After years of study of mainstream tourism in Thailand, brought together in two volumes the author realized the existence of a multiplicity of tourist phenomena and events of considerable interest but as yet unexplored in tourism research. These were conducted in the course of the last four years via a series of case studies of these phenomena. This book brings these studies together, providing them with a unifying theoretical background and drawing from them broader theoretical and ethical conclusions. Contemporary Thailand is marked by processes of rapid social transformation, economic and communicative globalization, and the commodification of culture and environment. These processes lead to the juxtaposition of diverse, often conflicting, cultural domains, economic interests and political aims, which engender conflicts in many fields, but these are particularly salient in touristic situations.This book explores the different dynamics of a variety of such situations.

Klappentext Intends to contribute to the formation, embodiment, and advancement of knowledge in the field of tourism. This series includes application of theoretical, methodological, and substantive contributions from such fields as anthropology, business administration, ecology, economics, geography, history, hospitality, leisure, and planning. Zusammenfassung Intends to contribute to the formation! embodiment! and advancement of knowledge in the field of tourism. This series includes application of theoretical! methodological! and substantive contributions from such fields as anthropology! business administration! ecology! economics! geography! history! hospitality! leisure! and planning.