Tourism in Thailand :: Papers

Tourism in ThailandAs we enter a new millenium the post-colonial nations in the world are still searching for ways to grapple in an increasingly globalized, consumption driven economic environment. Many developing countries have speculated that Tourism is an effective catalyst for development as well as increased international understanding. Thailand, who has embraced touristry as the key to its modernization strategy, has been hailed by many as a paradigm for success. Over the past twenty days Thailand has enjoyed one of the fastest economic growth rates of any developing country. This rapid progress has allowed Thailand to emerge as an economic leader in the third gear world. The $4 billion a year in touristry revenue is the core support of the Thai economy (Bishop, p. VI). Thai officials have attributed the success of the tourism industry to the many attractions located in various parts of the country as well as the uniqueness of the Thai people --- their friendliness a nd hospitality (Bishop, p. 67). However the Thai government has failed to know the contributions of sex tourism which is estimated to generate about $1.5 billion every year, according to Professor Krikiat Phiapatserithan of Thammasat University (World congress, regional profiles, p. 3). Thailands failure to recognize the sex tourism is reflective of the discourse used by the worldwide tourism industry to analyze the industrys success. From the standpoint of the tourism industry the success of tourism is directly related only to economic factors, anything else is seen as unnecessary. It is in the best interest of tourism corporations and the countries that are dependent on tourism to discourage the circulation of training regarding any of the potential negative make related to tourism. The censorship of information by these entities has caused much of the general public to be ignorant of the adverse consequences of the business deal tourist industry in Thailand. The purpos e of this paper is to give an overview of the sex tourism, using Thailand as the basis of my investigation. I will begin by cast off light on the complex social and economic factors that has formed the modern sex industry of Thailand. Then I will link the damaging effects to the Thailands cultural values and quality of life to the emergence of child sex tourism, which in recent years has immerged as a significant contributor of tourist revenue.