Due to the high popularity of the period TV series Bupphesanniwat (Love Destiny), scores of Thais dressed in traditional outfits have flocked to heritage sites, especially in Ayutthaya. The trend instils cultural and heritage appreciation in people, but has also led to traffic jams, garbage and other problems. Some tourists litter and damage the historic sites while others have taken home broken bricks as souvenirs.
Right A question-and-answer forum for educating tourists at WatChaiwatthanaram. Ayutthaya Historical Park
In pursuit of sustainable tourism in Ayutthaya, a number of academics and officials brainstormed at the Thailand Research Fund's (TRF) "Ayodhaya 4.0 Towards Sustainable Tourism" seminar held at Ayutthaya Historical Park recently.
Situated 76km north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, the old Thai capital, is a popular destination for Thai and foreign tourists. It was named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1991 and attracted more than 2 million visitors in 2016.
Sukanya Baonoed, director of the Ayutthaya Historical Park, said the TV series craze helped raise the number of visitors to the park per day from less than 1,000 to between 5,000-6,000 on weekdays and around 25,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. Ruins of the palace and temples consist of frail bricks and may be damaged under the weight of more visitors.
Therefore, the park decided to turn the crisis into an opportunity to encourage visitors to conserve heritage. The park has deployed more staff to monitor tourists and report any improper actions by the public, she added.
"In case of damage, we would fix it first and also educate tourists about what to do and not to do. For example, a tourist climbed and trespassed in a forbidden zone [of Wat Chaiwatthanaram] because he did not want to use the stairs, causing minor damage to the temple. The damage was controllable and the fallen bricks were brought back to their original place. We instantly warned and fined the violator before a big crowd in order to teach a lesson," the director said.
According to her, violating any of the six major rules, including climbing on or damaging historic sites, carries a maximum one month imprisonment and/or a 10,000-baht fine.
Earlier, some tourists had climbed historic sites and taken photos in inappropriate ways. Hence, the park on March 4 started a campaign for visitors to wear traditional costumes, which could remind them of the need for good manners and an appreciation for heritage and history.
"At first, about 30% of all visitors wore traditional outfits. After three to four weeks of the campaign, the number increased to 70-80%. Even after the TV series ended, the trend has continued. Other people don traditional costumes to visit temples every day. The campaign will run until further notice," the director said.
Kittiphan Phansuwan, the Culture Ministry's deputy permanent secretary, remarked that the trend is good for encouraging people to visit cultural attractions and promoting public awareness of the importance of these places.
"We can prolong the trend by making use of cultural innovations, especially cultural volunteers. We can encourage people to have a volunteer spirit, generosity and good discipline," he said,
"Volunteers must be well-prepared to advise tourists with simple advice about food, accommodation, transportation and parking."
Numfhon Boonyawat, executive director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Planning Department, said there has been an upswing in cultural tourism among Thais, so TAT is trying to encourage people to travel within Thailand and feel proud of Thai history.
"We may promote Ayutthaya as the city of the good old days. But, we must ask the people of Ayutthaya first what they think and what they want tourists to do, such as learning about history, besides taking pictures," the TAT executive said.
According to her, Ayutthaya offers tourists a wonderful experience if they arrive with a good conscience, an understanding and love of Ayutthaya and other historic sites and that they seek to learn more about Thailand's cultural history. They can look at the past with the help of technology and simplified yet fun storytelling.
To her, people's love for culture helps increase the value of tourism and tourism-related products, such as the way the popular Korean TV series Dae Jang Geum promoted Korean cuisine and tourism through storytelling.
"We want visitors to leave with knowledge in addition to great photos. So, we organise question-and-answer forums every afternoon at Wat Chaiwatthanaram. We answer questions and tell stories about the temple and the history of Ayutthaya. The events are popular and serve as opportunities to train our staff," said Sukanya.
Meanwhile, historian Winai Pongsripian called for proper management of this world heritage city and the establishment of world-class museums, an auditorium and a local products centre besides campaigns that appeal to the Thai people's shared ownership spirit, love and conservation of Ayutthaya.
Kreangkrai Kirdsiri, deputy dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University, suggested more studies and development of city planning, economics, transportation and water resources.
Assoc Prof Apisak Dhiravisit, the TRF's head of the Office of the Directors, said: "The TRF has a major duty to provide funds for researchers in the aspects of tourism and heritage conservation.
"There are currently 14-15 projects in this field, two of which involve an academic book project and an engineering for conservation project for Ayutthaya. They will promote the physical strength of historic sites and the sustainability of tourism in the future."
Left Tourists wearing traditional costumes. Jetjaras Na Ranong
Foreign tourists enjoy an elephant ride in front of Wat Phra Ram, Ayutthaya. Jetjaras Na Ranong
Traffic congestion in front of Wat Chaiwatthanaram. Photo: Pichaya Svasti
Above Ayutthaya Historical Park's Facebook page posted that a tourist stole a brick from Wat Chaiwatthanaram, which led to the offender returning the brick to the park, along with a letter of apology.