Community Storytelling and Narrative Practices in Tourism: A Case Study of Ban Laem Homestay, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/ajac.2026.32Keywords:
Storytelling in tourism, Narrative structure, Performative experience, Creative tourismAbstract
This study examines the current uses of storytelling in tourism activities and explores community needs for developing and deploying narratives to support creative tourism management, using Ban Laem Homestay, Tha Sala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand as a case study. A qualitative research design was employed, drawing on in-depth interviews and participant observation.
The research findings reveal that storytelling plays a crucial role in shaping the tourism experience of Ban Laem by conveying the community’s identity, way of life, and collective memory. The narratives employ real-life characters such as fishermen, cooks, and community leaders, which enhances both narrative fidelity and coherence. Natural settings, including mangrove forests, canals, and coastal mudflats, serve as shared storytelling spaces. The sequence of activities, from welcoming guests and engaging in local crafts to reflecting on community values through mangrove planting, forms a coherent structure that demonstrates strong potential for development into an integrated tourism narrative.
The community also articulates several capacity-building needs, including training in language use and audience-appropriate communication, intercultural communication through English, systematic narrative structuring, and the strategic use of stories for marketing and community-based destination branding. Overall, the findings suggest that storytelling is not merely a vehicle for transmitting experiences; it constitutes a valuable cultural resource that can be purposefully cultivated to enhance the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of community-based tourism.
Highlights
This article draws upon knowledge from performing arts and storytelling to analyze tourism activities, aiming to shed light on tourism through the lens of narrative and theatricality. It offers a perspective that views tourism experiences as performative, enriching their aesthetic dimensions, and provides insights that could inform future strategies for narrative-based communication in tourism.
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