Tourism Policy Architecture in Southeast Asia: Examining Thailand and Indonesia's Approaches to Sustainable Tourism Development

Abstract

Thailand and Indonesia, two popular Southeast Asian travel destinations dealing with serious
environmental issues as a result of increasing tourism demands, are the subjects of this study, which
compares their approaches to sustainable tourism growth. Although both nations have adopted
sustainable tourism policies, their governance frameworks and implementation tactics vary significantly,
providing an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of diverse policy architectures. This research uses
qualitative document analysis and media framing analysis of policy documents, institutional reports, and
media coverage from 2019 to 2023 to compare the tourism policy frameworks and environmental
protection outcomes of the two countries. The results indicate that Thailand's centralized strategy yields
more uniform environmental enhancements, demonstrating quantifiable effectiveness in marine
ecosystem conservation (25% improvement) and garbage reduction (45% drop in tourist regions).
Conversely, Indonesia's decentralized system has disparate regional performance, marked by significant
accomplishments in community-driven programs although facing difficulties in upholding uniform
standards throughout locations. The study's ramifications reach beyond Southeast Asia, providing
significant insights for developing countries managing the equilibrium between tourism expansion and
environmental conservation. This research enhances the literature on sustainable tourism policy by
creating a comparative methodology to assess policy efficacy across various governance forms, particularly
pertinent to places undergoing rapid tourism development.