Creating sustainability through Gastronomy tourism in Sapphaya

The sustainable tourism initiative, "Sapphaya Old Police Station market," emerged from the collaborative efforts of a community that recognized the escalating issue of waste. The initiative aims to promote tourism without adverse effects on the community and society, in line with the concept of "foam-free markets and single-use plastic reduction," also known as Green Markets. It adapts the criteria of sustainable tourism from The Global Sustainable Tourism Council to suit the community's context, establishing nationally recognized standards. In 2022, it was selected as one of Thailand's top three destinations in the Green Destinations Top 100 stories by the Green Destinations Foundation in the Netherlands, making it a global model for responsible tourism management.

The Sapphaya municipality has thus "revived and expanded" responsible tourism management by integrating traditional culture, customs, local wisdom, and the inherent goodness of the Sapphaya community. This involves organizing community-driven tourism promotion activities, developing culinary tourism routes, and enhancing community product development. These efforts aim to engage tourists in meaningful experiences through cultural gastronomy and storytelling, learning about the traditional way of life of fishermen, and conserving freshwater fish species in the Chao Phraya River, which has been a food source for the community from ancient times to the present.

The municipality of Sapphaya and our community have been awarded the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Award in the gastronomy tourism category. This recognition was received at the ASEAN Tourism Forum: ATF 2024, held in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, under the theme "Gastronomy Tourism Theme in January 2024.