Nostalgia Tourism Takes Root In Thailand

[webfact]

Nostalgia tourism takes root in Thailand

By SUCHAT SRITAMA

THE NATION

Published on December 11, 2009

"Nostalgia tourism" is an emerging trend encouraging locals and foreigners alike to explore Thai history and ways of life.

"Nostalgia is growing in Thailand. Locals want to get in touch with their past, their history. This trend is already well established in some European countries, but it's new here," said Vichai Bandasak, mayor of Pak Kret municipality in Nonthaburi province.

At a recent seminar, Chisong Churit, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's central-region director, said many tourists wanted to see older attractions, especially temples, historic sites and local ways of life.

Vichai pointed out the word "nostalgia" came from Greek via Latin and basically meant "a return home".

Many tour operators in Thailand are incorporating this theme into their packages.

"As well, Pak Kret district is working to design a new one-day trip for those visiting Muang Thong Thani on business. We're also spending money to improve attractions," Vichai said.

The municipality has targeted 50,000 visitors next year.

Pak Kret claims to be the first community near Bangkok to promote itself as a nostalgia destination, and the municipality is working with private operators to promote its highlights, such as a floating market, temples and the ways of life of three different peoples: Thai, Mon and Chinese.

Wat Suthiwararam's Phra Maha Suthi Abhako, the lead researcher for a report entitled "How to Develop Temples as a Tourist Destination in Bangkok", said the study found among recent university graduates, more females than males liked to visit temples. On the other hand, among foreigners, more males were likely to visit temples than females.

The researchers surveyed 800 random informants at nine temples in Bangkok.

He said among foreigners, Wat Pho was the most popular temple in Bangkok, welcoming 8.1 million visitors a year, ranking it No 24 among the world's most visited temples.

Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, came in second with 5 million visitors a year.

"The number of temple visitors is expected to grow in the future," he said.

The study also found Bangkok was the top destination in Thailand, followed by Chiang Mai and Phuket.

-- The Nation 2009/12/11

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[TAWP]

"Nostalgia tourism" must surely mean older men visiting Pattaya and reminiscent about how fun it was when they meet 'Ling', 'Nan', 'Nuch', 'Noon' or any of the other girls that seemed to love them or others going to BKK and dream back to 10 years ago when going out and being able to dance all night in many different locations wasn't an unusual thing...

[seaeagle]

"Nostalgia tourism" must surely mean older men visiting Pattaya and reminiscent about how fun it was when they meet 'Ling', 'Nan', 'Nuch', 'Noon' or any of the other girls that seemed to love them or others going to BKK and dream back to 10 years ago when going out and being able to dance all night in many different locations wasn't an unusual thing...

A much more politically-correct phrase than 'sex tourist'. Nostalgia Tourist - I like it!

[madmitch]

Sounds like Phuket is going to be the place for Brits nostalgic about the old licencing laws: bars closed from 2 o'clock until 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

[Rumfoord]

Wat Suthiwararam's Phra Maha Suthi Abhako, the lead researcher for a report entitled "How to Develop Temples as a Tourist Destination in Bangkok", said the study found among recent university graduates, more females than males liked to visit temples. On the other hand, among foreigners, more males were likely to visit temples than females.

The researchers surveyed 800 random informants at nine temples in Bangkok.

the male-female ratio of foreign temple visitors explained with the gender ratio in the total number of international tourist arrivals to thailand. there are coming more male visitors/tourists to thailand than females. so there isn't a gender issue of somekind of female lack of interest in temple visits by foreign women who are coming to thailand, their total number is just lower than male visitors. and the unaccompanied travellers, the single males, the ones who didn't came with their wives or as family but alone and are responsible for the higher male gender ratio of international tourist, they all do that what they told their colleagues at home, they come to thailand for the culture and visit temples.

[moskito]

Nostalgia tourism takes root in Thailand

what a bull...

Anyone who really lives here in Thailand and not come only for 6-8 month on a tourist visa know how the clientel changed here during the past years.

They are not intrested in Thailand or its roots or traditions anymore, the only thing they intrested in is cheap living and women not half their age.

The new tourist in Thailand is running around tatoowed from toe to the head because its looking so cool and everybody else has a tatoo too.

