Muang Phuket District Chief Worasit Putjeeb presided over the opening ceremony, held at Ao Yon Beach yesterday (Mar 2).
As with the launch of the project in Kamala on Thursday (Feb 29), the project aims to promote ‘Activities to Promote Learning for Tourists’, so that tourists have the opportunity to learn more about local people’s culture, traditions and lifestyles, explained Mr Worasit.
Also present were Mukda Limnukul of the Phuket Provincial Community Development Office and Kanisorn Kaewthipnil of the Mueang Phuket District Community Development Office, along with a variety of government officials, representatives from Wichit Municipality, the Wichit Subdistrict Headman (Kamnan) and local residents.
The community tourism project is being conducted under the ‘Decentralised Hands-On Program Exhibition (D-HOPE) to promote community tourism to support providing services to tourists, Mr Worasit explained.
The project in Wichit is to support the OTOP Nawatwithi Baan Laem Panwa tourism community, in Moo 8, Wichit, he added.
Ms Kanisorn of the Muang Phuket District Community Development Office explained that the Community Development Department is funding the D-HOPE project through the provincial and district branches of the Community Development Office.
The aim of the project is to develop tourism initiatives through which tourists can join hands-on activities that form part of local people’s daily lives.
“This project aims to develop the capacity of business operators, organisation groups and households by taking part in community projects and hold activities that tourists can do by themselves, and thereby increase local people’s incomes,” Mr Worasit said.