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With such a strong emphasis on tourism in Bangkok, it's natural to wonder how the city can keep its 'roots' and old culture when the new culture is focusing outwards towards tourists. What will this stage of Bangkok's history reveal about the change in culture?

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Content: Danny, Gavin, Grace, Abby, Maprang, Wuth, Sarah
Visual Task: Pichayanin Cherngwiwatkij
Overall Feedback: Teera
Speakers: Janja Rattanajan & Sirirada Pattara-Angkoon

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There are so many articles writing about reasons why we should visit Bangkok. These are the list that we summarized from many sites and articles.

Shopping: Bangkok seems to attract so many tourist with the charm of cheap and interesting variation of goods available on the market. Not just the goods that have so many variations, but the location as well. There are flea markets, floating markets and hundreds of malls awaits the shoppers.

Street Foods: Food is something worth exploring for some. Bangkok provide many vendors that sells varied street food starting from grilled crab to snacks full of unique combination of spices.

Rich Heritage: Bangkok is a city full of heritage sites. There are palaces, temples and statues screaming out the culture and history of Thai people. Its authenticity does not disappoints and attracts tourist from all around the world.

Medical reasons?: Bangkok is a great place to receive a traditional Thai massage, but that is not the only possible medical benefit of a trip. BBC claims "...Medical tourism in Thailand is growing at a yearly rate of 16%"(in 2015). The main reason being the cheap quality care for "...dental work, dermatology and cosmetic surgery..." (for example). This is yet another way of Bangkok being such a travel destination (no matter how unconventional).

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120828-the-rise-of-medical-tourism-in-bangkok

http://www.travelstart.co.za/blog/10-reasons-why-bangkok-is-one-of-the-most-visited-cities-in-the-world/
http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/7-reasons-you-need-to-visit-bangkok.htm
http://www.traveller.com.au/twenty-reasons-to-visit-bangkok-2u0q4
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/thailand/articles/21-reasons-to-visit-Thailand/

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Coming back to the question of whether is preserving the historical sites and what is 'considered' traditional or authentic in BKK...

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Coming back to the question of whether is preserving the historical sites and what is 'considered' traditional or authentic in BKK...

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1. Heritage Preservation
2. Authenticity
3. Further on....

Brown-Saracino, J. (2004). "Social Preservationists and the Quest for Authentic Community." City and Community 3(2): 135-156.

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In 2013, Bangkok was voted as the best city in the world beating London, Paris and New York in a score of 90.4 (traveldailynews, 2013).

According to Forbes, Bangkok had the most overnight visitors in 2016 with nearly 21.5  million as compared to London in second place with 19.9 million.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/01/04/bangkok-was-the-worlds-most-visited-city-in-2016-infographic/#7f57acca2a9c

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http://www.istockphoto.com/au/photos/bangkok-red-light-prostitution-red-light-district?excludenudity=true&sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=bangkok%20red%20light%20prostitution%20red%20light%20district

http://krutri.samroiwit.ac.th/sara3.html

http://movie.sanook.com/66645/

http://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-12-reported-killed-as-bomb-rocks-central-bangkok/

https://scribc.wordpress.com/tag/%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2-%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%8C/

https://pantip.com/topic/31015933/page5

http://suvarnabhumiairport.com/en/popular-destinations/1898/10-%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B3%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A3

http://www.thaihealth.or.th/Content/26121-80%20%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%AF.html

https://ecommerceiq.asia/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/HealthwarningThaimobilephoneusage.jpg

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- http://www.idotravellers.com/th/index.php/1-36/393-ido-travellers-34
-http://topicstock.pantip.com/library/topicstock/2011/08/K11004028/K11004028.html

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-       The Fine Arts Dept. is responsible for architectural conservation, under the snappily-titled Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains and National Museum Act of Parliament, which was first passed in 1961 and revised in 1992. The law says anyone who destroys unregistered monuments is punishable with fines of up to B700,000 (AUD26,400) or seven years jail time while the punishment can be up to B1 million (AUD37,700) fines and 10 years jail time if they destroy registered monuments. It sounds like a suitable deterrent, however in practice, the Fine Arts Dept. rarely pursues those guilty of knocking down historic buildings.

-       The house of ML Devathiraj P. Malakul
Next BTS Ratchathewi was razed by the owners to make way for a development project. The house was an intricately carved 90-year-old structure—and from the BTS platform everyone had front row seats when the bulldozers moved in. The building had not been registered but any building of architectural, historical, educational and social value is, in theory, protected under the current law. Why didn’t the Fine Arts Dept. sue the Malakul family? The question has been asked to Vasu Poshyanandana, architect at the Office of Architecture at the Fine Arts Dept. “The fact is, this house was already gone, so the Fine Arts legal team might have figured it was better to put our limited resources and budget towards other urgent cases.”

-       Wat Kalayanamitr
Again, this time the Fine Arts Dept. had a bitter taste in their mouths from a legal battle with the head monk of Wat Kalayanamitr. Three years ago, he ordered the demolition of a registered pagoda. The department did sue in this case, but the court rejected their claims as the site’s 50-year-old registration under the Archeological Act did not detail which parts of the temple were listed.

http://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/architectural-heritage-preservation-bangkok?page=24

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“Authenticity” can be a complicated word when discussing “authentic” culture and a possible “authentic” experience in another place that can be different than your own. When you visit a place such as Bangkok, there is a heavy influence of tourists seeking a cultural experience. The idea of “authentic” culture itself essentially doesn’t exist as culture is is socially constructed, it  can (and does!) change over time and space. “Each country, state, and city, down to the smallest village, is constantly changing with unceasing interaction with regional and global influences. How then to draw a boundary around a culture? We cannot, as each meld into and influence another.” (Sze, 2016) That is, that the rise in tourism in Bangkok has helped to shape the culture in Bangkok to what it is today. Bangkok is a single culture to be explored within Thailand and you can gain a completely different and equally “authentic” Thailand experience in any and all cities in Thailand.

