On the Edge of Thai Society toward Tourism Employment · According to Smith (2002) perception is a...

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วารสารการบริการและการท่องเที่ยวไทย

ปีที่ 12 ฉบับที่ 1 (มกราคม – มิถุนายน 2560)

On the Edge of Thai Society toward Tourism Employment

มุมมองของชุมชนชายขอบต่อสายงานในธุรกิจการท่องเที่ยว

KanokkarnKaewnuchNationalInstituteofDevelopmentAdministration(NIDA)

Abstract Acomprehensivestudywascarriedout inthetribalarea inChiangMai,Thailandwithagroupofhilltribepeople,KarenandHmong.Thestudyaimstoexploreperceptionsofthesegroupsofpeopletowardsimpactsfromtourismemployment.ThispaperseekstoextendourunderstandingofthesetwoculturallydistinctgroupsbyconsideringthemasemployeesintourismsectorslocatedinChiangMai.TheanalysisdiscussestheperceptionsofKarenandHmongemployees,workingfortourismbusinessmanagedbyThainationals.TheanalysisfocusesupontherespondentsperceptionsregardingtheirperceivedimpactsfromemployingtourismjobwiththeThai.Duetothelimitednumbersofhilltribepeople,twohundredquestionnairesadministered.The researchdemonstrated that theculturalbackgroundsandethnicitiesof thesetwotribesdoeffect theirperceptions resulting in differences in theirviewsof impacts fromworking in thetourism industry.Thatsaid, itcanbebrieflyelaboratedthatdespitea fewsimilarities intheperceptionsoftheKarenandHmongofpositive impactsuponthemselves resulting fromtheirworkingwith the external tourismactions (ETAs), themajor concernswere focusedon the significant differencesintheirperceptionstowardsnegativeimpactsasHmongtendtoperceivemore ofthenegativeimpactswhencomparedtotheKarengroupintermsoflosingtheirvalueandbelief in their traditionsandsacredsitesas theyhadtodealwith themas tourist attractions.Moreover,HongalsostronglyprojectedthattheyhavefailedtomaintaintheirrelationshipwiththeirfamilyduetotheirworkingpatternwiththeETAs.

Keywords:hilltribe,perception,tourismemployment,acculturation

วารสารการบริการและการท่องเที่ยวไทย ปีที่ 12 ฉบับที่ 1 (มกราคม – มิถุนายน 2560)

บทคัดย่อ การศึกษานี้ได้ด�าเนินการในพื้นที่ชุมชนชายขอบของกลุ ่มชาติพันธุ ์กะเหร่ียงและม้งในจังหวัดเชียงใหม่ของประเทศไทยโดยมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อส�ารวจการรับรู้ของกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์เหล่านี้ที่มีผลกระทบจากการเข้าท�างานในสายงานการท่องเที่ยวซึ่งบทความนี้ได้มุ่งท่ีจะขยายความเข้าใจของท้ังสองกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ที่แตกต่างทางวัฒนธรรมด้วยการพิจารณาจากผู้ที่ประกอบอาชีพในภาคธุรกิจการท่องเที่ยวของจังหวัดเชียงใหม่ โดยท�าการวิเคราะห์เกี่ยวกับการรับรู้ของพนักงานชาวกะเหรี่ยงและม้งต่อผลกระทบที่ปฏิบัติงานให้กับธุรกิจการท่องเที่ยวซึ่งจัดการโดยคนไทย เนื่องด้วยกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์มีจ�านวนจ�ากัดจึงเก็บแบบสอบถามจากจ�านวนสองร้อยคนผลการวิจัยแสดงให้เห็นว่าภูมิหลังทางวัฒนธรรมและชาติพันธุ์ของทั้งสองกลุ่มมีผลกับการรับรู้ต่อผลกระทบจากการท�างานในอุตสาหกรรมการท่องเที่ยวที่แตกต่างกัน โดยกลุ่มม้งที่ท�างานในภาคอุตสาหกรรมการท่องเที่ยวมองเห็นถึงผลกระทบด้านลบมากกว่ากลุ่มกะเหรี่ยงในประเด็นเร่ืองการสูญเสียและลืมเลือนวัฒนธรรมประเพณีและความเชื่อของตนเองจากการต้องน�าเสนอสิ่งเหล่านั้นเป็นกิจกรรมท่องเที่ยวที่ใช้สนองตอบความต้องการนักท่องเที่ยวยิ่งไปกว่านั้นกลุ่มม้งยังรับรู้ผลกระทบที่เกิดขึ้นกับตนเองในเรื่องการเปลี่ยนแปลงรูปแบบโครงสร้างในครอบครัวเนื่องจากต้องผันตนเองมาท�างานในสายงานบริการซึ่งท�าให้มีเวลาท�างานที่ไม่แน่นอนและไม่สามารถมีเวลาใช้ชีวิตกับครอบครัวได้ตามวิถีแบบเดิมอีกต่อไป

