Thailand's New Approach of Domestic Tourism for The Sustainability of Military Bases: A Critique of Restricted Areas Turned Into Leisure Destinations

Abstract

Military forces in Thailand have had an important role in national defense, social development, and environmental protection for many years. Military-based tourism is a new form of domestic tourism in Thailand. Within this trend, the article aims to explore the occurrence of "military tourism" in Thailand and propose a military-based tourism development model, adapted from Ritchie and Crouch's model to a case study at Sattahip Naval Base. Specific attention is given to factors determining destination competitiveness and sustainability of the base including the transformation of restricted areas turned into leisure destinations. Triangulation methods are derived through a focus group discussion with 25 naval personnel involved in domestic tourism, document analyses, direct observations, and an in-depth interview with a senior naval officer. The findings show that militarybased tourism at Sattahip is more competitive in destination capability featuring natural, cultural, and created resources, but less competitive in tourism management capability concerning accessibility, transportation for tourism, and staffing shortage in tourism services. The article also discusses critical issues related to military-based tourism development, including leadership, nationalism, domestic tourist typology, and degree of sustainability. A military-based tourism development model is also proposed for future studies, and recommendations are also provided to address the challenges in domestic tourism at military bases.