Exploring the impact of tourism development on local communities: A Qualitative comparative study of the Bangkok and Phnom Penh

• Main Authors: Leong, Mei Kei *, Chaichi, Kamelia *
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: G 154.9 Tourism
• Online Access: http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1843/
• Institution: Sunway University

The paper compares two Asian tourism destination, Bangkok (capital of Thailand) and Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia) concerning the positive and negative impact of tourism development, revealing similarities and contrasts which effect both cities. According to the World Tourism Organization, understanding the need of host communities is essential for sustainable tourism development which makes a harmony between social, economic, environmental and, cultural integrity. Previous studies suggested that successful tourism development highly is depended on the host communities' acceptance of the tourist’s activities (Wang et al., 2018). Much of the existing literature focuses on stakeholder for destination planning while this study tries to add new consideration by focusing on host community concerns on tourism development. The current paper tries to provide a deeper insight into understanding the positive and negative impact on tourism development for local communities in two Asian tourism destinations; Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The result of the research hopes to enhance a more insightful understanding of tourism developers and policymakers to determine the feasibility of a future form of destination development by considering the benefit of the host communities.