Abstract
While management of cross-border tourism destinations has been of considerable interest to policy makers and tourism scholars for a long time, less attention has been given to Asian tourism destinations. A region well known worldwide is the Golden Triangle which shares its borders with Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. This chapter identifies key tourism planning issues, through interviews and a survey of key stakeholders, faced by a small town on the Thai side of the border – Chiang Saen. This tourist destination in Thailand draws local and international tourists because of its proximity to the Golden Triangle. Four broad issues restricting tourism development for Chiang Saen were identified: a complex web of stakeholders, powerful vested interests, a lack of identity or planning direction, and weak market attractiveness. Core Thai values of fatalism, relationship building, harmony and hierarchy contribute to the existence of these planning issues and constrain problem resolution. Furthermore, western style recommendations for planning development are likely to be ineffective. However, suggestions that leverage Thai values have potential to assist local tourism planning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Amante, M. (2013). Recovering the paradox of the border: Identity and (Un)familiarity across the Portuguese–Spanish border. European Planning Studies, 21(1), 24–41.
Blasco, D., Guia, J., & Prats, L. (2014). Emergence of governance in cross-border destinations. Annals of Tourism Research, 49, 159–173.
Bramwell, B., & Sharman, A. (1999). Collaboration in local tourism policymaking. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 392–415.
Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future. Tourism Management, 21, 97–116.
Gelbman, A., & Timothy, D. (2011). Border complexity, tourism and international exclaves. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(1), 110–131.
Haugland, S., Gronseth, H., & Aarstad, J. (2011). Development of tourism destinations. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(1), 268–290.
Ilbery, B., & Saxena, G. (2011). Integrated rural tourism in the English-Welsh cross-border region: An analysis of strategic, administrative and personal challenges. Regional Studies, 45(8), 1139–1155.
Ioannides, D., Nielsen, P. A., & Billing, P. (2006). Transboundary collaboration in tourism: The case of the Bothnian Arc. Tourism Geographic: An international Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment, 8(2), 122–142.
Jamal, T., & Getz, D. (1995). Collaboration theory and community tourism planning. Annals of Tourism Research, 22(1), 186–204.
Jordan, L. (2007). Interorganisational relationships in small Twin-Island developing states in the Caribbean – The role of the internal core-periphery model: The case of Trinidad and Tobago. Current Issues in Tourism, 10(1), 1–32.
Knutson, T., Komolsevin, R., Chatietu, P., & Smith, V. (2003). A cross-cultural comparison of Thai and US American rhetorical sensitivity: Implications for intercultural communication. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27, 63–78.
Komin, S. (1990). Culture and work-related values in Thai organizations. International Journal of Psychology, 25, 681–704.
Lovelock, B., & Boyd, S. (2006). Impediments to a cross-border collaborative model of destination Management in the Catlins, New Zealand. Tourism Geographies, 8(2), 143–161.
Martinez, O. (1994). The dynamics of border interaction: New approaches to border analysis. In C. H. Schofield (Ed.), Global boundaries: World boundaries (Vol. 1, pp. 1–22). London: Routledge.
McKercher, R. (1999). A chaos approach to tourism. Tourism Management, 20, 425–434.
Niffeenegger, P., Kulviwat, S., & Engchanil, N. (2006). Conflicting cultural imperatives in Modern Thailand: Global perspectives. Asia Pacific Business Review, 12(4), 403–420.
Spierings, B., & van der Velde, M. (2013). Cross-border mobility, unfamiliarity and development policy in Europe. European Planning Studies, 21(1), 1–4.
Timothy, D. J. (1995). Political boundaries and tourism: Borders as tourism attractions. Tourism Management, 16(7), 525–532.
Timothy, D. (2000). Tourism and international parks. In R. Butler & S. Boyd (Eds.), Tourism and National Parks: Issues and implications (pp. 263–282). Chichester: Wiley.
Timpa, N. (2012). Amazing Thailand: Organizational culture in the Thai public sector. International Business Research, 5(11), 35–42.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yodsuwan, C., Pianluprasidh, P., Butcher, K. (2018). Against the Flow: Challenges in Tourism Development for a Small-Border Town in Thailand. In: Wang, Y., Shakeela, A., Kwek, A., Khoo-Lattimore, C. (eds) Managing Asian Destinations. Perspectives on Asian Tourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8426-3_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8426-3_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-8425-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-8426-3
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)