TUI Colourful Cultures Thailand
Thailand is one of southeast Asia’s leading tourism destinations, and Chiang Mai and Lampang are well known for their rich cultural heritage, historic towns, and traditional tours of temples, crafts, and local history.
At the same time, northern Thailand hosts large communities of Myanmar migrants who live and work alongside Thai host communities. Many of these migrants, especially women and young people, remain socially and economically marginalised despite their skills and cultural knowledge. There is limited space within mainstream tourism for meaningful engagement with both local and migrant communities.
TUI Colourful Cultures Thailand responds to this gap by developing community-based tourism experiences co-cultural facilitators created by Thai host communities and Myanmar migrants. The project empowers beneficiaries to earn income as storytellers, guides, and cultural facilitators, whilst raising awareness and fostering cultural exchange between Thai people, migrants and visitors. Over time, the project aims to embed shared heritage and inclusive participation into the local tourism system.
Thailand is home to a large number of registered Myanmar migrants, many of whom fled ongoing conflict. Whilst they contribute to the economy, their access to skilled and visible roles in tourism remains limited. At the same time, tourism in Chiang Mai and Lampang has yet to fully reflect the migration histories and shared cultures that have shaped these destinations over time. This limits understanding between Thai communities, migrant communities, and visitors. Economic pressure, ongoing displacement, and rising living costs further increase the urgency of access to dignified and stable income opportunities. With targeted and inclusive approaches, tourism can actively support social cohesion, cultural understanding, and local livelihoods.
TUI Colourful Cultures Thailand develops four new tourism routes, with two in Chiang Mai and two in Lampang, co-created by 10 Thai licensed guides and 15 Myanmar cultural facilitators. The project delivers four workshops that combine route development with capacity building delivered by international and local experts in tourism, tour guiding, storytelling, and the shared heritage and cultures of Thailand and Myanmar. Through classroom sessions and field-based learning, participants strengthen their skills, confidence, and collaboration. As a result, at least 25 people gain direct income opportunities through tourism activities. The new routes integrate 15 small local businesses, including teashops, cafés, markets, and cultural spaces, which benefit from regular visitor flows and tailored support in visitor engagement and service preparation.
The project establishes up to 20 partnerships across the tourism, education, and non‑government sectors to promote the new routes. Over two years, the experiences reach an expected 300 international and 200 domestic visitors. These small‑group tours create space for dialogue, learning, and respectful cultural exchange.
By embedding migrant and host voices into mainstream tourism, TUI Colourful Cultures Thailand supports social cohesion and economic resilience.
Project Partner
The Thai Responsible Tourism Association (TRTA) is a multi-stakeholder organisation and platform bringing together key actors from across Thailand’s tourism industry, including tour operators, accommodation providers, academics, guides, and local communities. TRTA promotes responsible tourism practices that create positive social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts, while strengthening long-term sustainability within the sector.
Through its many past and present works, TRTA supports capacity building, fosters collaboration among stakeholders, and advances awareness and implementation of responsible tourism standards inside Thailand and abroad.
Within this “Colourful Cultures in Thailand – Shared Heritage Tours” project, TRTA serves as the institutional partner of the TUI Care Foundation, providing strategic guidance, sectoral expertise, and coordination.
ZinMai Experiences, operating under Tour Merng Tai as a core member of TRTA, plays a key role in implementing project activities on the ground. It contributes its experience in community-based tourism development, cultural storytelling, and inclusive engagement with local and migrant communities in Northern Thailand.