This idea of “authenticity” from the point of view of a tourist can essentially over generalize and exclude the room for growth a city and country can experience. Specifically for Bangkok, there seems to be a pattern of seeing the city as less authentic than other places in Thailand because of the high number of tourists.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sze/the-myth-of-authentic-tra_b_8135022.html)
(http://sea-globe.com/millennials-authentic-travel-experiences/)

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THE CURRENT ISSUES ON URBAN CONSERVATION IN BANGKOK

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THE CURRENT ISSUES ON URBAN CONSERVATION IN BANGKOK

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Major issues on three dimensions.

First is the conservation policy according to the master plan of historic town so-called ‘Rattanakosin Conservation and Development Plan’ made by the national advisory board. This plan created disagreement on the evaluation of significance since a number of old communities were considered unimportant.

Second is the issue on legislations, issues of the registration system, as well as, the limitation, way of utilizing, and movement due to the Decentralization Act on legislations.

Issue on Listing System

1) The scope and the scale of the responsibility of The Fine Arts Department (FDA)

-  The Decentralization Act was launched for nearly a decade but the categorization is still in the experimental stage. Moreover, because of the lack of understanding and knowledge on conservation, the readiness for the local bodies to handle cultural heritage in their hands could be premature.

2) The influence of the head monks of the temples on the conservation of ecclesiastic building.

3) The difficulty encountered by the adoption of international standards on restoration work.

-  Some extent of international standards on authenticity and integrity do not fit the Thai context. Ex. For Thailand, the materials and the craftsmanship might make a difference on the evaluation of authenticity. Some parts of the monuments or monuments itself are made of wood, which decays faster than those of stones used for the structures in Europe. Therefore, the focus of the restoration work has to incorporate the design and craftsmanship rather than to keep the actual materials which need to be replaced.

Last is the issue on the organizational framework. There are several main authorities in charge of the conservation works; unfortunately, these authorities are under different ministries, thus the method for effective collaboration need to be revisited.

https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB4150.pdf

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UNESCO's The Development of Cultural Tourism in Thailand

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UNESCO's The Development of Cultural Tourism in Thailand

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Thailand occupies a key position in the development of tourism in SEA. Tourism is growing in importance in Thailand. The long cultural history of Thailand can be traced by monuments left by departed dynasties. Their preservation is important to the people and offers to the tourist who knew little about the cultural heritage of SEA. Their conservation and development can contribute to the overall economy of the country make imperative the development of a coherent program which will ensure their preservation.

Mission

-          Undertake a survey of the principal sites and monuments of Thailand

-          Evaluate the possibilities of their development as tourist attractions

-          Suggest programs and procedures for the conservation and restoration of sites and monuments

-          Consider the infrastructures required (hotel, communication, etc.)

-          Recommend to the authorities concerned a program for the development of the sites and monuments in terms of the economic development programs of the country

The plan includes:
1)      Objective (The national objective, tourism objective, etc.)
2)      Procedure

3)      Long-term plan (Policy, training, etc.)

4)      Immediate plan (Special project)

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0000/000089/008998EB.pdf

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Rattanakosin Conservation and Development Plan: In the last decade, urban conservation in Thailand has become of interest to the public. Especially in Bangkok, and the historic area called Rattanakosin Island. This development plan aimed to allow old communities to regain importance in the community,

Conservation movement: Firstly, the new idea of urban conservation. This focuses on particularly ancient monuments, artworks, and buildings with architectural or historical significance. The establishment of King Rama V’s “Archaeological Club” became the foundation of heritage conservation in Thailand. The conversation grew heavily between 1963-1977 when financial support was given by the Italian government. Today, new paradigms are in place that include sustainability, living heritage, and local participation. As a result, the concern for cultural heritage is expanding in Thailand.

(https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB4150.pdf)

Walters, Peter, and Rod McCrea. (2014). 'Early Gentrification and the Public Realm: A Case Study of West End in Brisbane, Australia.' Urban Studies 51(2):355-70.

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Positive Effects

·      Income for small businesses

·      Boost to the local economy

·      Increase revenue to the country

·      More job opportunities for locals (through direct employment through the tourism industry and          indirectly through jobs within transportation and retail)

·      Encourages the preservation of traditional customs, discussion between hosts and guests can         allow for a better cultural understanding of the land

·      Promotes conservation of wildlife and natural resources as these are considered tourism
assets

·      Can further generate funding and maintenance of animal preservation through entrance and              guide fees

·      Money is invested into providing better facilities, which can better both the guests and locals

·      Locals can interact with tourists and meet people from diverse backgrounds, creating
awareness of different cultures and traditions

Negative Effects

Diverse environmental impacts of uncontrolled tourism development - particularly the construction of additional infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas.

Socio-cultural impacts - changes often occur in community structure, family relationships, collective traditional life styles, ceremonies and morality.

Lost of Authenticity

http://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2008/05/22/ancient-thai-temples-vandalised/#more-816