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62 Panel 2Photos: Weerawut Kangwannavakul• PeoplePeople are obviously the most importantelement in building a strong community. If thevillagers of Pelaga and three other villages hadnot come together over the idea of selfsufficiencyand sustainable tourism, they couldhave become mere service providers within masstourism. In Japan, the conservation of the townof Tsumago started with the efforts of a fewindividuals. Finally, more local people joined inthe efforts to spearhead conservation. Nowvisitors to Tsumago enjoy an authentic andvibrant atmosphere. There are a reasonablenumber of visitors but the general feel of thetown does not appear to be too commercial. Thisis because of rules forbidding the placement ofproducts on the footpath in front of shops, andbanning shouting to attract visitors into theestablishments. Shop signage must follow thesame character and designs and all houses thatdouble as shops must hang the traditionalbrown, black or navy Japanese sign curtains(noren) at the front. The locals of Tsumago haveachieved a lot, even though some individualsmay wish for a higher number of visitors.Problems are dealt with through compromisesreached at regular meetings. Tsumago’s successindicates that it is not so difficult to create anunderstanding of town protection and a sense ofcommunity pride.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows