Ethnotourismus in Südostasien Hilltribes im Spannungsfeld von Trekking und OpiumGünter Spreitzhofer

ASIEN – Nr. 63 (1997) pp. 45–55

The main purpose of this article is an analysis of the conflicts tribal societies of South-East Asia are faced with in the course of increasing touristification. After a terminological state-of-the-art discussion, special emphasis is put on the situation of the hilltribes of Northern Thailand. Being in the centre of booming trekking tourism, mainly promoted by broker-like trekking agencies, on the one hand, and state ethno-marketing on the other, mass tourism and socio-cultural change seem inevitable. The cliché-loaden drug image of the golden triangle states turns out to be travel motive of the mainly ‚alternative‘ tourist clientele and focus of tribal marketing by trekking agencies, both tolerated and subconsciously promoted by Thai authorities.