Creating a coffee tourism network in the north of Thailand

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to provide directions on coffee tourism administration as well as to establish a coffee tourism network among the communities in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, and Lampang provinces. A qualitative method is applied to the data collected from 45 attendees of a meeting on coffee tourism. They discussed several case studies and then visited Doi Chang Village in Chiang Rai to study their successful practice before exchanging views on how similar tourism management can be implemented in their own communities. With a problem tree constructed, they also identified major challenges regarding coffee tourism in Northern Thailand. The findings discusses the initiation of three projects: the community-based tourism by coffee farmers in Chiang Mai, the pilot study of a coffee tour program in Huay Hom Village, Mae Hong Son, and the project “Good Coffee in Lampang.” Also, the six coordinators of the coffee tourism network assist the communities in publicizing tourism information. With growing popularity of special interest tourism, it is surprising Thailand still lacks coffee tourism though it is blessed with several tourism advantages. Therefore, it is critical to explore whether Northern Thailand can flourish as a coffee tourism attraction.

Institutional barriers to coffee tourism development: insights from Ethiopia – the birthplace of coffee

“…Ethiopia could be the quintessential coffee tourism destination, embracing all three basic types of coffee destinations identified by Jolliffe (2010) "coffee-producing", "coffee culture" and "coffee history". However, Ethiopia is not alone in this failing, our findings here reflecting those from many aspiring coffee (and tea) destinations around the world (Anbalagan and Lovelock, 2014;Cheng et al, 2012;Huang, 2006;Smith et al, 2019;Su et al, 2019;Syahchari and Maulana, 2020). Clearly, the common issues across Ethiopia and other destinations are a lack of leadership and coordination that would allow collaboration across sectors in the identification of opportunities for coffee tourism development and provision of the necessary supporting resources.…”

“…For both tea and coffee tourism, planning and cooperation among stakeholders have been identified as crucial in a range of destinations (Cheng et al,2012;Huang, 2006;Smith et al, 2019;Su et al, 2019;Syahchari and Maulana, 2020). Anbalagan and Lovelock (2014) cite the lack of a coordinated approach and integration between the agricultural sector (coffee) and the tourism sector as being an important hurdle in Rwanda, a view shared in Colombia (Ministry of Culture and Colombian Coffee Growers' Federation, 2009) and Guatemala (Lyon, 2013).…”

Coffee tourism in Portugal: an attraction case study

“…Jolliffe (2010) refers to coffee tourism as a travel experience related to coffee consumption, history, traditions, products and culture. Therefore, coffee tourism suggests involvement of tourists in the experience; this usually includes a tour of coffee plantations, where tourists learn about coffee history, harvesting, bean selection and processing, along with tasting activities, shopping for products and souvenirs made from coffee, in addition to visits to nearby attractions (Jolliffe, 2010;Smith et al, 2019). Coffee as a beverage is a part of many tourism trips, and is consumed, experienced, appreciated and, in some cases, studied, as with visits to coffee museums and interpretative centres (Jolliffe, 2010).…”

“…As such, coffee tourism can be used by destinations to provide visitors with innovative experiences and stimulate rural areas and development of ancestral activities. Research in this field is very limited, with most previous studies focusing on the development of coffee tourism in countries with coffee plantations and production (Lyon, 2013;Smith et al, 2019). Therefore, this study intends to increase the scope of knowledge in this domain by analyzing how attractions and experiences associated with coffee, as is the case of the Coffee Science Centre -Delta Interpretation, Scientific and Technological Promotion and Tourism Promotion (CCC), can contribute to its culture dissemination and knowledge, as well as to the development of coffee tourism in Portugal.…”

Research on factors affecting tourist involvement in coffee tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand

“…More qualitative research on coffee tourism is required. 6,31 A case study method is used to examine how COVID-19 affects the coffee industry and the accompanying consequences for tourism, as well as crisis management techniques for a post-pandemic environment in Taiwan. This study's inability to completely implement the framework of the strategic approach is one of its weaknesses.…”