Tourism in Asia - Case Study Example

Culture and Tourism: Thailand and Indonesia [Client’s Name] June 10, 2009 People have always been fascinated of things and places that they are not familiar with. They work hard in order to buy themselves the luxury of spending their time in places they have never been before. The more exotic and mysterious a place is, the more likely it is that tourist visitors flock in these areas to experience the difference in culture, outlook, and lifestyle from that of their own. As people gain access to better finances, as governments have become more than happy to accommodate tourists within their political domains, and as technology and transportation has made intercontinental travel possible (Page & Connell 36), more and more people has come to Asia to see, feel, and experience the mystery and virginity of the place (Gray 5). However, Asia has not always been the seat for international tourism. It was not until fairly recently that tourism in Asia has become an integral part of the Asian economy. Tourism in Asia has evolved into its own institution as different Asian governments saw how tourism could help strengthening their economies by having people from all over the world spend their money in their countries (Haldurp & Larsen 279). In order to entice tourists to come to their country, Asian countries has used various forms of media in promoting the very thing tourists would desire in their countries – the culture and the unique geographical scenes that are not found in any other places in the world. With the massive advertising and promotional campaigns carried on by each country’s tourism agency, the cultures and traditions of these countries have evolved to integrate business in money-making in the whole process. Statement of the Problem and Methodology As the desire to increase economic activities of Asian countries became more apparent, some of the Asian countries have to compromise parts of their culture, religious practices, and other social norms in order to accommodate the need to encourage strong economies. This paper will look into the promotional and advertising campaigns on tourism of two of most-visited Asian countries namely Thailand and Indonesia to encourage local and international tourism. The paper will also evaluate the social and political changes that these countries went through by looking at the social constructions that were employed by both countries in order to attain its economic goals and objectives. This paper will evaluate how social movements and religion of these countries are reinvented and realigned to match the international taste; determine the purposes of these social reconstructions; and enumerate the implications of these reconstructions to the social identities of the people of these two countries. The paper will then compare and contrast how both countries benefited from these social changes implemented by their governments. Advertising and Promotion Advertisements and promotions are central to the success of the tourism industry of the Asian countries (as well as in any other countries). Advertising creates demand and promotion encourages more demand as it plays in the psychology of the tourists. This business concept is also true in advertising a country’s best features. Because tourism is an intangible product, which means that there is no way for the market to check the product before purchase, the success of the country’s tourism depends largely on the imagery it provides its consumers. The picture of the destination shown to potential tourists plays significant roles in increasing the demand of tourism in the country (Page & Connell 42). The more attractive the imagery relayed to the target consumers are, the more likely it is that the countries will encourage more tourists to visit them. As for Asian countries, their best features to Western tourism are their sense of mystery and exotic identities which are functions of their cultures and religion. Thailand runs with the advertising slogan “Amazing Thailand” and true enough, Thailand stands up to its reputation as an amazing place for tourists to stay after ranking number one in Asia tourist destination. Thailand’s main tourist attraction ranges from beautiful views, unique culture and traditions, warm people and equally welcoming Thai food and cuisine, to corrupt sex industry (Da Silva 1). With over 90% of its population practices traditional Buddhism, Thailand is home to beautiful temples and religious practices that are unfamiliar to most of the Western tourists. Thailand also boasts of its tropical climate which makes it an ideal place to stay for Westerners that wants to get away from the harsh cold weather of their countries. Thai government is directly responsible for the efforts to draw tourists from all over the world to its country. Indonesia on the other hand took advantage of its archipelagic geography to advertise its beautiful beaches that are cultivated and beautified through the combined efforts of the government and the private sector. Indonesia holds one of Asia’s most important emerging economies. Foreign tourism is ranked among the top of Indonesia’s income generating industries (Devarajan 147). In 1997 alone, Indonesia had 5.2 million foreign visitors which contributed more than $6.6 billion to the country’s income (World Bank 18). The Indonesian government aid foreign and local investors in the development of commercial buildings and infrastructures that would aid its tourism industry in the long run. In addition to that, the Indonesian government has devised tax packages that entice foreign investments within its domains. Social Constructions