France and Thailand: A Comparative Study of Tourism Destinations

This report provides a comparative analysis of France and Thailand as popular tourist destinations, examining their cultural, physical, and social features. The introduction highlights the growth of the tourism sector and the objective of comparing these two countries. The report details the culture, physical characteristics, and social aspects of France, including its historical influences, major attractions like the Eiffel Tower, and religious demographics. Similarly, it outlines Thailand's cultural diversity, geographical features such as mountains and beaches, climate, and social customs influenced by Buddhism. A comparison table summarizes key differences in religion, festivals, food, and famous places. The report concludes by emphasizing the economic importance of tourism and the diverse attractions each country offers to visitors. The report also includes references to relevant tourism management literature.

TOURIST
DESTINATION

Introduction
 Travel and tourism is one of the fastest growing sector. Exploring
and experiencing new places is new trend in today's world.
Tourism has developed within last few years and has scope to
grow at higher pace in coming years.
 The objective of the study is to compare cultural, physical and
social features of France and Thailand.
 There are various cultural social, and physical features of any
destination contributing in its popularity or decreasing number of
tourists visiting destination.
 Tourism is a key segment for any country as it helps in economic
growth and provides many employment opportunities .

France
 In Middle Age, the term
'Francia' was used to be
applied to several territorial
Unit.
 Capital of France is
Paris.Tricoleur, the flag of
France has blue, white and
red colors. White represents
monarchy7, red is
associated with republic and
blue represents
Charlemagne,Clovis,and
early rulers.

Culture of France
 French culture has influence of Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures.
 The official language of France is French. Other languages like
Flemish and English are also spoken by people.
 It is also influenced by Franks and German tribe.
 Earlier France was a western area of Germany which was called
as Rhineland. Later it referred as territory known as Gaul.
 Since 17th century France has been centre of culture in Europe
and with the time it got famous across worldwide.
 France has contributed significantly in various sectors such as
cinema, cuisine and fashion. It has also played significant role in
literature , mathematics and technology.

Continued..
 France has given many artists such
as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas,
Camile Pissarro etc.
 May 1st is celebrated as Labour
Day.
 May 8 is celebrated as Victory in
Europe Day as the bitterness ended
in Europe in World War II.
 Bastille Day is celebrated on 14th
July as France came into function
on that day.

Physical Features of France
 France is basically covered
with plains, hills and
mountains.
 It is the second largest
country in Europe.
 Highest peak in France is
Mont Blanc, summits at
15,770 feet.
 There are lot of physical
characteristics in France
that attracts several tourists
every year.
 River Rhine separates
France and Germany.

Continued..
 France is also rich in
Scattered islands. Country is
rich in rivers.
 Each region has its own
climate. Climate is moderate
round the year.
 There are several tourist
attractions that attracts
several visitors every year.
 Some of them are Eiffel
Tower, Palace of Versailles,
Mont Saint Michel etc.

Social features of France
 Christmas and Easter are celebrated in France which are
traditional Christian holidays.
 French people are known for their effortless clothing. Both men
and women have elegant clothing. They prefer well fitted clothes
that includes sweatpants and over-sized t-shirts with sneakers.
 France has diversified mixture of religions. Roman Catholic-
83%-85%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 55-10%,
Unaffiliated 4%.
 Louvre Museum is categorised among world's largest Museum
which is located in Paris.

Continued..
 French people are
passionate about food.
 Cooking involves careful
preparation with proper
detailing and usage of fresh
ingredients.
 Food culture varies by
region. People generally
prefer food that is grown in
their local area.
 Families in the France have
social connected with each
other.
II

Thailand
 Thailand name is integrated
with ethnic group.
 Thailand was never under
the rule of European Colony.
 Till 1932, it was completely
monarchy.
 Initially the name was Siam
which then later on changed
to Thailand in 1939.

Cultural Features of Thailand
 Thailand is surrounded by Cambodia,
Laos and Myanmar.
 Thailand is divided into four different
regions. Each region is riched with
unique culture.
 Northern Thailand is surrounded by
Myanmar and Laos. This region is
covered with mountains and forests.
There are several river valleys.

Continued...
 North-eastern Thailand is isolated with the remaining parts of
Thailand and is known as Isan.
 Official language of Thailand is Thai, Shan is spoken in Burma
and several other languages as well depending on the region.
 Northern Thailand is influenced by Burmese culture.
 Southern Thailand is situated at the Malay Peninsula. Several
beaches and resorts are situated here.
 It is a home for fishing communities.
 Capital of Thailand is Bangkok.
 Central Thailand has the highest population density. Majority of
the production of rice is carried out in Central Thailand.

Physical Features of Thailand
 Thailand is rich in mountains ,
rivers , hills and beaches.
• Thailand is 50th largest country in
the world and is major attraction
for tourists in Asian region.
 Thailand has two major rivers:
Chao Phraya and The Mekong.
 Area of Thailand is 198114
Square miles.
 The country is divided into four
regions in which northern region
is hilly.

Continued..
 Thailand is rich with tourist attractions. Some of them are Chao
Phraya,Railay Beach, Phi Phi island, Historic city of Ayutthaya
etc.
 Mountain Inthanon is one of the physical feature of Thailand
which is popular across the country.
 The Khorat Plateau is a big flat scattered with trees.
 Climate of Thailand has influences of monsoon winds. Thailand
has three seasons: Rainy season from mid may to mid October,
winters from mid October to February and after that summers is
remaining months.

Social Features of Thailand
 Thailand's culture is inspired by its neighbouring countries, India,
Cambodia, China and Southeast Asia.
 Traditional clothing of Thailand is Chut Thai. Basic rule is to
cover shoulders, ankles and knees. For that long skirts ,pants,knee
length skirt etc. are worn by the people.
 Rice is the basic food of Thailand.
 Basically Thailand's culture is influenced by
Buddhism.Approximately,95% of the people are Buddhist and
values of Buddhism plays huge part in everyday life.
 National anthem of Thailand is 'Phleng Chat'.It is played twice a
day and people are expected to stand to show their respect.
 .

Continued..
 Some of the major celebrations of
Thailand are New year on 31st Dec
to 1st Jan, Magha Puga ,Chakri
Day, Songkran, Visakha Puja etc.
 Nuclear family setups are the
family culture in Thailand.
 Cuisine is much loved by
everywhere across the world..
 Rice plays an important role in
Thai Cuisine.
 Art, Dance fictional writing has
gain importance in Thailand.

Comparison between France and
Thailand
Characteristics Thailand France
Religion Buddism Christianity
Festivals Phi Ta khon
Monkey Buffet Bastille Day
Nice carnival
Food Rice Boeuf bourguignon
Wine
Climate Mean Annual
temperature 82°F Cold in winter and mild
in summer
Famous places Phi phi island
Grand palace Efiiel Tower, Palace of
Versailles, Mont-Saint
Michel etc.

REFERENCES
Morrison, A. M., 2013. Marketing and managing tourism destinations.
Routledge.
Pérez, V. E., Santoyo, A. H., Guerrero, F., León, M. A., Silva, C. L. and
Caballero, R., 2017. Measuring the sustainability of Cuban
tourism destinations considering stakeholders' perceptions.
International Journal of Tourism Research.
Mariani, M. M., Buhalis, D., Longhi, C. and Vitouladiti, O., 2014.
Managing change in tourism destinations: Key issues and current
trends. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. 2(4).
pp.269-272.

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