Introduction
Over the years many people have taken to vacationing as a way of enriching their lives as opposed to before where people opted to spend their money largely on material enrichment. This is because vacationing paves way for new experiences and allows people to satisfy their curiosity as to what exists in other places (Berger xii). The financial beneficiaries are the destination towns, cities, or countries which has led many countries to make great returns from the tourism sector. According to Burkardt, tourism has been termed as the largest industry across the globe, having surpassed others like the oil industry (3).
Taking a vacation requires a lot of planning in advance to ensure that everything works well from the time one leaves for the vacationing destination to the time he or she returns from the vacation. Time, finances, destination, accommodation, transportation, and climatic conditions are just some of the factors to take into consideration. The reason why one is taking a vacation also forms a major basis for decision making. When faced with a choice between different destinations, one compares the different factors in relation to each other and picks the destination site that fits most with the reasons for vacationing. In this paper, I will compare two vacation destinations, which are Thailand and Paris, and based on my findings determine the more viable destination.
Thailand
According to Berger (3), Thailand is an independent Kingdom located in South East Asia and is governed under a constitutional monarchy with a king as the Head of State and leader of the Armed Forces wh9o is charged with the duty of upholding the Buddhist Religion which is the official religion in the country as well as other religions in the Kingdom. Its capital city is Bangkok which is the hub of the Kingdom’s cultural, industrial, political, commercial activities. The majority of the population is Thai while the Chinese, Malay and other minority tribes making up the rest of the population and Thai is the official Kingdom language. Due to the industrialization that took place in the country in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Kingdom has become recognized as a major tourist destination site with tourism returns making major contributions to the Kingdom’s economy.
Thailand has manifested itself as a major tourism and vacation destination because of its exotic Islands and other scenery, its customary hospitality and peoples’ friendliness even to strangers, its historical and traditional culture which has, by and large, stood the test of time as well as the availability of a large range of exotic cuisines.
Paris
Paris is the capital city of France and is located in the Northern part of the country. Over the years it has established a name in the tourism industry as one of the world’s major tourist destinations due to the presence and influences of sectors such as media, education, fashion, entertainment, business as well its cultural diversity, major landmarks, popular parks, and other scenic sites. These different aspects have contributed to the progress that the city has achieved therefore making it a major contributor to the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
Comparison between Paris and Thailand as Vacationing Destinations
Thailand and Paris have proven their worth as major vacation destinations but in order to come up with the preferred destination of choice, my comparison will be based on the following aspects:
Financial Aspect: When choosing a vacation location, it is important to consider one financial position as well as the amount of money one is willing to spend while on the vacation. Paris is known to be one of the most expensive cities in the world meaning that as a vacation location it would also prove to be expensive. This is in terms of the transportation cost, the accommodation cost, and the cost of other expenses such as food, shopping, and tour operators among others. Compared to Paris, Thailand is less expensive in terms of all the areas that have been mentioned above. Therefore for someone seeking to spend less on vacation and at the same time get a full vacation experience, the Kingdom of Thailand would prove to be a more feasible choice.
Scenery: In as much as vacationing is all about relaxing and taking a break from an everyday hectic life, it also provides a chance for people to explore new places that they would otherwise not be able to explore in their day-to-day life. The scenery may either be man-made or natural. Paris is known to be a very artistic city with monumental structures such as the Eiffel Tower which has been in existence since 1889 being the most recognizable. The Louvre Museum, the Basilique du Sacre Couer, and Notre Dame de Paris cathedrals and Disneyland are also major tourist attraction sites and would definitely make Paris a good vacation location (Jaegel para. 3-5). For a person who prefers art, Musee du Louvre would prove beneficial as it holds some of the world’s most famous works of art such as the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. Thailand on the other hand offers largely natural geographical scenery. The Northern Part of the Kingdom is characterized by a mountainous topography with Doi Inthanon being the highest of the Kingdoms mountains, the central part of the Kingdom is mostly flat with the Khorat plateau being a major feature and the region while the Southern part of the Kingdom’s main feature is the Kra Isthmus which links the Malay Peninsula with Asia’s mainland. The Mekong River and the Chao Phraya also provide a scenic destination and someone considering to vacation in Thailand would enjoy the view. Based on the information provided the choice of whether to visit Thailand or Paris would be based on whether a person prefers a more natural geographic scenery or more manmade artistic features the two destinations offer respectively.
