be attractive for those who are looking for unique and memorable food experiences. The interviewees where explained that the food tourism product was a combination of hiking through the forest, gathering eatable plants, fishing and learning how to cook it. Due to the answers on this particular question one can assume that there is a growing market for food tourism products this is supported by the previous mentioned survey, especially the fact that people have a chance to gather their own food sounds really appealing to man and woman. Moreover can be mentioned that most of the interviewees liked the idea of the community benefiting from the tourism itself instead of a big tour operator or investor and most of the interviewees said that this was something they really appreciated(Personal communication, interviews tourists 12-06-2013). In a nutshell can be said that most of the interviewees are not fully aware about community based tourism and what it entails, so this is still something to work on in order to make it work. In addition to this can be said that many of the interviewees liked the idea of a food tourism product in combination with the active elements such as food gathering, hiking and fishing. As been mentioned before the idea behind community based tourism was new and sounded appealing to many of the interviewees. In order to see what the possibilities are to implement a food tourism product in Muang Paem a research has been conducted in the village. The research was mainly focused on the villages cooking culture, as well as how the villagers gain the different ingredients in order to prepare their meals. To begin with the village people eat three meals a day, in the morning they start with breakfast, followed by lunch in the afternoon and dinner in the evening and each of them consist of many different components, although this could be a bit unusual for western people because even for breakfast the Karen people eat quit a heavy meal what is comparable to the lunch and dinner. A typical meal served in the village mainly consists of the following dishes rice, soup, vegetables, eggs and meat or fish. The people in the village eat many different kind of rice mostly grown by them self in the paddy fields or on the hills, the rice gained from the hills is a bit sticky compared to the rice from the paddy fields. Besides rice the village people eat a lot of eggs mostly collected from their own chickens and

are prepared in many different ways, meals can include scrambled eggs, omelets mixed with vegetables, boiled eggs and even poached eggs are being served. Moreover probably one of the most important aspects of a Karen meal is chili paste, this can be found in every meal and is even served at breakfast. The main ingredient is chili although there are many varieties of the paste it can include for example different kind of vegetables, fruits, fish, or even mashed crickets. The Karen people eat the paste together with rice or use it as a dip for their vegetables. Another important aspect of a Karen meal is vegetables, these are often home grown or collected from the fields or forest, and are prepared in many different ways. To continue another component that is served with almost every meal is fish, poultry or meat, although meat is quit expensive and therefore often only consumed on special occasions, the fish is often caught in the river next to the village although nowadays many village people use canned fish bought at the local shop as well. Besides that do many farmers rear chickens, pigs, cows or water buffalos but most of them have only a few therefore the meat is valuable to them and most of the time only consumed during a special occasion. Next to all the mentioned ingredients the Karen people do also use ingredients that are unusual or new for especially western people, depending on the season meals can include products such as frogs, squirrel, rat, different kind of birds or even bats. All in all it can be said that the variety of dishes and different food products served in Muang Paem could be very appealing for food travelers in search of a new experience (CBT-I, 2012). Another aspect that could be attractive for food tourist is the way how the village people grow or gather their food products. As mentioned, are almost all the ingredients are homegrown or collected from the paddy fields, forest or river and many village people often talk about the ‘natural supermarket’ referring to their important natural resources. The food gathering could be used as an active element in the food tourism product. For example tourists could collect different ingredients from the ‘natural supermarket’ with help of a local guide who is informing them about the taste and use of the different herbs and vegetables that can be found. Furthermore could the guide take them to the so called fish preservation zone to inform them about this unique project, as well as showing them how the local people catch fish. Furthermore, although depending on the season the guide could explain or even show how products such as crickets, rats and bats are being caught. After the hike a cooking workshop could be given including the products that are collected that day, important for the cooking workshop is that the community members should actually allow the tourists to cook and make their own dishes with their expertise to guide the tourists trough the whole process. All in all the village has many cultural and natural resources by combining them a unique and appealing food tourism product can be created, with benefits not only for the tourists but the