ค�าส�าคัญ:กลุ่มชาติพันธุ์การรับรู้สายงานในธุรกิจการท่องเที่ยวการผสมผสานทางวัฒนธรรม

Introduction In recentyears therehasbeenagrowth inmulti-culturalworkingenvironments (Fineet al., 1990), notonly in thedevelopedworld (Berry, 1997)but also in less developedcountriesand regions, (Wilsonetal.,2001).Vergunst (2008)argues thatas societiesdevelopeconomically there isan increaseddemand for resources, including humanresourcesandasa result, there isan increaseddegreeof interactionbetweenpeople frommoredeveloped,oftenurbanareasand those fromthe lessdeveloped,oftenruralareas,despitesimilaritiesordissimilaritiesincultureand/orethnicity.TheThaigovernmenthas for sometime recognised tourismasanopportunity for reducing theprosperitygapbetweenurbanand ruralareas, retaining thepopulationand improving thewelfareof rural communities (CommunityBasedTourism Institute (CBT-I), 2008). Therefore,theThaigovernmentpromotesthedevelopmentofhilltribetourismtobothprivateandpublic sector investors inorder tocreate jobopportunities and thereby improvetheincomesoflocalpeople. Inthisresearch‘externaltourismactors’(ETAs)aredefinedasThaientrepreneurswhotendtodominateahostcommunityduetotheirhighersocialstatusandwealthwhen comparedtothehilltribepeople.Theyareindividualsfromoutsidethetribalcommunitywhoarenottourists,butattractedbytheopportunitytodeveloptheirbusinessesinanewlocation. Theperceptionsandattitudesofresidentstowardstourismemploymenthasbeeninvestigated inanumberofstudies (Pizam,1978).However, relatively little researchhasthus farbeenconductedontheperceptionsof twotribalpeoplewhoworkwithETAs,. Twohypotheseswereconsidered;one (Ho) is that the respondents fromeachof the differenttribeshavesimilarexperiences,perceptionsandvaluesinrelationtoemploymentwithindividualsfromoutsidetheircommunity.Thealternativehypothesis(H1)isthatethnictribalandculturaldifferenceswillresultindifferencesintheirviewsoftheiremploymentby individualsofanotherculture in this instanceThainationalwhoare themajorityof theThaipopulation.

Research Objectives Toexploreandcompareperceptionsof thetwoculturallydistinctgroupsofhilltribepeopletowardstheiremploymentintourismbusiness.

Literature Review TheaimofthisresearchistoexploreperceptionsofdifferentgroupsofhilltribepeopleinthenorthernpartofThailandaftertheyhavebeenworkingwiththeETAs,itisvitaltosharetheessentialissueoftheperceptions,theinfluencesuponperceptionsand followedbyculturediversityintheworkplace.SocialExchangetheorywasthemaintheory behindasitrepresentsandexplainshowpeoplethinkandperceivebenefitsandcostsfrom workingwiththeETAs intourism industry.Lastbutnot least, thispaperalsounderlined overviewofthechosenhilltrippeopleandcharacteristicsofETAsasitdirectlyrelatedtothecoreofthispaper.

