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NESSThai Inc.
P.O. Box 48
Amphoe Muang
Krabi 81000
Thailand
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Network for Environmentally- & Socially-Sustainable Tourism (Thailand) |
Across Cultures
Like the work on nature interpretation, our "Across Cultures" programme is a research and extension project aimed at helping explain the diversity of cultures in Thailand to visitors, and the diversity of cultures among the visitors to the Thai who interact with them. |
Cultural Interpretation
As the landscape of Thailand is diverse, so are its cultures and its history. While the North is famous for its hill tribes, Thailand's lowland population comprises not only the T'ai, but also Mon, Khmer, Vietnamese, Lao, Indian and Chinese communities, each with their different histories and traditions.
In the South of Thailand, there are large Malay and Muslim populations, and Chinese groups which differ in their origins from most of the Bangkok Chinese, being Hakka or Hokkien in origin rather than Tae Jiew. On the coasts, there remain small groups of nomadic tribes known as the "sea gypsies" with links to the "sea gypsies" of Burma (or Myanmar) and Malaysia. In the hills are the Sakai, a hunter-gatherer tribe still pursuing traditional lifestyles as much as they can, in the forested lands of the deep South.
In the Northeast of Thailand, some provinces have tremendous cultural and linguistic diversity. Sakol Nakhon has over 12 different groups living throughout the province. Each speaks their own dialect. The history of how they came to be in one province, tells of the tremendous movements of people that occurred under traditional rulers in the 18th and 19th Centuries. These forced movements of people were also often responsible for the tiny pockets of Mon and Lao to be found in Central Thailand.
Most guide books to Thailand are good at pointing out features of historical importance in the main tourism centres. They also carry lists of dos and don'ts to assist travellers in avoiding cultural conflict with the host communities. But cultural interpretation is rarely found in more remote areas, nor more importantly are opportunities provided for a genuine dialogue with people from different cultures.
And it is not just the tourist who wishes to learn more (or who ought to know more in terms of adjusting his/her behaviour in order not to offend!).� Local communities near tourism centres may be overwhelmed by the differences in their visitors. Confused by the huge variety of languages, customs and behaviour of their guests, they may find retreat or confrontation is preferable to engagement. Thailand's communities are also given little assistance in dealing with their "alien" guests.
NESSThai's Aims
Through its cultural interpretation programme, amongst other things, NESSThai aims to:
Provide training and information to communities, local tour operators, and other interested parties to support the development of cultural interpretation materials;
Assist in translation of local knowledge, histories and stories into English for development of materials to be provided to tourists;
Develop forums for communities and visitors to meet and talk about differences in culture and perceptions of the world; and
Carry out research on different cultural perceptions and how these influence behaviour in cross-cultural contexts.
Research to Hit the Target
To ensure NESSThai's support reaches its target, and that travellers genuinely gain added value from their experience because of this support, NESSThai is also conducting research into:
Examples of excellence in cultural interpretation in Thailand (which can serve as models for other tourism operators etc.);
International and domestic visitor demands for cultural interpretation - what kinds of information would you like?, how would you like it to be presented?, what kinds of tours would you participate in?, what does not work for you?; and
International and domestic visitor cultural tourism disappointments - when have you been on a tour and felt that you were missing something?, which places did you feel did not live up to their reputation, and why?, what kinds of information, guidance, advice do you feel you were lacking that might have helped you to get more out of your experience?
If you have an example of excellence you would like to share with us, demands for cultural interpretation, or disappointments in cultural or heritage tourism, please email us and let us know how we can support nature interpretation in Thailand.
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