Building Community Abroad: Reflections From the Tourism Cares Global Meaningful Travel Summit in Thailand
Sitting cross-legged on the cool, marble floor of Bangkok’s renowned Wat Pho temple, I closed my eyes and lifted my hands in prayer position. A Buddhist monk began a blessing, which our guide, Nat, translated to English:
“Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t worry about the future. Be in the present moment.”
Emma Weissman in front of Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand
As someone who tends to do both — to dwell and to worry, that is — I tried to sit squarely in the present moment, one of 40 in the temple, all attendees of Tourism Cares’ 2025 Global Meaningful Travel Summit in Thailand. During the blessing, many gently placed a hand on a fellow group member’s back, reinforcing the idea that we weren’t just a group of individuals on a trip to Thailand. We were a singular unit.
It was a realization made even more poignant when I reflected on the previous day — my 33rd birthday. Before heading to Thailand, I mentioned to my husband that this would be my first birthday spent away from home, and the comforts of my own community in Southern California. Would I feel lonely? Homesick?
But what I hadn’t realized (yet) is that I would find a new community here — among people who had been strangers only days before.
The Global Meaningful Travel Summit was designed to showcase tourism experiences that are “owned, led or co-created by local communities,” a fundamental pillar of Community Tourism. Together, Tourism Cares, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and local DMC Globe Holiday packed our schedule with community visits with Tourism Cares’ Impact Partners (organizations featured on the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Map), culturally authentic tours and workshops, and discussions centered on how we can all incorporate such practices in our own business models.
Summit attendees surprise Emma with a cake for her 33rd birthday.
Needless to say, my birthday was not part of the programming — but what unfolded became a perfect reflection of the principles we were there to explore. That morning, Molly Laycob, Global Social Impact Manager for USTOA, surprised me with an incredibly thoughtful gift: a Lampang chicken mug, a cultural symbol of the historical origins within Thailand’s ceramics industry. Later, after a tour of Patom Organic Living, a sustainable farm and Tourism Cares Impact Partner, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and DMC Globe Holiday presented me with my favorite cake (chocolate, of course), fresh from a local bakery. And by evening, a small dinner with six people had grown to a group of 20 that practically took over the Supanigga Eating Room in the Sathon District of Bangkok, a restaurant recommended to us by two Bangkok residents. At tables full of shared dishes, we dined family-style, passing around spicy Thai curries, crispy fish salads and creamy Tom Kha soup. In between forkfuls, each of my tablemates shared their own lessons and takeaways from being 33 (or, for the younger folks, the goals they hoped to achieve by that age).
It wasn’t just a birthday celebration — it was a beautiful reminder and a physical representation of a new kind of community. Just as the villages we visited had welcomed us into their traditions with authenticity and care, my fellow travelers and local Thai partners had welcomed me into theirs. Both existed in parallel to each other — deeply human — and both showed me that community tourism is not only about how travelers engage with local people, but also how travelers engage with one another, and the shared responsibility to uplift, connect and belong.
Back to the blessing at Wat Pho: Our monk had cautioned us not to worry about the future. But if this birthday taught me anything, it’s that the future of tourism is strong when rooted in community. After all, we all took different paths to get to Thailand. We all hold different roles at work, and we all operate within different roles — parent, child, friend, partner — at home. But joined by the same commitment — to engage in authentic, locally led experiences; to commit to continued learning; and to embrace and champion community-driven travel, we’ll always be united.
If the future was anything like the present we created together, I wasn’t worried. I was uplifted.
About the Author
Emma Weissmann is an award-winning journalist and podcast host covering the travel industry. She’s the Editor-in-Chief of AGENTatHOME and Executive Editor of TravelAge West, two leading travel trade publications for leisure travel advisors. She also hosts the weekly podcasts Humans of Travel and Trade Secrets. Emma has traveled to more than 50 countries during her career as a travel journalist, and she is a proud member of NATJA, SATW and Tourism Cares’ Programs Committee.