Thailand today stands as a striking example of an economy deeply rooted in global tourism dependency. Decades of development oriented toward foreign visitors have generated prosperity —while simultaneously creating new layers of vulnerability and inequality. As beaches, temples, and markets become projection surfaces for Western desires, many Thai people bear the ecological, social, and cultural costs of this dependency.
Modernization cuts through old neighborhoods, traditional ways of life become commodified, and land increasingly shifts into foreign hands. At the same time, industries such as fishing and construction operate within the shadow networks of a globalized economy, where modern exploitation and precarity remain ever-present yet rarely visible.
What remains of a country whose identity has been turned into a commodity?