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The project was designed with predefined training content in 3 topics: (i) Health & Safety; (ii) Itinerary and Product Development; (iii) Marketing & Promotion, intended for community tourism entrepreneurs, individuals interested in working in tourism in the PAs and buffer zones, PA management and other personnel involved in PA management.
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After conducting a baseline survey to understand the general local context and main actors in the community, the pre-designed training content was contextualised to fit with the main audience of the training workshops.
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Different stakeholders have incompatible learning ability. Therefore, the training content was simplified with separated content for communities and for households / individuals who want to dive deeper in the topics.
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Contextualisation also helps in bringing the knowledge closer to the participants.
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As young people go to work in the daytime, most participants of the training workshops were middle-aged. A conventional training method, which is one-way communication, does not work in this case. A facilitation planning in detail was made to make sure everyone feels engaged in the training. Some methods which were used include: group discussion, resource mapping, small games with scores and prizes, etc.
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Local community members are introduced to community tourism, have an overview of basic skills needed to develop community tourism in the context of protected areas. For those who do not plan to engage in tourism soon, the training provides a perspective for community development so that they can confidently raise concerns about their community’s well-being and benefits if there is a private investor coming in the community.
When it comes to training in the community, a more interactive approach to create two-way dialogues and dynamics is needed. It was clearly observed that when given more chances to talk and a safe space to speak their mind, people are more likely to engage and take ownership of their initiatives. For example, when asked to map out their community’s resources available to offer tourists, one of the villages drew a map of their community with a clear vision of who-offers-what. Additionally, although the next step was not part of the training nor required outcome, the same villagers actively came up with their own action plan to create a safe atmosphere for tourists to enjoy the village’s beauty.