The Impact of Tourism on the Monks of Luang Prabang

Suntikul, Wantanee (2008) The Impact of Tourism on the Monks of Luang Prabang. In: 16th ICOMOS General Assembly and International Symposium: ‘Finding the spirit of place – between the tangible and the intangible’, 29 sept – 4 oct 2008, Quebec, Canada. [Conference or Workshop Item]

Preview

PDF 77-9ytg-102.pdf Download (124kB)

Abstract (in English)

The attractiveness of Luang Prabang’s temples for both heritage and religious tourists reflects their profound embodiment of the spirit of the place, yet tourism can also be seen as a threat to this very spirit. Exposure to tourism and social contact with tourists is influencing the values and aspirations of the city’s many monks, as evinced by trends such as monks eschewing the study of traditional skills in favour of foreign languages to help them enter the tourism industry. This paper explores the effects that contact with tourists has on the values and practices of the monks of Luang Prabang and, in turn, how these changes have affected the spirit of the place. It is based on on-site observation, surveys of monks and tourists, as well as elite interviews with religious leaders

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Authors:	Authors Email Suntikul, Wantanee wantanee@ift.edu.mo
Languages:	English
Keywords:	tourism; tourists; World Heritage List; spirit of place; religion; intangible heritage; buddhism
Subjects:	I.CULTURAL TOURISM > 05. Tourism impact M.WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION > 03. World Heritage List O.INTANGIBLE HERITAGE > 01. Generalities I.CULTURAL TOURISM > 01. Generalities
Name of monument, town, site, museum:	Town of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR
UNESCO WHC Number:	479
ICOMOS Special Collection:	Scientific Symposium (ICOMOS General Assemblies)
ICOMOS Special Collection Volume:	2008, 16th
Depositing User:	Jose Garcia
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2010 16:24
Last Modified:	26 Jul 2023 16:20
References:	Ashley, C. 2006. Participation by the Poor in Luang Prabang Tourism Economy: Current Earnings and opportunities of Expansion. ODI and SNV. Condominas, G. 1998. Le Bouddhisme au Village. Vientiane. Engelmann, F. 1999. Luang Prabang: A Ghost Town Returns to Life. Available from http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_08/uk/dossier/ txt36.htm ; accessed 7 July 2008. Gray, A. 2008. Mass Tourism Swamps Asia’s Once Unique, Remote Places. USA Today. Available from http://www.usatoday.com/travel/ destinations/2008-03-27-disappearing-asia_N.htm; accessed 7 July 2008. Guttman, C. 1999. Towards an Ethnic of Tourism. Internet. Available from http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_08/uk/dossier/txt43.htm ;accessed 7 July 2008. Hall, M. 2006. Buddhism, Tourism and the Middle Way. In Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journey, eds. Olsen A. and Timothy D: 172-185. Oxon: Routledge Ladwig, P. 2006. Applying Dhamma to Contemporary Society: Socially-Engaged Buddhism and Development Work in the Lao PDR. Juth Pakai 7:16-26. LNTA (Lao National Tourism Administration). 2007. 2006 Statistical Report on Tourism in Laos. Vientiane: LNTA. Maoz, D. 2006. The Mutual Gaze. Annals of Tourism Research 33(1):221-239. Mydans, S. 2008. Tourism Saves a Laotian City but Saps its Buddhist Spirit. Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/world/asia/15laos.html accessed 7 July 2008. Robinson, M. 1999. Is Cultural Tourism on the Right Track? Internet. Available from http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_08/uk/dossier/txt11.htm ;accessed 7 July 2008. Travers, R. 2008. Economic Corridors and Ecotourism: Whiter Tourism in Laos? In Asian Tourism: Growth and Change, ed. Cochrane, J: 105-116. Oxford: Elsevier. UNESCO. 2004. Impact: The Effects of Tourism and Culture and the Environment in Asia and the Pacific Tourism and Heritage Site Management in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. UNESCO and School of Travel Industry Management University of Hawaii. UNESCO. 2007. “UNESCO Cultural Survival and Revival in the Buddhist Sangha” Project Evaluation Workshop. Presentation. Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Univeristy, Thailand.
URI:	https://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/18

Actions (login required)

View Item

Metadata

• HTML Citation
• ASCII Citation
• Full
• OpenURL ContextObject
• EndNote
• BibTeX
• MODS
• MPEG-21 DIDL
• EP3 XML
• Dublin Core
• Reference Manager
• Eprints Application Profile
• Simple Metadata
• Refer
• METS

Downloads