and Social Reinvention Whenever two cultures make contact, attraction or repulsion happens. The tourism industry would not want any kinds of repulsive picture to be seen by the foreign visitors as this may affect the tourism industry in the long run. Of course any country would want foreign attraction to its culture, sights, and sound to last longer so tourists would stay longer with the country and spend more money to see sights, visit places, dine and enjoy their vacations. In order to achieve this, governments typically design tourist routes that do not go near the areas where negative image abound like images of massive poverty, awful infrastructure, polluted areas, and other related negative imageries. To encourage more tourists in the country, the government typically downplay even political issues that may affect the perceptions of the international market towards the safety and stability of the country, consequently disturbing the flow of tourists from all over the world. Moreover, the government encourages the people within its political domains that directly or indirectly benefit from tourism to change their social beliefs and practices to accommodate what the tourists want to see in their countries. In other words, active construction and reconstruction occurs whenever interaction in tourism occurs (Godson 40). Thailand is no exception from implementing social construction within its domains to attract more tourists and foreign visitors. Before Vietnam War began, Thailand has a little over 100,000 tourists a year (Da Silva 9). Since the American soldiers made base in Thailand for rest and recreation, Thailand has transformed into something more inviting especially for American soldiers that are away from home. Thailand has turned into a country well-known for its sex industry which invites not only American soldiers but also people from other locations as well to see (and experience) first the sex trade, then later enjoy the beautiful scenes and the rich culture of Thailand (ECPAT 3). Although the government in general does not condone and give consent to these negative activities, many of its agencies including local authorities are taking actions to feed the sex industry with the women. Thailand is not a rich country and during the 1970’s, and even at present, poor women from rural areas are either taken by the sex traders or are sold by their parents in exchange for food, money or appliances (Berger 99). In order to feed the sexual needs and desires of the American soldiers and foreign visitors, the Thai society constructed, through the aid of the corrupt government agencies and individuals, a society that integrates sex and sex trade into its traditions and culture; making the sex industry an integral part of the Thai culture. The social transformation of Thailand did not occur overnight but the whole process did not take very long either. The ease with which the new society is constructed is explained by a simple supply and demand concept. Foreigners staying in Thailand have the money the local needs to buy food and meet their basic needs. The locals do not have anything to offer aside from their normal trade and their wives and daughters to foreigners who are more than willing to pay for the service they get. As the country became popular for its sex industry, individuals and corrupt government officials explored the weaknesses of the poverty-stricken Thai society to provide for the sexual needs of the wealthier individuals, shaping the Thai culture into something not necessarily moral but economically appealing for the country as a whole. In a way, the religious identity of Thailand played a major role in the success of the negative social reinvention. As Berger noted it, Thailand’s highly Buddhist religion, which does not promote a belief in a Deity and in the afterlife, did not do anything to correct the path Thais took when they are economically vulnerable (99). On top of that, majority of the Thais do not practice their religion as devotedly as anyone could. It can be argued that almost all levels of the Thai society benefited from this social construction one way or another. With the new method of earning money which is by providing sex services to foreigners, the average Thai families are able to meet their needs and wants. Other businesses were created and became prosperous as well. A growing economic activity means that more taxes can be levied from the people (Berger 100). Thus said, every aspect of the Thai society was able to reap the benefit of the social construction. In the last two decades, however, Thailand government and other agencies are making an effort to reinvent Thai’s image in the international market. Thailand encourages tourists to see beyond the typical view towards Thailand, to see the country’s historic temples, rich cultures, and wonderful traditions that are more inviting that its sex industry (ECPAT 7). In order to achieve this perceptual transformation, the Thai government encourages local and foreign investors to create and develop tourist spots, restaurants, and other visit-worthy sites in order to increase the number of foreign visitors and by reaching out to other segments of the tourism market to include the more ‘wholesome’ type (Berger 103). The government has also trained the locals to be more inviting as they promote programs that would highlight the culture of Thai and make the foreign visitors see the real wonders of Thailand beyond its disgusting sex industry. Present-day Thailand tourism focused on the more cultural and national sights and sounds of Thailand and has largely departed from the dark perception the country offered its