Visit some temple and count the tourists who come for a visit. Its not even less than ever before, they have also no clue how to dress in a temple,

they come in bikinis or underwear, do shopping in Lotus or other shopping centers in swimmnig wear and sitting around in restaurants half naked like

they will never do in their homecountries.

but anyway, who cares? Tourists bring money so they can do whatever they want to do

[Samuian]

.... maybe this is the logical follow up of "Amazing Thailand" ?

..once upon a time...

[bkkjames]

This line has me perplexed " The researchers surveyed 800 random informants at nine temples in Bangkok".

Now if I stood outside or in a temple and asked you during your visit to a temple to do a survey about whether you liked to visit temples, would I not already have my answer?

Perhaps I am missing something but sounds to me like somebody did the surveys themselves at home over the weekend.

[rfukata]

"Nostalgia tourism" is an emerging trend encouraging locals and foreigners alike to explore Thai history and ways of life.

"Nostalgia is growing in Thailand. Locals want to get in touch with their past, their history.

What will the reaction be if the local finds out their past came from Cambodia or Lao, perhaps Burma?

[Ijustwannateach]

Khun Vichai left out the part of the word that means 'pain.' It's the feeling of pain at revisiting an old formerly familiar place or time.

[moskito]

"Nostalgia tourism" is an emerging trend encouraging locals and foreigners alike to explore Thai history and ways of life.

"Nostalgia is growing in Thailand. Locals want to get in touch with their past, their history.

What will the reaction be if the local finds out their past came from Cambodia or Lao, perhaps Burma?

yeah or Neanderthal was actualy NeanderThai

[Rumfoord]

This line has me perplexed " The researchers surveyed 800 random informants at nine temples in Bangkok".

Now if I stood outside or in a temple and asked you during your visit to a temple to do a survey about whether you liked to visit temples, would I not already have my answer?

Perhaps I am missing something but sounds to me like somebody did the surveys themselves at home over the weekend.

they didn't find out that temple visitors like to visit temples, but did some data collection on the gender ratio of different visitor groups, groups as domestic visitors or foreign visitors and probably ask the respondents some other sociographic question, age, level of education, occupation and so on to have somekind of statistic.

something like this is done in student project to write some thesis, a term paper in a basic course of social research. with an empirical approach as the scientific method of choice.

nostalgia tourism is just a silly marketing term. old wine in new wineskins, to make the tour to the staged swimming market suddenly sounds so trendy and en vogue (for the pen pusher at the TAT)

[givenall]

"Nostalgia tourism" must surely mean older men visiting Pattaya and reminiscent about how fun it was when they meet 'Ling', 'Nan', 'Nuch', 'Noon' or any of the other girls that seemed to love them or others going to BKK and dream back to 10 years ago when going out and being able to dance all night in many different locations wasn't an unusual thing...

Well easier said than done. From my experience which started by visiting Bkk for 7 years starting in 2000 and living over here for past 3 years, Thai are trendiest people I know. Like to copy western more the any one I knew. “Nostalgia” is not what Thai like to do

[otherstuff1957]

I went to Sam Chuk "hundred year old' Market a few weeks ago. The place was packed with tourists... No Farangs though, just Thais from Bangkok. The Baan Mai Market in Chachoensao is the same, as are a number of other similar locations. There is a definite "nostalgia tourism" market, but it doesn't include Farangs, just middle-class urban Thais.

[bkkjames]

I went to Sam Chuk "hundred year old' Market a few weeks ago. The place was packed with tourists... No Farangs though, just Thais from Bangkok. The Baan Mai Market in Chachoensao is the same, as are a number of other similar locations. There is a definite "nostalgia tourism" market, but it doesn't include Farangs, just middle-class urban Thais.

A market is hardly nostalgic - unless they are selling 100 year old eggs

[malcy]

I myself am nostalgic about the times when i could get a flight for £450 and then get over 80 baht to the pound sob sob

[britadders28]

Thais like learning about their history - yes but they get taught a lie

How about a nostalgia tour re WWII and the truth about thailands part in it!!

How about life before thaksin!

[brasseye]

Thais like learning about their history - yes but they get taught a lie

How about a nostalgia tour re WWII and the truth about thailands part in it!!

How about life before thaksin!

Nostalgia tourism ain't what it used to be.

[Stumbo]

Yes I also have nostalgic memories of Thailand but none of them involve temples.

