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Tourism As A Tourist Country Essay

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Tourism Advertised in Thailand
Many people who travel are attracted to an authentic experience often portrayed by the media that can create an opportunity to learn about different cultures. Gaining tourism knowledge about foreign cultures is now an easy task through the development of globalization. Stroma Cole, an activist researcher on tourism development, suggests that growth in tourism should be thought of as a “cause and consequence of globalization” (Chambers, 2010 p, 21) and that the development of high technology in the media has been very influential on promoting tourism. The media has become a main source for travel information that has direct effect on decisions people make on where to travel, tourist trends, and on their expectations of their experience (Leung, Law Hoof, & Buhalis 2013). I chose to research advertisements of Thailand, a popular tourist country, because of its recent dramatic increase in the number of tourists since the start of the new millennium, and because it has appealed to me as a tourist attraction. Through my analysis of advertisements of multiple media sources I have found examples of advertisements that promote the branding of cultural and indigenous tourism in Thailand. I relate to Erve Chambers, the author of Native Tours (2010) research on the “authentic image” that is used in many ads to catch the attention of tourists and I discuss how people do not always experience what was promoted in the media.
History of Thailand and Tourism

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