Definitions of perception SchiffmanandKanuk (1987)academicallydefinetheterminologyofperception as“aprocessbywhichan individual selects,organises, and interprets stimuli intoa meaningfulandcoherentpictureof theworld”Rungapadiachy (1999); Samovarand Porter(1991)offerasimilardefinitiondefiningperceptionasthemethodbywhichstimuliarechosenfromtheexternalenvironmentandinterpretedintoprofoundmeaningfulinternal experiences.According toSmith (2002)perception is aprimary aspectof judgment. Perceptionissignificantinsupportingtheviewsofanindividual,andtheirthinking,about theworld.Itdetermineshowindividualsexperienceobjectsorevents(Haakonssen,2006).Merleau-Ponty(2002)“Perceptionisthebackgroundfromwhichallactsstandout,andispresupposedbythem”.Theemphasisoftheselaterdefinitionsisparticularlyrelevanttothisinvestigation,asithelpsclarifyhowdifferentlygroupofhilltrippeoplewouldperceiveandvaluecertainimpacts.

Influences upon perception AccordingtoBronfenbrenner(1979)perceptionisnottotallyobjective,itdependsonneonatal,childhood,and laterexperiences (Klein,2007).Supaap (1993)pinpointedfivedeterminantsofchanges inperceptionare family, friends, school, careerand the media.InviewofReisingerandTurner(2003)perceptionsareinfluencedbyanumberof externalfactors,economic,social,cultural,geographical,andinternalfactors,demographic, psychographic,andbehaviouristic.Tajfel(1978),SamovarandPorter(1991)andBrislinandCushner(1996)agreeduponthenotionthatoneofthemainfactorsthatdirectlyinfluenceperception isculture. In termsofperceptionsof tourismdevelopment, severalscholars (e.g.,ApandCrompton,1993;BroughamandButler,1981;Husbands,1989;Lawsonetal.,1998;Murphy,1983;Pizam,1978;RyanandMontgomery,1994;Thomasonetal.,1979;Tyrelland

Spaulding,1984)have focusedontheperceptionsof tourismheldby residentsof the destinationcommunity.Thesefindingsdemonstrate thatpeoplewho live in thesamecommunityand share the sameculturedonotnecessarilyhave shared interestsor perceptionsandtheyoftenholdverymixedviews(Hall,1994).Therefore,thebackgroundplaysasignificantroleindirectinghowonethink,feelandlikelytoresultinhowtheyformtheirbehaviours. Cause of cultural diversities in the workplace AccordingtoTung(1993)across-culturalworkgroupoftenformsasaresultofanorganisationrecruitingpeoplefromdifferentculturestoworktogether.Yet,Granroseand Oskamp(1997)highlightseveralfactorsasreasonsforculturaldiversityintheworkplace explaining thatsomegroupsvoluntarilycometo live together (e.g., immigrants, in thiscase theETAs)whileothersare involuntary (e.g., refugees, slaves, indigenouspeoples)orwillinglymove toanew location (e.g., immigrants and refugees)or ifpermanent (e.g.,ethno-cultural groups)or temporary (e.g. sojourners suchas guestworkersand asylumseekers),whileothergroupshavehadthenewculture (e.g., indigenouspeoplesandnationalminorities) (GranroseandOskamp,1997).However,despitedifferentfactorsleadingtotheestablishmentofpluralsocieties,BerryandSam(1996)suggest that the fundamentalprocessesofinterculturalrelationsandpsychologyadaptationappeartobecommonamongthesegroups,whatisdifferentisthedegreeofinteractionofeachgroupwhichcanresultindifferentoutcomes. On theotherhand,GranroseandOskamp (1997)explain that theoutcomeofcontacts inculturallyplural societiescanbedivided into twodomains;acculturationandethnicrelations.While,Berry(1990)pointsoutthatwhenindividualsorgroupshave continuousinterculturalcontacts,changesoccursandtheminoritiesoftenbecomepartofthemainstreamculture.However,GranroseandOskamp(1997)assertthattheresultsfromtheinteractioncouldvaryduetoanumberoffactors,social,politicalandpsychological factorsthatcharacterisethetwogroupsincontact.Moreover,theyjustifythatacculturationandethnicrelationsinpluralsocietiescanresultinoutcomesthatrangefromconflictandstresstomutualaccommodationandadaptation.