community as well. To begin with the traveler can taste and experience the local food that is different and unique compared to western and even popular Thai dishes. Besides that do the village people use little or no pesticides and hormones in order to grown their products. In addition to that will the hike add an active element to the food tourism product, during which the tourist can discover the beautiful surrounding and gain knowledge about the different food sources, as well as hunting and fishing techniques. Moreover for the community it can have the following benefits, to begin with they can show and inform the tourists about their cultural and natural resources. Furthermore with an appealing food tourism product more tourist could be attracted, as well as their length of stay could be extended. At the end the income gained from tourism will increase from which many village people can benefit. Nevertheless the community based tourism concept itself as well as the Muang Paem community are both in need of creating more brand awareness among travelers. This can be done with more marketing via for example social media. A difficulty for the community itself is the language barrier, only a few people in the community speak a little bit of English and this can make it difficult for tourists visiting the community. Another possible pit fall is the fact that the tourists might have a different image of whole product, community or even the cooking workshop and the experience can be less good as expected. Therefore it is extremely important that the information provided to the tourists as well as to the community is clear for both sides to decrease possible negative outcomes. An important aspect mentioned by the local community members is that the visiting tourists should be physically well in shape because the hike through the forest, rice paddies and river area is quite demanding for the body. To conclude the overall research it can be stated that the potential of the product is high in terms of the available resources from the supplying side but as well as the interest from the tourist perspective. The only thing left to do is making a mixture of the right ingredients and create an appealing an educational program.

Reference list CBT-I. (2012). Participatory Cultural Mapping for Community Based Tourism (CBT).

The government public relations department. (2013). Thai Food Cited as the Most Attractive to International Tourists. Retrieved on the 17th of May from http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_news.php?id=5448&a=2

World Food Travel Association. (2012). What is Food Tourism? Retrieved on the 16th of June from http://www.worldfoodtravel.org/our-story/what-is-food-tourism/

Appendix 1: 15 interviews with tourists

The table and graphs below shows the most important questions of the interview done with the tourists and the outcome of these questions.

In Total where 15 persons interviewed. Question: Do you know CBT? Would you be intersted in booking a CBT tour? Would a food tourism product make it more interesting? Important aspects of holiday in Thailand(most named are shown).

Answer : Yes 1 person, and 1 person a little bit. 11, and 2 maybe but due to their amount of money not at this moment. 10 persons, 3 maybe due to money, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to kill animal. Nature, meeting people, places worth visiting, night life, wildlife and temples.

Answer: No 13 persons 2 persons

2 persons

Do you know CBT? Persons who answered yes Persons who answered no persons who answered a little bit.

Would you be interested in booking a CBT tour? Persons who answered yes Persons who answered no persons who answered maybe

Would a food tourism product in combination with CBT make it more intersting? persons answered yes persons answered no Persons answered maybe

Dear tourists,

We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you?

1. How old are you ? 25, female 2. What is your nationality? Germany 3. How long have you been in Thailand? For 4,5 months now 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? See nature, experience a different culture and meet nice people 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Like I mentioned before nature, people and new experiences. 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No, but I have a idea of what it can be I think that with community based tourism is meant that it is tourism in a small community. (we explained shortly the more precise meaning of CBT). 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, especially in a beautiful natural area and I like the idea the community benefits from it themselves instead of a big investor or tour operator. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Maybe not more interesting but I would certainly do it when I am there anyways, especially the food gathering and seeing the different way of cooking sounds really nice to me 9. How many days should the trip be in total? I think a few days would be nice, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t now actually but maybe 2-3 nights.

1. How old are you ? 22, female 2. What is your nationality? Great Britain (England) 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2 months by now 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Adventure activities, sightseeing and meeting people

5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? nice people, nice surrounding, adventure activities

6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) Yes I think so, it is a tourism product setup by the community itself is it not? We explained the goals of CBT and what we have been experiencing. 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, but not for too long because I need a good toilet and shower after a few days but I like the whole concept. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes and no, I would not book it only for the food but if it was part of the trip it would think it is really interesting because I have never been gathering my own food and the cooking on a wooden fire as well sounds like a lovely experience. 9. How many days should the trip be in total? Like I said not to long maybe 1-2 nights.

1. How old are you ? 29, male 2. What is your nationality? Singapore 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2,5 weeks 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Sightseeing, nature trips and hiking

5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? see nature, hiking trips and good food

6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No, we explained it to him and what the goals of CBT are

7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, sounds cool especially the fact that the community benefits as well as the staying in a nice natural area. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes, especially the whole process of gathering, fishing cooking and learning from there expertise while walking trough nature, Where can I book this? 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 1-3 nights I guess.

1. How old are you ? 31, male(with girlfriend) 2. What is your nationality? France 3. How long have you been in Thailand? Almost 6 weeks now 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Enjoy the Thai culture and food, meet people and find inspiration for my book. (wants to write a book about his travels and has been traveling for 2 years almost by now). 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? new culture, good food, hearing interesting stories from other people.