[sunsamourai]

"Nostalgia tourism" must surely mean older men visiting Pattaya and reminiscent about how fun it was when they meet 'Ling', 'Nan', 'Nuch', 'Noon' or any of the other girls that seemed to love them or others going to BKK and dream back to 10 years ago when going out and being able to dance all night in many different locations wasn't an unusual thing...

Well easier said than done. From my experience which started by visiting Bkk for 7 years starting in 2000 and living over here for past 3 years, Thai are trendiest people I know. Like to copy western more the any one I knew. "Nostalgia" is not what Thai like to do

I see what you mean, but kinda disagree on one point. Copying western trends doesn't make you so trendy : you just follow the creative ones.

Now I really sense that nostalgia in my conversations with my younger Thai friends, especially from Bkk : they understand that Thailand has been deeply changed in less than a generation, and they long to live experiences the same way than in the stories their elders tell them.

Just have to see the number of Thai movies telling kids stories in the ideal 'typical' village. Every Thai I know from the city dreams to have lived this 'perfect countryside' life, and identifies with it, even though most of them know only about concrete and TV.

[hansnl]

Wat Suthiwararam's Phra Maha Suthi Abhako, the lead researcher for a report entitled "How to Develop Temples as a Tourist Destination in Bangkok", said the study found among recent university graduates, more females than males liked to visit temples. On the other hand, among foreigners, more males were likely to visit temples than females.

The researchers surveyed 800 random informants at nine temples in Bangkok.

the male-female ratio of foreign temple visitors explained with the gender ratio in the total number of international tourist arrivals to thailand. there are coming more male visitors/tourists to thailand than females. so there isn't a gender issue of somekind of female lack of interest in temple visits by foreign women who are coming to thailand, their total number is just lower than male visitors. and the unaccompanied travellers, the single males, the ones who didn't came with their wives or as family but alone and are responsible for the higher male gender ratio of international tourist, they all do that what they told their colleagues at home, they come to thailand for the culture and visit temples.

Now I seem to remember that somewhere in literature a certain part of woman is also called a temple.

And you might say the coming together of a Thai and a foreign person is a cultural exchange, sort of.

So, all true, no lies, perfect.

[hansnl]

"Nostalgia tourism" is an emerging trend encouraging locals and foreigners alike to explore Thai history and ways of life.

"Nostalgia is growing in Thailand. Locals want to get in touch with their past, their history.

What will the reaction be if the local finds out their past came from Cambodia or Lao, perhaps Burma?

Don't forget China!

[Sabre]

Thais like learning about their history - yes but they get taught a lie

How about a nostalgia tour re WWII and the truth about thailands part in it!!

How about life before thaksin!

Nostalgia tourism ain't what it used to be.

Brilliant.

[cougar52]

Thailand, to be the HUB of Nostalgia in Asia :D

[Ricardo]

Sadly, when these nostalgia-tourists reach Chiang Mai, they find far fewer traditional Lanna-style wooden-buildings, than I recall from my first visits here. Perhaps the TAT needs to re-educate tourists, to believe that concrete shop-houses are traditional, rather than just a shoddy profit-maximising blot on the landscape ?

Thailand needs to be cautious, in redeveloping its historic or traditional towns and cities, the danger of eliminating just what the tourists came for is very real !

[Patong Bob]

Im nostalgic.

I remeber when you were allowed to do most things in Patong and really enjoy yourself. Sigh !!!

[Mosha]

My wife has a cousin who is married to a Chinese Malaysian living in Malaysia. They usually visit her dad wholives up the road from us every year. He told me the other year that, the tourist authorities in Malaysia wanted to create a joint venture with the tourist chiefs up here. The aim was to concentrate on 2nd world war sites. Thailand didn't want to know.

[rheinwiese]

We all know that this is bull.

8.1 Million foreign tourists visit Wat Po per year?????? :D :D

Wow, with approx 14 Million tourist arrivals in Thailand (that includes Phuket, CM, CR, Hat Yai etc etc) in 2009,

almost 60% of all arriving tourists visit the Wat Pho if I do the math correctly.

That's 22.000 at any given day.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Wow, this topic sure brought out the cynics! Interesting.

[Ricardo]

Hub of cynicism, anybody ?