Despite this success, however, the tourism industry in Thailand is not without problems and controversy.
Critics charge that tourism promotion in Thailand has aimed at quantity rather than quality. The explosion
of tourism has brought uneven distribution of financial benefits, in favor of large enterprises, while costs
are shouldered by local people who have no direct gain from tourist promotion. Worse still are the
environmental effects of unbridled tourism development. While the Thai tourism industry touts and actively
markets the country's unique cultures, this commercialization of culture also causes its erosion or
corruption. Additionally, interaction between rural Thai dwellers and sophisticated urbanites from more
developed countries introduces values, behavior and attitudes which may have corrosive or negative effects
on local residents.
Under these circumstances, then