IWTA interviews Sirada Pichayapaiboon, founder of The Roots Routes
For many entrepreneurs, tourism is about destinations; for Sirada Pichayapaiboon, it is about people.
As the founder and CEO of The Roots Routes, Sirada has built a unique cultural experience design studio that uses tourism as a tool for heritage preservation, community empowerment, and sustainable development. Her work sits at the intersection of cultural heritage, design, technology, and storytelling, creating meaningful experiences that connect travellers with local communities across Thailand.
“My background is actually in landscape architecture and urban planning,” Sirada explains. “I became interested in how people interact with landscapes and places, which led me to study cultural landscapes and heritage management. That eventually became the foundation for The Roots Routes.”
Unlike traditional tour operators, The Roots Routes focuses on designing immersive cultural experiences that celebrate local knowledge and traditions while creating tangible benefits for communities.
“Culture is all about people,” she says. “Without culture, there would be no fascinating stories, no heritage, and no sense of place. We see tourism as a way to preserve those stories and connect locals with travellers.”
A Missed Train That Changed Everything
The inspiration behind The Roots Routes came from an unexpected encounter during Sirada’s master’s studies in Europe.
While travelling in Portugal with a friend, the pair missed a train and found themselves sharing a café table with a Greek traveller who frequently visited Thailand to participate in volunteer tourism projects.
The conversation sparked a question that would eventually shape her career: How could tourism create long-term value for local communities rather than short-term interactions?
“That experience opened my eyes,” she recalls. “I started asking myself how tourism could be done differently and how it could create lasting impact.”
What began as a university thesis evolved into a social enterprise dedicated to cultural preservation and community-led tourism.
Making Heritage Accessible
One of the biggest challenges Sirada faced was changing perceptions around cultural heritage.
“People often think heritage is academic, complicated, or even boring,” she says. “But cultural heritage is something we live with every day—from family recipes and traditional stories to old houses and local customs.”
Her mission became making culture more accessible and engaging, particularly for younger generations and local communities who are the custodians of these traditions.
That vision gained momentum when The Roots Routes won the Sustainable Tourism Award at the UNDP Youth Co:Lab programme and later secured recognition and funding through UNESCO’s Technology for Culture initiative, where the organisation received three awards.
Those achievements provided the resources needed to develop both in-person cultural experiences and digital cultural exploration platforms.
Women at the Heart of Heritage
Diversity and inclusion are central to Sirada’s philosophy.
The Roots Routes works closely with women artisans, storytellers, heritage practitioners, and community leaders across Thailand, helping amplify voices that are often overlooked.
“Many women are preserving cultural knowledge while facing their own challenges in sustaining their livelihoods,” Sirada says. “We try to create opportunities for them to share their stories, become speakers, and pass on their knowledge.”
Through co-creation, training, and technology, the organisation helps local women become active participants in shaping tourism experiences while preserving cultural traditions for future generations.
Creating Smiles Through Culture
Among the many projects developed by The Roots Routes, one stands out as particularly meaningful to Sirada.
Called Crafting Smile with Wisdom, the experience combines heritage storytelling, traditional craftsmanship, and social impact.
The journey begins at Bangkok’s Wat Pho, where participants discover the little-known Thai belief in Mae Sue, guardian spirits believed to protect newborn children. The story is connected to traditional cosmology and the seven days of the week.
Guests then visit a local woodworking studio in Bangkok’s historic wooden district, where they learn traditional woodworking techniques and create handcrafted rocking horse toys inspired by the guardian spirits.
The completed toys are donated through World Vision to children in need across Thailand.
“It’s not just about sightseeing or taking photos,” Sirada says. “It’s about creating something meaningful together. When we saw the smiles from the children who received the toys, we felt incredibly proud.”
Balancing Purpose and Sustainability
Like many social entrepreneurs, Sirada acknowledges that balancing impact and commercial sustainability remains one of her greatest challenges.
“When you work with culture, much of the value is intangible,” she explains. “The challenge is turning something meaningful into something sustainable and tangible.”
Yet her long-term vision remains ambitious. By combining technology with community-led storytelling, she hopes to scale The Roots Routes model across more destinations in Thailand and beyond.
“Technology can help us expand, but it should never replace people,” she says. “Stories come from people, and tourism has the power to create positive change when it is done thoughtfully.”
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: stay focused on your purpose.
“There will be challenges, ups and downs, and moments of doubt,” she reflects. “But if you keep your eyes on what you’re trying to achieve, that will help you keep moving forward.”
For Sirada Pichayapaiboon, tourism is far more than travel. It is a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation, communities, and visitors: one story at a time.
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