Border tourism between Thailand and Cambodia after the end of the cold war: identity, spirit, and prospect

Abstract

Prior to and during the ‘Cold War’ period the border between Thailand and Cambodia was more or less closed; only the military mission and local people were able to cross it. Then, with the political changes in Cambodia during 1990s and Thailand’s policy of ‘turning the battlefield into a market place’, the border became more open, and began to attract tourists. This thesis argues that the advent of border tourism has become a pivotal force which efficiently penetrates through the national territory – traditionally considered as barrier between countries. Consequently, border tourism manifests the juxtaposition of the national territory and the daily life practices of both regular visitors and border residents. The thesis then attempts to reveal the competing meanings of the Thai-Cambodian borderline as expresses through Nationalism and Tourism. On the one hand, the border is a symbol of separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘here’ and ‘there’, or ‘inside’ and ‘outside’; on the other hand, it can be argued that opening of the border can weaken people’s antagonisms and prejudices. This thesis concludes that for regular visitors and border residents, the borderline has lost its significance as a barrier between nation states and instead has taken on characteristics of a tourist gateway representing the convergence of the two countries. This empirical study is based on evidence that was collected during a 20-day trip along the 800-km Thai-Cambodian borderline. The survey was conducted mainly along the Thai side of the border, but several visits were also made to locations on the Cambodian side to gather information from there as well.