May 16, 2024 – Khon Kaen University and the Auditing Committee for Certifying Tourism Standard of Communities, under the fiscal year 2024, Thailand Tourism Authority, visited the representatives of Ban Khok Mai Ngam Homestay, Si Chompu District, Khon Kaen, an agricultural community enterprise, to clarify the auditing criteria, auditing procedures and recommendations for improvement.
The Auditing Committee for Certifying Tourism Standard of Communities comprises the network representatives from many sectors, including Department of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Department of Community Development, Department of Agricultural Extension, Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports, Thailand Tourism Authority, and representatives from educational institutions, Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and Thailand Tourism Industry Council. The auditing is aimed at developing and upgrading of community tourism quality so that the enterprises are able to rely on themselves, have good quality of life and are improved in accordance with the standards set forth by the Department of Tourism.
Mr. Rewat Jantanong, Head of the Community Development and Promotion Group, Department of Tourism, as the chairman of the meeting said that the implementation of the Department is carried out with the network that gives opinions and recommendations to improve the potential of the community. There were representatives from different organizations joining, so it was a good chance for the community to listen to their recommendations for development of all dimensions. The committee was taking the role to help develop the community, and the network will help in making the future tourism places. The next session was the clarification of the auditing criteria to the community of Ban Khok Mai Ngam Homestay, Si Chompu District, Khon Kaen.
Assoc. Prof. Chuchat Kamollert, Ph.D., DVM., Director of the Office of Academic Service, Khon Kaen University talked about the role of Khon Kaen University as a representative of educational institutions that joins as part of the auditing committee. Khon Kaen University possesses the knowledge and experts of various fields that are ready to assist in developing the potentialities, upgrading the quality of products and services of the community. The Office of Academic Service has an important mission to provide academic services to the society and community by acting as a central unit that coordinates and transfers the existing knowledge to the community. At present, the Office also joins with the Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy and the Savings Bank to carry out the Om Sin Yuwapat Rak Thin Project (the saving project of the youths for their locality). In this project, KKBS students visited the place for promoting and upgrading of tourism of the Khok Mai Ngam Community Enterprise.
Mr. Theparak Chai-sua, Chairman of the Enterprise related about the context of the community enterprise in carrying out activities that promote tourism, and in being a learning resource for tourists such as learning how to grow and manufacture ground nuts, a project run by the ground nut group. The group earns many million baht per year from ground nuts. There are tourism spots such as at Pisan Monastery where there is a stucco Buddha Image built by the village craftsmen, Hand-weaving group, a homestay house and more, which are all supplemented with tradition, culture, and annual festivals.
At the end, the participants discussed the overall works to be done and gave recommendations drawn from the working group for the representatives of the community enterprise. The community, when passes the auditing criteria, will receive the CBT THAILAND STANDARD, and will be publicized through different public relation channels.
News: Chalee Prom-in
