Power Relations in Tourism and Environmental Transformation in Bang Saen, Thailand
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Abstract
This paper investigates how historical changes in power relations in tourism have
transformed the environment in Bang Saen, Chonburi Province, Thailand and suggests a proper
power relations model for achieving sustainable tourism development. In-depth interviews,
photography analysis, and document surveys were conducted. The researcher found that power
relations in the development of tourism can determine the way in which natural and cultural assets,
which function as the center of tourism, are transformed.
The paper concludes that if all stakeholders desire the continuation of tourism in Bang Saen
in the long-term and, with it, economic, political, and social development, those stakeholders who
hold political and social influence should share power with other stakeholders in order to: comanage
natural and cultural assets in the host societies; allow all stakeholders to participate in the
decision-making process in tourism development policies, strategies, and plans; and develop
tourism in such a way that reproduces nature, strengthens social relationships, and inherits local
knowledge, which are key natural, social, and human capitals.
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