Proceedings- Management, Agroindustry and Tourism Industry-004 4 th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences April 21 st , 2012 Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand 1 Chiangkhan: Cultural Commodification for Tourism and its Impact on Local Community Nattapon Meekaew 1 , Dr.Somsak Srisontisuk 2 1. MA. Student, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Khon Kaen University 2. Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Khon Kaen University Abstract This paper concerns the patterns of cultural commodification for tourism, and its impact on local communities. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach. Research/semi-research documents, semi-structured interview guidelines, participatory/non- participatory observations and focus group discussions are used. The informants consist of villagers, government/non-government officers, tourism entrepreneurs, and tourists. The research area scopes a community that is a famous tourism destination in the Chaingkhan District, Loei province, Thailand. Research results show that when tourism in Chiangkhan is at its peak, changes occur in the community. Local cultures have been used as commodity to serve tourism. The famous cultural products in Chiangkhan consist of quilt production, home-stays, giving food to monk ceremonies, and the old wooden buildings. These cultural products have been commoditized through production, distribution, and consumerism to serve the tourism industry, which spread rapidly to the local community. Commodification of culture also affects the community in economic, social, and cultural ways. These impacts can be both negative and positive. The above phenomenon reflects the adaptability of people in the Chaingkhan District as tourism ebbs and flows. Finally, the findings can be applied and used as a guideline for local community development in conjunction with the development of sustainable tourism in local areas. Key words: tourism, cultural product, commodification, impacts