foreign guests. Buddhist temples were frequented by foreigners, the Thai food and massage services became very popular, and more and more of the true Thai culture were presented to the tourists for them to enjoy and experience (Da Silva 15). Thailand has also entered to the awareness of the international tourism market by increasing its culture and tradition in other areas like sports (Muay Thai) and movies. This move increased Thailand’s economic activity as the reasons why people flock the country has increased since the sex industry was never abolished, which means that all aspects of Thai society has benefited from this social reinvention as well. Unlike Thailand that went through massive social reconstruction in order to cater the demands of its foreign market, Indonesia never went very far to please its foreign visitors. Indonesia is known for its beautiful islands and beach resorts particularly in Bali and other parts of the archipelago. Tourists visit Indonesia to experience the beautiful beaches offered by Indonesia as well as get a whiff of Indonesia’s lovely cuisines that are purely oriental and exotic, to some extent. Social constructions is comprised of transforming average Indonesian into a more friendly, more polite, and more courteous hosts especially towards its foreign visitors (Devarajan et al 165). Majority of Indonesians are Moslems and their Islamic faith keeps them from doing things that goes against the teachings of their religions. In addition to that, government agencies particularly those that play various roles in the tourism industry has exerted massive efforts in training every Indonesian to become more inviting and more welcoming towards its foreign clients. Indonesia is constantly aligning its efforts to meet the expectations it has created to the international and local tourism markets by being ‘perfect’ when it comes to its beaches, its food and accommodation, its people and rich culture, and the whole vacation experience as a whole (although this does not necessarily mean Indonesia is attempting to become perfect in other aspects of its country’s operation (Soeriaatmadja 3)). Indonesia’s main perfection lies in its natural resources and not on the types of service its people gives and as far as Malaysia’s culture, traditions, and beach resorts are concerned, Indonesia is perfect in every sense of the word. This social reconstruction, although not as immense as what transpired in Thailand, has served its purpose for the Indonesian society. These social reinventions have benefited the Indonesian people connected with the country’s tourism industry and the country’s economy as well. Conclusion History and religion plays major roles in determining the present approach on cultural advertisement and promotion. Because of Indonesia’s history and religion, it did not experience massive social construction and reinvention to meet its economic goals through tourism unlike Thailand who has to, and has chosen to, choose a very risky path. Thailand is well known for its sex industry ever since its cultural tourism began to take form whereas Indonesia has always marketed the best of its beaches to the international market as well as its culture, traditions, and unique food and cuisine. Thailand is working very hard to change the perception held by the international tourism market towards its culture whereas Indonesia needs only prove that its beaches are indeed worthy to be visited. References Berger, Arthur. Thailand Tourism. The Haworth Hospitality and Tourism Press. 2007. Da Silva, Alex. Thailand’s Tourism Industry. Kapiolani Community College. Horizons 2002. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://bosp.kcc.hawaii.edu/Horizons/Horizons2002/Thailand_tourindusty.html Devarajan, S., H. Ghanem, & K. Thierfelder. Economic Reform and Labour Unions: A General Equilibrium Analysis Applied to Bangladesh and Indonesia. The World Bank Economic Review 11. (145-170). 1997 End Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking. Child Sex Tourism in Thailand. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://www.ecpat.org.uk/downloads/Thailand05.pdf Godson, Lisa. Qualitative Research in TourismL Ontologies, Epistimologies, and Methodologies. Routledge. April 2004. Gray, Dennis. Mass Tourism Swamps Asia’s Once Unique, Remote Places. Associated Press. USA Today. March 27, 2008. Accessed on June 10, 2006 from http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-03-27-disappearing-asia_N.htm Haldrup, M. & Larsen, J. Material Cultures of Tourism. Leisure Studies. Volume 25. Number 3. 2006. pp. 275 – 289. Knopf, Alfred A. Knopf Guides- Thailand .New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993 Kaosa-ard, Mingsarn Santikara. Thailand’s Tourism Industry - What do we gain and lose? TDRI Quarterly Review vol.9 No.3 September 1994, pp. 23-26. Journal online. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://info.tdri.or.th/library/quarterly/text/tourism.htm Mahlpar, Fahiz. Truly, the Tagline’s not to Blame. Business Section. The Star Online. December 27, 2008. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/27/business/2887977&sec=business Page, Stephen & Connell, Joanne. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis. Thompson. 2nd Edition. June 2006. Said, E. Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. Hammondsworth. Penguin Books. 1995. Soeriaatmadja, Wahyudi. More Need for Tourism Indonesia. August 22, 2008. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2008/8/22/more-needed-for-tourism-indonesia World Bank World. Development Indicator Data Base. 2002. Accessed on June 10, 2009 from http://www.worldbank.org Read More