Social Exchange Theory Understanding the roleof socialexchange theoryandwhat it represents can contributegreatlytothemain ideaofthispaperas itexplainshowonewouldperceivebenefitsandcostsof their interactionwithcertain issue.Sutton (1967)assertsthathost

andguestcontactscanbecomparedtoasocialexchange,andthattherefore,thesocial interactionbetweenoutsidersandhost residentscanbeassessed intermsofperceivedcosts andbenefits. Social exchange theory (SET), hasbeenwidelyused in tourism research todetermine resident’sperceptions in touristdestinations (Allenetal.,1993; Anderecketal.,2005;Ap,1992;Nash,1989;Perdueetal.,1987).Severalresearchershaveapplied this theory tostudydiversityofperceptions inasinglecommunity (Ap,1992; Jurowskietal.,1997;Madrigal,1993;Perdueetal.,1987).Thesestudiesfoundthathostresidents favour tourismwhen thebenefits theyacquire fromtourism is greater thantheir losses.The theoryassumes thatpeople selectexchangeshavingassessed the rewards and the costs (Ap, 1992). Theoretically, residentswhoview the resultsof tourismaspersonallyvaluableandbelievethatthecostsdonotexceedthebenefitswill perceivemorepositivelyandfavourthe introductionoftourism(Ap,1992;Turner,1981)andthesestudiessupportthishypothesis.

Hill tribe people in Thailand Thailandhasapopulationofaround70million(Colin,2014)andhostsavarietyofethnicgroups,thehilltribeminoritygroupsinthenorthofThailand,estimatedat914,755(SocialDevelopmentCenter,2008)arenotan indigenouspopulationandhavebeen relocatingaroundSoutheastAsia forover1000years.Rajani (2002)argues that these tribeshavemovedtoThailandduebothtotheir traditionalnomadic lifestyle -moving aroundona7yearcyclepracticinga“slashandburn”, ‘swidden’ farming techniques,coupledwithpoliticalandeconomicproblemsandother socialpressures (Evrardand Leepreecha, 2009; Eversole et al., 2005;Hall andPatrinos, 2006;McKinnon, 2003). Rajani (2002) suggest that theKarenpeoplemoved toThailandapproximately 200yearsagowhereas theHmongenteredThailand later,around150yearsago, scattered throughoutthecountrybutoccurprimarilyintheremotemountainsofthenorth(Toyota, 2005).However,an increasingnumberofhilltribepeople inThailand inrecentdecades have shownawillingness toparticipate indevelopmentprogrammeswith thehope of becoming closer tomainstreamThai society (Aguettant, 1996; Buadang, 2004; Wijeyewardene,1990).CharlesandMiMi,1961;Cohen,1989;Nadel,1995;andParry(2007)suggestthathilltribepeopleliveinsocietiesthatappeartobedistinctanddifferentfrommanycontemporarysocieties includingThai society.Cummings (2005)andWall (1996) claim thathill tribepeople tend tohave lower standardsof living.McKinnon (2003) describes thestereotypeofhill tribepeopleas“forest simpletons”.They tend tobe treatedasasecondclasscitizenoftenbeingmistreatedbythemajoritygroupsinThailandandlesspowerwhencomparedtootherethnicgroupsinthecountry.

Hill tribe tourism and External Tourism Actors (ETAs) The rangesofactual/potential tourismactivities inhill tribe locationsarenotonly interesting for touristsbutalso for stakeholders, investorsandbusinessmenwho foresee theopportunities todevelop tourismbusinesses (Cohen,2000).Thepotentialforhilltribetourismistogenerate incomeforthenation;thus,thegovernment,private sector investorsandvariousNGO’s, theThaiRoyalFamily,consideredastheETAshave provideemploymentopportunitiesforlocalhilltriberesidentsandasaresulthavecreated multi-culturalworkplaces introduceda rangeof activities forhill tribe community destinations, i.e. the Royal Project, an agriculturally based foundation has been promotingcashcropsandhilltribetourismasreplacementsforgrowingtheopiumpoppy(Rajani,2002;RoyalProjectFoundation (RPF),2003).Variousgovernment led initiatives have sought toencouragehill tribepeople tobecome involved in tourismwith the primarygoalstoprovidesupplementaryincomeandtoprovidegenuineknowledgeaboutthesepeopletorectifyanymisunderstandingamongoutsiders,and importantlytohelpboost theThaieconomy.More recentlymanyETAshaveenteredthesehill tribeareaswiththeintentionofdevelopingtourismbusinesses(ThaiDevelopmentResearchInstitute (TDRI),1997).