6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No, we explained the meaning of CBT and told him our experience of the last few weeks. (who knows we might end up in his book). 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes sounds really nice, something I have not done before and the fact that the local community benefits from it is according to me really good this is how tourism should be in more places. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes defiantly, I love cooking and eating new dishes. The gathering from the forest as well as the chance to catch your own fish sounds really nice and for me it would make it defiantly more interesting. 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 3-4 nights I guess, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know actually.

1. How old are you ? 27, female (France writer his girlfriend) 2. What is your nationality? United States of America 3. How long have you been in Thailand? Also 6 weeks, have been traveling with her boyfriend for 8 months now. 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Nature, meeting people, good food, new experiences

5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? good food, nice people, shared experiences with boyfriend 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No, explained it to her at the same time as we did to her boyfriend. 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, never done it before and I have done volunteer work in Africa and have some experience with staying at local communities and at a amazing time while doing this in Africa.

8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like it to see how they kill animals but the food gathering in the forest sounds really cool actually. 9. How many days should the trip be in total? Same also 3-4 nights(I stayed two weeks in Africa at the same community).

1. How old are you ? 22, male 2. What is your nationality? Holland 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2 months 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Party, meet people and experience a new culture as well as sightseeing

5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? people, food and party. 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No, we explained it to him shortly in Dutch this time. 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) No, but I think when I am a little bit older I probably will be but now I only have limited time before I start with my study again. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) This trip in general sounds appealing to me, hunting, gathering food from the forest and hike all sounds nice but just for a day. 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 1 day

1. How old are you ? 51, male 2. What is your nationality? England 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2 years, with small trips in between in order to extend my visa. 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Im living here but I like the Thai food, culture and mentality of the people.

5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? food, mentality of the people(happy and always smiling), peace and tranquility. 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No I have never heard of it, we explain and I looks very interested.

7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes defiantly, sounds marvelous and really interesting he had a similar experience in the south if Thailand where he lived in a small village for 3 months but it got boring after a while. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Maybe not as a product but I am really eager to see and learn where the food is coming from what they use and why and especially how to cook it. 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 2-5 nights I assume.

1. How old are you ? 21, male 2. What is your nationality? Israel 3. How long have you been in Thailand? Till now 2 weeks, but I will stay for 3 months in total 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? I like to meet new people, discover new things 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? A nice place to sleep with good food and interesting people 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Not really, at the moment I prefer to stay in the cities, but maybe when I am older I will like it 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) I like good food, but at the moment I would not book something like that 9. How many days should the trip be in total? -

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 35, female 2. What is your nationality? England 3. How long have you been in Thailand? Almost 1 year, after traveling a lot I am now teaching children in Chiang Mai English 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Having a drink and a laugh, besides that I like sightseeing 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Good nightlife, but also nature and wildlife 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Sure, it sounds interesting, besides that I have seen a lot during my traveling but never experienced something like that 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes, I like food but it should be something new, because I have had already a lot of Asian food, therefor I would prefer something new and different 9. How many days should the trip be in total? A few days maximum a week

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 29, female 2. What is your nationality? Germany 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 5 days 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Traveling and visiting interesting places 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Nice places to visit such as a temple, but also a beach and a bit of sun 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Maybe, but I don't think I have the money for it at the moment 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes, is would definitely add something to it 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 1 week

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 34 2. What is your nationality? USA 3. How long have you been in Thailand? About 6 months, I work in Bangkok and now I am visiting the north to relax a bit 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? While traveling mostly relaxing 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? I prefer a good hotel, fresh food, but also a bar with some entertainment for example a pool table 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) A little bit, is it tourism in small communities? 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, but I do not have a lot of time because of my job 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) It would definitely make it an interesting product, therefor I think I would be interested 9. How many days should the trip be in total? When then only a few days about 2 or 3

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 20, male 2. What is your nationality? Spain 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2 weeks 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Sport activities such as bungee jumping rafting, but I am also planning to hike through the mountains 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Places where I can practice the sport activities and a nice natural environment 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes I think it would make the tourism product complete 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 1 week

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 25, female 2. What is your nationality? Germany 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 3 days, I just visited Cambodia 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Visiting many places and try a lot of local food 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Local markets without many tourists, temples and other places worth to visit 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Maybe, depends on the type of accommodation 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes, the food would make it definitely more attractive for me 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 2 or 3 days

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 45, female 2. What is your nationality? France 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 2 weeks 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Trying new things, especially food and visiting a Spa 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? Restaurants with good food, a Spa, friendly people 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) No, I think I prefer luxury 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) No, although it would make it more appealing 9. How many days should the trip be in total? 2-3 days