Because tourism is an intangible product, which means that there is no way for the market to check the product before purchase, the success of the country’s tourism depends largely on the imagery it provides its consumers. The picture of the destination shown to potential tourists plays significant roles in increasing the demand of tourism in the country (Page & Connell 42). The more attractive the imagery relayed to the target consumers are, the more likely it is that the countries will encourage more tourists to visit them.

As for Asian countries, their best features to Western tourism are their sense of mystery and exotic identities which are functions of their cultures and religion. Thailand runs with the advertising slogan “Amazing Thailand” and true enough, Thailand stands up to its reputation as an amazing place for tourists to stay after ranking number one in Asia tourist destination. Thailand’s main tourist attraction ranges from beautiful views, unique culture and traditions, warm people and equally welcoming Thai food and cuisine, to corrupt sex industry (Da Silva 1).

With over 90% of its population practices traditional Buddhism, Thailand is home to beautiful temples and religious practices that are unfamiliar to most of the Western tourists. Thailand also boasts of its tropical climate which makes it an ideal place to stay for Westerners that wants to get away from the harsh cold weather of their countries. Thai government is directly responsible for the efforts to draw tourists from all over the world to its country. Indonesia on the other hand took advantage of its archipelagic geography to advertise its beautiful beaches that are cultivated and beautified through the combined efforts of the government and the private sector.

Indonesia holds one of Asia’s most important emerging economies. Foreign tourism is ranked among the top of Indonesia’s income generating industries (Devarajan 147). In 1997 alone, Indonesia had 5.2 million foreign visitors which contributed more than $6.6 billion to the country’s income (World Bank 18). The Indonesian government aid foreign and local investors in the development of commercial buildings and infrastructures that would aid its tourism industry in the long run. In addition to that, the Indonesian government has devised tax packages that entice foreign investments within its domains.

Social Constructions and Social Reinvention Whenever two cultures make contact, attraction or repulsion happens. The tourism industry would not want any kinds of repulsive picture to be seen by the foreign visitors as this may affect the tourism industry in the long run. Of course any country would want foreign attraction to its culture, sights, and sound to last longer so tourists would stay longer with the country and spend more money to see sights, visit places, dine and enjoy their vacations.

In order to achieve this, governments typically design tourist routes that do not go near the areas where negative image abound like images of massive poverty, awful infrastructure, polluted areas, and other related negative imageries. To encourage more tourists in the country, the government typically downplay even political issues that may affect the perceptions of the international market towards the safety and stability of the country, consequently disturbing the flow of tourists from all over the world.

Moreover, the government encourages the people within its political domains that directly or indirectly benefit from tourism to change their social beliefs and practices to accommodate what the tourists want to see in their countries. In other words, active construction and reconstruction occurs whenever interaction in tourism occurs (Godson 40). Thailand is no exception from implementing social construction within its domains to attract more tourists and foreign visitors. Before Vietnam War began, Thailand has a little over 100,000 tourists a year (Da Silva 9).

Since the American soldiers made base in Thailand for rest and recreation, Thailand has transformed into something more inviting especially for American soldiers that are away from home.

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