Methodology Atwostage integratedmethodologywasadoptedtogatherprimarydata. In the first stage, focusgroupswereconductedwith respondents fromeach tribewhowere employedbyETAs.TheprofilesofthefocusgrouprespondentsaregiveninTable1. The focus groupdiscussionsexplored the following themes; typesof tourism businesses,degreeof involvement, reasons forworkingwithETAs, and theconflicts encountered in theworkplaceandfinally, thevillagersproposedsolutions.Thedatafromthesefocusgroupswereanalysed,usingcontentanalysis,andgroupedtogetherto identifythemajorthemesrelatingtotherespondentsexperienceofemploymentwithETAsanumberofwhichhadnotemergedfromtheprecedingreviewoftheliterature.Thesefindingstogetherwiththefindingsoftheliteraturereviewwereusedtocreateanddesigna questionnaire,distributedtoasampleof respondents in theselectedcommunities to identifytheperceptionsandattitudesofKarenandHmongrespondents.Therespondents wereaskedto indicate their levelofagreementwithaseriesofstatements relating to: 1) thetypesof tourismbusinesses,2) theirdegreeof involvement,3) their reasons for workingwithETAs,4)theconflictstheyencounteredwithETAs,andfinallytheirproposed solutions.EachstatementwasevaluatedonafivepointLikertscale,where1=strongly disagreeand5=stronglyagree.

Apilotstudyleadingtoamodificationofthequestionnairewasundertakenwitha sampleof respondentswhohadexperienced the roleofETAs in theexpansionof tourisminDoiInthanonandwerethereforeabletorelatetothequestionnaire.Theresultsfromthepilot testsdemonstrated thatsomefurtherclarificationwas requiredandalso demonstratedthatface-to-faceinterviewswouldbeessentialassomeoftherespondents haddifficulties inunderstanding theThai languageandothersdidnot like to readthe questions;hence,togainasaccurateinformationaspossible,interviewercompletionwas essential. Itwasclear fromthe focusgroupsandgeneralobservations in thevillagesthatthemajorityofboth tribesare stillemployed inagricultureorothernonETA-relatedjobs.UnfortunatelynorecordsordataexistsastohowmanyoftheKarenandHmongin Doi InthanonworkwithETAs.Anestimateofmadebythevillageheadmenfrombothtribesindicatedthatapproximately150oftheirtribalmembersworkforETAs,representing approximately15%ofeach tribalcommunity.Basedupon this informationa samplesizeof100 respondents fromeachtribewhowork forETAswasagreed.Logisticaland pragmaticfactors,notleastthedifficultyoffindingrespondentsathomeduringdaylight resulted inasnowballingapproachtosamplingbeingappliedtoreach100respondentsfromeachtribe,workingwithETAs.DatawasanalysedusingSPSSVersion16.Descriptivedataincludingfrequency,meanscoreandmedianwereusedindiscussingthedistributionof responsesgatheredduringthequantitativesurvey.DifferencesbetweenthesamplesweredeterminedbasedupontheMannWhitneyUtest, isbasedonranks, themedian(middle rank),andtherefore,meanrange is themostappropriatesummarystatistics toreport (PeacockandKerry,2007).However, in this instancemedianscores,meanvalueandthefrequenciesofeachvariablearegiven,toclarifytheinterpretationoftheresults (e.g., Shohametal., 2006;Xuetal., 2009).Whilenominal andcategoricaldatawas collectedthemajoritywasordinalbeingderived fromfivepointLikertscalesandwas non-parametric (Field,2006); therefore, theMannWhitneyUtestwasusedtoanalysetheperceptionsof thedifferent independent sample groups (Polit andBeck, 2004). Furthermore,thechi-squaretestwasusedintheanalysisofthenominalandcategoricaldatacollected(Field,2006)e.g., typeofemployment,degreeof involvement,proposedsolutions forperceivedconflicts. Inbothcases the significantvalue for rejecting the nullhypothesiswas0.05(Field,2006;Pallant,2001).

