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Theories and Models on Thai Tourism

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Theories and Models on Thai Tourism Japanese Journal of Human Geography 62―6（2010） Theories and Models on Thai Tourism ISHII Kayoko Nagoya University of Business and Commerce Abstract Theoretical perspectives on Thai Tourism have started mainly in 2 major perspectives. The first strand is the strand mainly pursued by Thai academics and bureaucrats which is to examine condition and strategy to develop tourism industry in Thailand. The second strand is ones mainly discussed by foreign academics, which is to designate mechanisms to consume gender image and human trafficking in the context of Thai tourism. From the first strand, following contentions are evolved :（ 1） community development theories, （2） residents’ participation to the tourism industry,（ 3） tourism and environment / cultural conservation. From the second strand, studies on（ 4） marginalized population and tourism industry,（ 5） authenticity of touristic destinations,（ 6） reconsideration on function of the border,（ 7） urbanization and touristic space. From both strands, traditionally, topics tend to be discussed as tourism in the developing countries. However, it tends to bring the discussions and results in staple patterns. Reality of Thai economy is not developing country any more. Future studies should note this point and must consider tourism development and its effects in the long run. Keywords : Thai tourism, residents’ participation, gender, ethnicity, medical tourism, long stay I Introduction This paper aims to analyze how tourism theories in Thailand have shifted over the last 50 years, with a focus on how and why attitudes towards local residents have changed. This article first presents a brief history of tourism development in Thailand ; we then move on to an overview of the existing theories and models of tourism in Thailand. Finally, we analyze the histories of these models and theories. Since the 1980s, there have been numerous studies on tourism development in Thailand. However, few researchers have discussed these studies in their entirety, even though Thailand has been recognized as a successful country for tourism development and numerous studies have been conducted on Thai tourism. There should be an emphasis in Southeast Asia on analyzing the history of changes in models and theories of Thai tourism. Thailand is a leading country in the areas of both tourism development and tourism research and its surrounding countries follow its example. Although my approach sacrifices depth by not providing particular field cases, it contains an overview of the impact of tourism development on local Thai communities. ― 2 ― Theories and Models on Thai Tourism（ISHII） 507 II Background : Tourism Development in Thailand Prompt for Modern Tourism Development in Thailand The tourism industry in Thailand began to grow between the mid ―1960s and early 1970s. The trigger of the expansion of tourism infrastructure（ both hard infrastructure and soft infrastructure） was the Vietnam War. After the U. S. army commenced their operation in Southern Vietnam, several hundred soldiers stayed in Thailand during the late 1960s, partly for bombing sorties from air bases in Northeastern Thailand, but mostly for “R & R”（ Rest and Recreations） visits from the Vietnam battlefront. Records tell us that some Thai high ―ranked militia and businessmen took advantage of the business opportunity, as did some major Western investment trusts. The amount of money invested in the Thai tourism industry is estimated to exceed the amount of US$ spent by U. S. soldiers in Thailand. Modern style tourism was developed in Thailand during the presence of the U. S. army in the Indochina peninsula. Start of Attracting Foreign Tourists Inflow of the U. S. soldiers to the Indochina peninsula changed, many things in the area. The tourism industry boom in Thailand was one of these changes. After the soldiers left, huge tourism infrastructure（ both hard infrastructure and soft infrastructure） remained. Also, by this time, a large proportion of the local population had come to rely on tourism income. More importantly, many investors both in Thailand and abroad needed to recover their investments in tourism facilities. Shortly after the withdrawal of the foreign armies from Indochina, the World Bank（ OECD） submitted a recommendation to Thailand for attracting foreign tourists to replace foreign soldiers. In this way, the investors could retrieve their investments. The Thai government reformed an existing institution ― the Tourism Organization of Thailand ― into an organization that had more power ― the Tourism Authority of Thailand. This new institution launched several projects to attract foreign tourists to Thailand. Thirty years after the start of these efforts, Thailand has