Abstract
With the development of the modern social economy, temple tourism has become a lucrative industry. Because of their distinct architecture, rituals, and history, temples have become an important part of the sustainable development of temple economies. Thailand, a tourism-rich country in Southeast Asia, has many Chinese temples, most of which have developed into well-known tourist attractions. However, little research has explored attraction factor categories of Thai-Chinese temples as cultural tourist attractions, and also the relationships among these factor categories. This knowledge is important for assessing and developing improvement strategies of Thai-Chinese temples for achieving a sustainable temple economy. Thus, this study aims to identify appropriate ways to identify the constituent attraction factor categories of Thai-Chinese temples as cultural tourist attractions and how they are prioritized, considering the complex interaction relationships among them. The research findings show that 12 main factor categories under the three dimensions, three attributive classifications with different priorities to which the 12 categories belong, and the complex interaction relationships among factor categories are identified. Combining the priorities on attributive classifications and the priorities on interaction relationships, the sustainable improvement strategies of Thai-Chinese temples are established. This paper extends previous research on Chinese temples, offers insights into the theoretical investigation of Thai-Chinese temples as tourist attractions, and provides decision makers with an integrated and practical way to establish priorities of multiple attraction factor categories, in order to make sustainable improvement strategies of Thai-Chinese temples under the consideration of rational allocation of resources.
Highlights
Chinese religious beliefs in Southeast Asia were formed during the historical emigration of the Chinese to Southeast Asian countries and on the basis of the changes in their living environments (Zhong and Zhang 2011)
Previous studies reveal that the traditional religious beliefs that have prevailed in Fujian and Guangdong mainly originated from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism and derive from several forms and contents of folk beliefs
This study found that, to maintain or further enhance the cultural tourism attraction of Thai-Chinese temples, local decision makers should make use of temple spaces to better present traditional Chinese folk art and crafts
Summary
Chinese religious beliefs in Southeast Asia were formed during the historical emigration of the Chinese to Southeast Asian countries and on the basis of the changes in their living environments (Zhong and Zhang 2011). Previous studies reveal that the traditional religious beliefs that have prevailed in Fujian and Guangdong mainly originated from Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism and derive from several forms and contents of folk beliefs The traditional religious beliefs of the Southeast Asian Chinese originated from it and formed similar harmonious beliefs (Zhang 1999). The migration of early Chinese immigrants brought traditional temple architecture and practices. When Chinese immigrants arrived in Singapore from the southeast coast of China, they built temples for their own communities. Most of these temples were established by the five dialect groups, namely, Min, Yue, Chao, Ke, and Qiong (Chen 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
