Conflict Management in Community Tourism Resource Management of Local Leaders in Chiang Mai

Abstract

Local community leaders play an important role in conflict management of tourism resources within the community. Each leader may choose different strategies or methods of managing conflicts, depending on the characteristics and roles of the leader, or the causes of conflict, factors, and the conflict situations. This study aimed to study the conflicts and the patterns of conflict management in tourism resources management of local community leaders in order to propose guidelines and an appropriate conflict management model to manage tourism resources within the community for sustainable use. This study used conflict management concepts in determining conceptual frameworks, and applied both quantitative and qualitative research methods for data collection and data analysis. The research results showed that the communities have conflicts in tourism resource management at a moderate level. While the leaders agree that there were conflicts of the structure of the community, government regulations, and inconsistent internal operations, the people indicated that conflicts arise from the goals and expectations of people in different communities, and the structure of the community. Both leaders and local peoples agreed that leaders had conflict management in 5 patterns: 1) competing, 2) avoiding conflict, 3) compromise, 4) accommodation and 5) corroborating. The appropriate conflict management depended on the conflict situations or problems. However, conflict management with emphasis on cooperation of all stakeholders was the best solution of conflicts in tourism resources. Factors supporting successful conflict management were leadership, community participation in resource management, good relationships among people in the community, and community culture.