Perceptions of impacts arising from working with ETAsSimilarities Table1SimilaritiesintheperceptionsoftheKarenandHmongofimpactsuponthemselvesandotheremployeesresultingfromtheirworkingwithETAs

Equally,every respondent fromboth theKarenandHmongsharedtheopinion(mean>4.5)thatdemandswerehigherforfemalelabourandbyworkingwithETAshasgiventhemmoreconfidenceandallowedthemtobemoreopenandtoworkmoreeasilywithothernontribalpeople.ThiscanbesupportedbyAp,(1992)whoproposedthatpeople, especiallyhost residents, tendto favour tourismwhenthebenefits theyacquire from tourism isgreater than their losses.Turner (1981)alsoclaims that thesocialexchange theoryplaysasignificant role in thiscontextbysupporting thisfindingsas the theory assumesthatpeopleselectexchangeshavingassessedthe rewardsandthecostsfirstthendecidewhetheritworthdoingornot.Thisconceptisconsistencewiththeresultsofthisstudyasbothgroupsalsorecognisedthatwhiletheir incomeincreasedsodidtheir expenditures.Theywerealso inclined toagree that theyhavechangedthemselves to becomemore‘Thai’ likeasa resultofworkingwithETAs.Thismaybeduetothe factthat theyaremorewillingly toparticipate in the tourism industry,although theymay

VariablesMean Rank

of agree and strongly agreeMean Score

5=strongly agree

Perceived impacts resulting from working with ETAs

Karen Hmong Sig. Karen Hmong

The arrival of ETAs has resulted in agreaterdemandforfemalelabour

104.24 99.87 .549 4.51 4.41

I’vemoreconfidenceafterworkingwithETAs,andcaneasilyworkwithalltypeofnationalities

108.37 95.94 .061 4.75 4.62

Mycolleaguesalwaysmake funofmebeinga tribalpersonwhichmakesmewanttolosemyidentity

99.86 104.03 .507 2.43 2.50

Tribalpeoplehavechangedthemselvesto be more ‘Thai l ike’ after theirinteractionwithETAs

98.14 105.68 .323 3.58 3.92

Iearnmore incomefromETAsbutwithmoreexpendituresaswell

107.16 97.09 .166 4.40 4.32

Ihavefailedinkeepingintouchwithmytribalfriends

97.82 105.98 .232 1.68 1.85

needtolosesomethinginreturn,buttheygettoacceleratethemselvestoinvolveinthe developmentprogrammeswiththehopeofbecomingclosertomainstreamThaisociety(Aguettant,1996;Buadang,2004;Wijeyewardene,1990). Howeverthisissuewasnotthebiggestconcernforthemajorityoftherespondentsfromthequestionnaireasbothsetsofrespondentsdisagreed(mean<2)thatasaresult ofworkingwithETAstheyfailedtokeepintouchwiththeirtribalfriends.

DifferencesTable2Differences inperceptionsof theKarenandHmong towards impactsupon themselvesandotheremployeesresulting fromtheirworkingwithETAs (figures inboldindicatesignificantdifferences)

TheresultsfromthetablesaboverevealedthattheKarenandHmongperceived similarlymanypositive impactsresultingfromworkingwithETAs.Yet,theMannWhitneyUtestidentifiedsomesignificantdifferencesintheirperceptionstowardstheissueslistedabove.

