COMMUNICATION PROCESS AND TOURISM BRANDING THROUGH THE TOURIST DESTINATION POLICY UNDER THE GREEN TOURISM PROMOTION STRATEGY IN THAILAND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDAMIC SITUATION

Teerati BANTERNG; Apichaya TIPMONTHIEN; Vinijphat KANYAPONG

Authors

Teerati BANTERNG Graduate School of Communication Arts and Management Innovation, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand
Apichaya TIPMONTHIEN Graduate School of Communication Arts and Management Innovation, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand
Vinijphat KANYAPONG Graduate School of Communication Arts and Management Innovation, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand

Keywords:

Policy Communication, Green Tourism, Destination Branding, COVID-19, Thailand environment

Abstract

This study takes up these questions through a retrospective qualitative case study of Thailand’s Green Tourism Promotion Strategy (2017-2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on policy document analysis, semi-structured interviews with nine government officials, and four focus group discussions involving 20 tourism stakeholders, the study examines how different actor groups, policymakers, tourism businesses, and the general public, understood and responded to sustainability-framed communication about destinations in Thailand. The result showed that government officials and senior policy practitioners consistently framed green tourism within a holistic sustainability agenda, whereas local business owners and tourists typically understood it in narrower terms, principally as environmental protection, waste reduction, or nature-based experience.