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Authenticity, Tourism, and Self-discovery in Thailand: Self-creation and the Discerning Gaze of Trekkers and Old Hands

Authenticity, Tourism, and Self-discovery in Thailand: Self-creation and the Discerning Gaze of... Through an analysis of tourist-related advertisements and literature, as well as some ethnographic work among tourists, I argue that hill-tribe tourism and sex tourism in Thailand are a means by which white (farang) tourists attempt to identify authenticity and incorporate this sense of the authentic into their own identity. Tourists (and ethnographers alike) attempt to become experts at distinction in order to perceive a truer sense of "self" through authentic interaction with Thais. This interaction is always problematic, however, as the tourist's pre-conceived image of the country continually differs from the reality, especially outside of those spaces designed for tourists, thus provoking a sense of anxiety about the truth of interactions between the tourist and the toured. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

Authenticity, Tourism, and Self-discovery in Thailand: Self-creation and the Discerning Gaze of Trekkers and Old Hands

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Publisher
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1793-2858
Publisher site
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Abstract

Through an analysis of tourist-related advertisements and literature, as well as some ethnographic work among tourists, I argue that hill-tribe tourism and sex tourism in Thailand are a means by which white (farang) tourists attempt to identify authenticity and incorporate this sense of the authentic into their own identity. Tourists (and ethnographers alike) attempt to become experts at distinction in order to perceive a truer sense of "self" through authentic interaction with Thais. This interaction is always problematic, however, as the tourist's pre-conceived image of the country continually differs from the reality, especially outside of those spaces designed for tourists, thus provoking a sense of anxiety about the truth of interactions between the tourist and the toured.

Journal

Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia – Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

Published: Nov 6, 2007

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