Tourism development of Hua Hin : a beach resort with a royal brand

This paper investigates the tourism development of Hua Hin, a seaside city about 200 km southwest of Bangkok. Hua Hin\u27s development as a beach resort began in the 1920s, when two palaces were built in the area. This historical connection with Thailand\u27s royal family has earned the city a brand of its own. The presence of the palace, combined with building restrictions, has helped to maintain the relative quietness of the city. With the allocation of Government funding to construct transportation infrastructure, the area is now accessible from Bangkok. As a result, Hua Hin has attracted comparatively more Thai visitors to foreigners, which helps the city to distinguish itself from other beach-resort destinations such as Pattaya and Phuket. For its future development, however, the policy-makers face a difficult choice between the preservation of Hua Hin\u27s relative tranquility and the expansion of its visitor base to include more foreigners.阿部茂行教授退職記念号退職記念論文(Articles in commemoration of the retirement of Professor Shigeyuki Abe