Ampai Chaipijitr, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand Northern Chapter, said more tourists, both locals and foreigners, had visited communities in the North since the government launched the “Discover Thainess Campaign” last year.

More foreign tourists now travel by car and enter the Kingdom at major entry points, particularly in Chiang Rai province, she said.

However, the council’s northern chapter has seen more demand for cross-border tourism in other provinces, hence it is urging the authorities to consider opening more entry gates in a bid to boost such activity, she added.

“More entry gates in the North can be opened for tourism, including at Kiew Pha Wak and Wieng Hae in Chiang Mai province, Huay Ton Noon in Mae Hong Son province, and Ban Huak in Nan province. If these entry gates were to be opened, the areas would witness more visitors,” she suggested at a recent “Enhancing competiveness for community tourism” meeting.

Currently, Mai Sai and Chiang Khong gates in Chiang Rai are the main entry points for tourists from Laos, mainland China and Myanmar.

Suree Boonyanupong, researcher at the Social Research Institute of Chiang Mai University, saidChiang Mai and other provinces in the North could offer tourists more attractions aside from the region’s Lanna culture and natural beauty, as it has many other things to offer, such as unique communities, traditional foods – and local events all year round.

More importantly, some provinces can be developed as entry points to boost cross-border tourism, she said at the meeting.

“Tourism business in the North has been in a developed state since 2003, which means there is nothing really new in terms of mass tourism. But today’s tourists need to experience and understand the culture and people’s ways of living, instead of [tourism authorities] focusing on numbers. The trend provides a chance to shift to more quality tourism,” she explained.

Suree added that the formation of the Asean Economic Community also presented an opportunity to get more visitors from neighbouring countries, as well as from countries slightly further afield.

“The North should develop itself as the gateway from and into Laos, Myanmar and China. I believe that more tourists will visit the region and help drive the local economy if more entry gates are opened,” the researcher said.

Ampai said Japan was an accepted example of community- and culture-based tourism development.

The Japanese government took 20 years to turn the former capital, Kyoto, into a world-class community-based tourism destination, with the keys to its success being co-working between authorities, operators and local residents, and a clear tourism promotion plan, she added.

Sawan Khwanthaisong of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association said community-based tourism would become more popular among international markets, and Thailand’s northern part could serve that emerging trend.

With more and more of today’s tourists tending to seek new experiences from different communities, local operators such as hotels, guesthouses, resorts, restaurants, tour businesses and shop owners are therefore urged to adapt their products and services to meet such change.