become a major tourist attraction in Southeast Asia. Thailand became a top runner in tourism development in the area while its surrounding countries have dedicated their capital and power to battling this supremacy. Eruption of Social Problems However, by the mid―1980s, the social problems brought by the tourism boom could no longer be ignored. These problems include the fatal spread of HIV, the erosion of natural environments, and the transformation of local communities. The HIV infection rate was high in particular areas of rural Thailand, reaching high proportions of the population in some districts. The Thai government first tried to conceal the HIV expansion for fear of a negative impact on tourism. However, in 1987, a Thai NGO began a campaign against HIV that simultaneously promoted tourism （Cohen 1988）. After this campaign, which overcame the dilemma of tourism vs. the protection of public health, Thailand began to campaign against HIV. The degradation of forest and coastal areas also became a serious issue in certain areas. However, by this time, the income from tourism was large and it was impossible to change the tourism development policies of Thai industries and governments. Thailand chose to maintain its tourism development policies. ― 3 ― 508 Japanese Journal of Human Geography 62―6（2010） Attempt at Sustainable Tourisms To maintain their tourism development policies, NGOs and other civil organizations in Thailand enthusiastically promoted activities to deal with the HIV problem, natural environment protection, and community development. Governmental tourism development policy also changed during this period. The focus of tourism development policy shifted from mass tourism to sustainable tourism, which is compatible with the protection of natural environments and the community development of local residents. Participative tourism for local community members and ecotourism in remote areas were also promoted in this period. Promotion of Domestic Tourism As mentioned above, when we discuss about “tourism” in Thailand, they have always been “international tourism” and the target has always been foreign tourists. The origin of foreign tourist, however, has shifted from Westerner to from surrounding Asian nations such as Malaysia and Singapore since after 1990s. Also, Thailand itself has also experienced rapid economic development during the late 1980s and the urban middle class population boomed. This newly emerged urban middle class in Thailand began to explore domestic tourism. Thai central government swiftly acknowledged this shift in tourism industry and incorporated policies to expand the domestic tourism market. The Thai government now launches policies to promote domestic tourism in tandem with its policies to promote sustainable development for foreign tourists. Tsunami and Policy Revision The sudden damage caused by the tsunami, which also affected Thai tourism, was unexpected in 2004. The tsunami and the following events exposed the vulnerability of Thai tourism to disasters. The tsunami inflicted great damage because Thai tourism greatly depended on beach and other nature resorts. The tsunami damaged several aspects of Thai tourism such as（ 1） natural resources / landscapes,（ 2） hotels and other tourism facilities,（ 3） foreign currency from tourism, and（ 4） the touristic image（ Thongbaisri 2005）. After the tsunami, many Thai researchers reported on and analyzed its impact on tourism and recommended policy development to cope with natural hazards. Launching a Global―level Strategy to Become the Tourism―hub After the turn of the century, Thailand realized that surrounding countries scattered to attract more and more foreign tourists. These countries ― Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar ― since having been the battle fields of the Vietnam War, had experienced economic development during the 1990s. They were now potential competition for Thailand in the global tourism market. At this stage, Thailand tries to implement strategies either to overtake them or to get them to support Thailand. In 2000, Thailand launched a completely new tourism policy that aimed to make Thailand the tourism hub of the area and to utilize tourism attractions in surrounding countries to promote tourism in Thailand. For example, Thailand has arranged for air transportation from Bangkok to Siem Reap, a town near to a heritage of Angkhor Wat in Cambodia. Foreign tourists stay at hotels in Bangkok, make tour arrangements at travel agents in Bangkok, and use Airlines in Thailand to sightsee at Angkhor Wat. In other words, Thailand now promotes its tourism industry by utilizing the tourist attractions of surrounding countries. ― 4 ― Theories and Models on Thai Tourism（ISHII） 509 III Theories and Models on Thai Tourism Research Tourism as National Development Strategy During the
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