William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust / The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise / The Bush-Clinton Fund / The World Tourism Organization / The European Community (2005 – 2010)

Responding to the catastrophic tsunami that devastated southern Thailand in late 2004, and working with funding from a range of donors including the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, the Bush-Clinton Fund, the World Tourism Organization, and the European Community, Kenan implemented the five-year TRAI/CB-TRAI program to rebuild the shattered tourist industry of hardhit Phang-nga Province.

Working in close collaboration with the Phang-nga Governor’s office, the Phang-nga Tourism Association, the Ministry of Education, and the Lam Kaen Tambon Administration Office, Kenan built the capacity of over 2,000 tourism business entrepreneurs, community members (spanning 14 distinct communities), students, educators, and government officials.

Project activities included the creation of a common sustainable tourism vision through needs assessments and analyses; training of trainers, teachers, and principals on community-based tourism; hospitality, entrepreneurship, and financial skills training for community members; and community engagement activities, such as the creation of a tourist asset map and a program to repair the local pier and damaged long-tail boats.