This paper focuses on studying the economic multipliers of community tourism in
Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Community tourism not only creates jobs in the area of
tourism but also encourages growth in the economy as a whole. This is known as the
“multiplier effect”, which could be explained as the amount of money that is spent by
people involved in that specific tourism industry and the degree the money circulates
through the rest of the economy. The researchers chose Wualai Walking Street and
Tapae Gate Walking Street as the case study because both places are the top tourist
attractions of Chiang Mai which continuously generate a significant amount of income to
the province. In addition, both places are supported by Chiang Mai locals’ tax money
with the aim to elevate the economics of the province as well as to promote the
traditional culture. The objective of the study is to research the income of the vendors
who participate on the walking streets in order to learn how the money was “multiplied”
into the economic system. Data was collected from 200 vendors of both streets by using
questionnaires along with interviewing methods. The result of this study indicated
significantly positive multiplier effect for both walking streets. Hence, Chiang Mai policy
makers should pay special attention to the walking street’s activities and continuously
support the project for the long term.