VariablesMean Rank

of agree and strongly agreeMean Score

5=strongly agree

Perceived impacts resulting from working with ETAs

Karen Hmong Sig. Karen Hmong

I’vedevelopedfriendshipswithnontribalpeoplefromworkingwithETAs

115.28 89.36 <.001 4.35 3.89

I’ve learnt other cultures and see nontribal fashion, food andmusic byworkingwithETAs

116.39 88.30 <.001 4.33 3.92

I’ve learntnewskillsand improvedmyThaiandEnglishlanguageskills

117.68 87.07 <.001 4.71 4.39

Iwant to promote and preservemy cultural products, e.g., culture, dresscodes,andfood

119.30 85.53 <.001 4.03 3.27

Afterworkingwith ETAs, I’ve abetter appreciationofmyculture

121.98 82.98 <.001 4.01 3.33

I’ve lostmybelief inmytraditionsandsacred sites after workingwith ETAs because I dealwith them as tourist attractions

89.33 114.06 .001 1.47 1.82

I’ve failed tokeepupmy relationshipwithmyfamily

81.06 121.93 <.001 1.76 2.41

Figure1DifferencesinperceivedimpactsresultingfromworkingwithETAs:comparisonofmeansforKarenandHmong(5=stronglyagree)

The results fromtheMann-WhitneyU test showedthat the twoethnicgroups perceivedsevenof the thirteen impactsdifferently. Itcanbeexplainedthatexternal environmentplayan important role indirectinghowonewould interpret theworldtheyarein,yet,thegreaterinfluencewouldbefromtheindividualprofoundmeaningful internalexperiences(SchiffmanandKanuk,1987;SamovarandPorter,1991).AcalculationofeffectsizewasperformedbasedontheirZ-scoresof theresultsthatholdsignificant differences intheirviews.Howevertheresultsrepresentsmalltomediumeffect (below the .3criterion) for theviewof impacts fromtheiremploymentwithETAs.Therefore, itcanbeconcludedthattheirexperiencesofimpacts,showninFigure1,weresignificantly different.However,thesedifferenceswerenotthatsignificantastheyonlyheldsmalltomediumeffectsize. Havingcomparedsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwoethnicgroups,thefollowing tablesshowtheresults fromtheMann-Whitney test forsignificantdifferences inperceivedpositiveandnegative impactsbetweenmalesand femaleswithineach ethnicgroup(intra-tribalgroupbygender),aswellasacrosstheethnicsgroup(inter-tribalgroupbygender).ThefindingsfromthisstudycanclearlybeexplainedbySamovarandPorter(1991)thatoneofthemainfactorsthatdirectlyinfluenceperceptioniscultureand supportedbyGranroseandOskamp(1997)whobelievedthatculturestronglyinfluencestheenvironmentinwhichpeopleareraised,inthatitexposesthemtoexperiencesand producesmeanings.BerryandSam(1996)alsoemphasisedthatoncepeoplewhoholdadifferent setofcultureandvaluearecrossingeachother; it ismost likely result in

diversityandoften leads toaconflictwhenthere isnopropermanagementandpoor foundationofunderstandingculturedifferences.

Conclusion Cultureplaysasignificantroleindirectinghowoneperceivesandinterpretsthings.Asaresult, it ismoreorlessreflectingontheirbehaviourtowardscertainsituation,and forthiscaseisatourismemploymentwiththeThais.Thefindingsfromthisstudysuggestthatthoughtourismbusinesscanenormouslydrawattentionandattractminoritygroups ofpeopletoworkinthisindustryduetotheobviouseconomicbenefits,yetthehilltrip people fromdifferent cultural backgrounds tend toperceive and act upon things differently.

Recommendations Understandingperceptionsofpeople,especiallythosewhoholdadifferentvalueand fromadifferentculturalbackgroundcan leadtoamoreappropriatemanagement for tourismemployment.Therefore, a combinationof insight intoculturally specific perceptions, behaviours and understanding of broader cultural value is strongly recommended inaworkingenvironmentwithahighdiversity.Thus, tourismemployers shouldbewell-awareandprepared tohandleandaccommodatedifferentmind-set from their employees. Abetter understanding of culturally embedded values and perceptionsofthehill tribeemployeesshouldresult ina rewardingworkingexperience forthemandeffectivemanagementfortourismemployers.

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On the Edge of Thai Society toward Tourism Employment · According to Smith (2002) perception is a...

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