Six years ago, Somsak “Pai” Boonkam drew up a plan with two villages in northern Thailand for tourists to stay with local families and immerse themselves in hill-tribe culture. The aim was for the villagers to see some financial benefit from their country’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry.
Pai was sure it would be a hit with tour operators in Bangkok, but he was wrong.
“They weren’t even interested to go and inspect the places,” he said.
Photo: Bloomberg
That pushed the former engineer, now 34, to set up Local Alike, a travel consultancy that promotes sustainable tourism in 70 Thai villages.
“I grew up in the same situation where there weren’t many economic opportunities, so it attracts me to work for the people,” said Pai, who lived with his grandparents in a village in northeast Thailand until he was eight while his parents traveled in search of work.
A growing number of young Thai entrepreneurs like Pai are getting involved in activities that have traditionally been the domain of the government and development groups — from providing water in remote communities to helping coffee farmers earn a fair income.
This new generation of business owners believes running companies that invest in tackling social and environmental causes is a better way to help than relying on donors’ whims.
“There are so many problems in Thailand that need to be solved,” Pai said. “I see [this as] the new pattern of doing business — doing good while making money.”
Thailand’s transformation to an upper middle-income country in less than a generation has lifted millions out of poverty, but inequality and deprivation persist.
More than 80 percent of Thailand’s 7.1 million poor people live in rural areas and an additional 6.7 million are just above the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
The Southeast Asian nation of 66 million also faces serious challenges of environmental degradation and resource depletion caused by mass tourism, pollution, generation of waste and intensive farming, experts say.
Aliza Napartivaumnuay, 34, grew up in Kolkata, Rome and Seattle before moving back to Bangkok.
She spent nearly a decade working in the retail supply chain before cofounding Socialgiver more than two years ago.
The online business offers deals on leisure services, including hotel rooms, restaurant tables and spa packages.
The proceeds fund social and “green” projects, such as reforestation, children’s education and hospital beds for poor patients.
“We wanted to create something more inclusive and approachable by offering services users are accustomed to spending on,” Aliza said.
There are between 5,000 and 10,000 organizations in Thailand that fit the social enterprise model, Thai Social Enterprise Office Director Nuttaphong Jaruwannaphong said.
Saks Rouypirom, 39, opened Broccoli Revolution, a trendy restaurant serving vegan, mostly organic food to help fund his non-profit, Sati.
Its projects include installing water filters in northern villages in partnership with US-based Planet Water Foundation.
“Sati means ‘mindfulness,’ so it’s about being mindful of problems and solutions,” said Saks, who buys mushrooms for his restaurant from a street-child shelter and kale from farmers to whom he has provided the seeds.
“Being a business owner, you can make a conscious decision to support these causes,” added Saks, who was born and raised in the US.
Still, for all the excitement about their potential, social enterprises face multiple challenges in Thailand, including a lack of regulation and limited access to finance.
It was difficult to get investors on board to set up Local Alike, when they were told they would not see all the profits, Pai said.
When Ayu “Lee” Chuepa wanted to help coffee farmers in his community earn a fair income, he had a hard time convincing villagers to work with him due to his youth and inexperience.
“My mother said that is to be expected. So I asked: ‘If you weren’t my parents, would you have joined me?’ They said: ‘Of course not. Are you crazy?’” he said, laughing.
Things have since improved. The Stock Exchange of Thailand, for example, has an online platform that promotes investment in social enterprises.
However, the public perception that such businesses offer low-quality products still needs to be tackled, experts say.
“Since the beginning, I didn’t want to sell our products by making people feel pity. I want them to buy because they’re good,” Lee said.
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