Dear tourists, We are two tourism students from the Netherlands and are doing a minor in Thailand at the Stenden Rangsit university of Bangkok, the research we are doing now is concerned with community based tourism in Thailand and we are trying to create or improve the already offered tourism product of the community. Therefore the purpose of this questionnaire is to see whether or not you know what community based tourism entails and if you would be interested to go there. Secondly of a food tourism product offered in combination with community based tourism would be interesting for you? 1. How old are you ? 22, male 2. What is your nationality? China 3. How long have you been in Thailand? 1 week 4. What kind of activities do you like to do while traveling trough Thailand? Renting a bike and travel through the mountains, meet new people 5. What are the three most important aspects that should be included during your stay in Thailand in order to make it a success? It should not be to expensive, I want to see many news things and taste Thai food 6. Do you know about community based tourism? (if no we can explain shortly, if yes explain in your own words) No 7. Would you be interested in experiencing a community based tourism trip? (give short explanation for chosen answer) Yes, never done anything like it and im always open for new experiences. 8. Would a CBT food tourism product make it more interesting for you? (this includes gathering the ingredients, see where the food comes from, understand what the people eat and how to prepare/cook the dishes) Yes 9. How many days should the trip be in total? About a week

Appendix 2: Tour guide + pictures of ingredients and cattle. Name : Pee Age: 52 years old Profession: worked as a tour guide for several years, served as a soldier in the army and is now working as a farmer in Muang Paem. The interviews we had with our guide where informal and took place during the walk through the forest, where the guide tried to show us as much as possible. Two times we were taken to the community forest, rice paddies and fish conservation area. During these hikes which both times took from around 8.30 in the morning till 15.00 hour the guide shared a lot of local knowledge and forests wisdoms with us. Between all the green that can be found in the forest this time of year the guide was able to distinguish even the smallest eatable plants. Even though he tried to shows us everything we were of course not able to reveal all the secrets of the forest but we managed to see and taste a lot. Most of the plants that day have been photographed and are displayed in the following pages. After the hike the tour guide showed us the cattle they use, eat and have as well as the local grown fruits and other vegetables most community members have in their gardens.

Forest eatables:

Name: Mala/sukasa Used for: soups Taste: Slightly bitter (spinach)

Name: Eggplant (only eat the fruit) Used for: curry, soup, raw with chili paste Taste: Bitter (European eggplant)

Name: Tapador/Pake Used for: soup with chicken Taste: Fresh

Name: Frog Used in: Fried with lemongrass, chili, garlic(if smelss with Patsi, next picture) Taste: mixture chicken and fish

Name: Patsi Used for: frog dishes to take away bad smell. Taste: smells like mandarin.

Name: Pakoe(Thai)/Pupludo(Karen) /Fern(English) Used for: soup, fried with egg. Taste: smells like cucumber.

Name: Paksyke Used for: cook as vegetable Taste: Sweet and little bitter

Name: Rice Used for: Breakfast, lunch and diner Taste: ordinary rice

Name: Sopoi Used for: Taste: sour

Name: Patnamnoi Used for: soup, fried Taste:

Name: Boeha(Thai)/Gabo(Karen) Used for: together with rice Taste: itchy, only use inside

Name: Ka (Thai)/chuke(Karen) Used for: chicken and beef Taste:

Name: Sodor(Karen) Used for: raw as a salad Taste: little bit bitter

Name: Sompi Used for: with potato Taste: sour, bitter

Name: Posro/Katsja Used for: salad Taste: fresh

Name: Heo(Thai) / Popeludoe(Karen) Used for: soup, cooked and fried with egg. Taste: hazelnut

Name: Padnam (Thai) / Hotbublo (Karen) Used for: soup, cooked or fried. Taste:

Name: Ma-u Used for: with raw meat Taste: smells like lemon.

Name: Pa-ilen Used for: soup, chili paste Taste: smells like lemon.

Name: Used for: Taste: mushroom

Name: Chili Used for: Chili paste Taste: Spicy

Name: Crickets Used for: Chili paste Taste: earth

Name: Fish ď&#x192; Used for: Taste: fish

Cattle

Name: pig

Name: Chicken

Name: Cow

Name: Water Buffalo

Homegrown:

Name: garlic

Name: Chili

Name: Jackfruit

Name: Pumpkin

Name: Mango

Name: Coconut.

Name: Banana.