Climate: In order to pick the best vacationing location, one has to consider the destination’s climate and weather conditions to determine the best time of the year to visit. Extreme weather conditions are in most cases not good for people planning to take vacations as they are likely not to enjoy different outdoor activities. Thailand is a tropical Kingdom and therefore enjoys a tropical climate which means that it is mostly hot throughout the year but this does not mean that there are no seasonal variations from region to region. These variations lead to three different climatic seasons; Between December and February it is cool but dry, between March and June it is normally very hot which is followed by the rainy season between June and November (Hoare 12). Paris is characterized by an oceanic kind of climate and therefore does not experience extreme temperature, whether high or low. Paris experiences four climatic seasons, which are summer, winter, spring and autumn (Gelber 46). The climatic and weather conditions in both destinations are favorable and one just has to choose the time of the year which best suits him to go on vacation but be careful to avoid those times which experience conditions which are on either extreme of the chart.
Culture and Religion: One should always consider the culture of the preferred vacation location because there are regions or countries which have strict cultures and conformity to such is necessary as long as one is there. Only pick a location where you will be most comfortable. Thailand has maintained a large part of its traditional customs and customs but this is not to say that the people of the Kingdom have not been influenced by the Western culture. Thais are mostly known for their hospitality meaning they are very accommodating even to foreigners. Such a country would prove beneficial and the experiences are also likely to be good for someone on vacation. Even though the country mostly conforms to the Buddhist religion, other religions are accommodated meaning one is not likely to face opposition on the basis of their religion. Paris is a large cosmopolitan city and the people are also welcoming to outsiders. The culture here is not as defined as in Thailand and one of the most shared cultures among the people is the love for theater. Food which forms part of a place’s culture is as diverse as the people living in the city. Fashion and entertainment though not largely specific play a major role in shaping people’s behavior in the city and makes a good vacation location for people interested in these fields. The cuisine of the Thais is mainly composed of five distinctive tastes which are made of spicy, salty, bitter, sweet, and sour tastes and the Kingdom’s staple food is rice and it forms part of every meal. In order to have a full cultural experience, it would be advisable to visit Thailand during festive seasons and holidays. If one is looking for a cultural experience and want to learn more about other people’s culture during vacation, Thailand would be the place to visit. If one is looking for a different city experience then Paris should be the destination of choice.
Stability and Security: A countries general stability matters a lot when picking a vacationing location as one would not want to visit an unstable destination in terms of political stability. France is a largely politically stable country and in effect, Paris is also politically stable. This means that one is assured of safety from political uproars and also the level of security in the city is high.
Thailand has a long history of political instability since 1932 where the Kingdom underwent a transition from being a complete monarchy to a constitutional monarchy to the military coup in 2006. In 2008, the political uncertainty was brought to an end when the court dissolved the then Prime Minister’s rule paving way for a new one who is currently serving the Kingdom. Such political uproars do little in building people’s confidence about the country as a vacation location or tourist destination site and in effect harms the Kingdom’s economy and largely growing tourism sector (Kipgen para. 1-3). Vacations normally call for peace of mind and as such the assurance of safety and security is a major factor to consider before picking a country as a vacation destination. On this note, Paris would prove to be a more viable vacation destination as compared to Thailand.
Conclusion
Vacations have become a significant part of peoples’ lives and more and more are striving to visit other parts of the world during their free time in search of new and different experiences. The decision as to which destination is most likely to fulfill one’s desires is normally based on various factors as mentioned above. The weight attached to these factors varies from person to person and in the end, the destination of choice is an individual decision.
From the information gathered above Paris has proven to be a more viable vacation location as far as the whole vacation in the city feel is concerned. This does not however mean that Thailand does not have a lot to offer. For a more cultural and natural feel to a vacation, it proves to be the best destination of choice compared to Paris. It is also less expensive meaning that for a completely new experience and the need to see how other people live away from city life, it would be a better choice. The Thailand Kingdom should therefore seek to maintain political stability as this would draw more people to tour it and create more economic benefits for the people and the Kingdom as a whole.
Works Cited
Berger, Asa., Thailand Tourism. New York: Haworth Press Inc, 2007. Print.
Burkardt, Nicole., Critical Assessment of the Theory and Practice of Strategic Planning for Tourism and Leisure: Analyzed on the Basis of Disneyland Paris. Germany: Auflage Publishers, 2005. Print.
Gelber, Ethan., Cycling France. 2nd Edition. California: Lonely Planet Publishers, 2009. Print.
Hoare, Timothy., Thailand: A Global Studies Handbook. California: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print.
Jaegel, Wolf., “Paris Is an Incredible Destination to Spend a Wonderful Vacation”. Article Base. 2007. Web.
Kipgen, Nehginpao., Instability in Thailand. The Korea Times. 2009. Web.