Abstract
This paper explains tourism and cultural values amidst the globalization period. It also discusses tourism for sustainability discourse and what sustainable development means from a Thai Buddhist perspective. Since the tourism industry is booming in Thailand, the influx of Chinese tourists has contributed to the Thai economy. However, the cultural misunderstandings between Chinese tourists and Thais have caused a lot of tensions. Via digital communication platforms—such as You Tube, “Kon Dang Nang Clear,” “Tang Kon Tang Kid” from Amarin TV discussions about Chinese tourists, and Face Book, of which the parody is “We love Chinese Tourists”—Thais discuss their priorities: money versus cultural preservation as a means of development.
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- 1.
Pointing with feet or using feet instead of hands to touch an object is considered very rude in Thai culture.
- 2.
These tourists are obviously ‘inspired’ by the success of a blockbuster comedy movie, “Lost in Thailand”, that portrays fascinating landscapes of the Northern region of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, and the fun parts of Thai culture, such as eating, drinking, hanging out, and outdoor adventure. One of the scenes unfolds on the Chiang Mai University campus.
- 3.
They are printed media enterprises, radio and television companies, news and features agencies, advertising and public relations firms, syndicates and independent companies producing and distributing print, visual and recorded material for print and broadcasting conglomerates, public or private information offices, data banks, software production, manufactures of technological equipment and so on. Productions from the communication industry are also known as the cultural industry because they record and reproduce cornucopia of social interactions, representations and organization systems in diverse media forms such as books, arts, films, recordings, television, radio, the internet , plays, concerts and music (MacBride 1980: 96–97).
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Malikhao, P. (2017). Tourism, Digital Social Communication and Development Discourse: A Case Study on Chinese Tourists in Thailand. In: Culture and Communication in Thailand. Communication, Culture and Change in Asia, vol 3. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4125-9_5
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