A Review of Cultural Heritage Tourism Research on the Death Railway in Thailand
Keywords:
Death Railway, Thailand-Burma Railway, cultural heritage tourism, Kanchanaburi, museum interpretation, heritage governanceAbstract
This article critically discusses the Death Railway in Thailand as a cultural heritage tourism landscape rather than merely as a wartime remnant or dark tourism attraction. Focusing on Kanchanaburi, it examines how the railway has been reinterpreted through museums, memorial spaces, railway journeys, visitor experience, local tourism development, and heritage governance. The discussion argues that the Death Railway’s contemporary value lies in the interaction between historical memory, interpretation, development, and governance. It concludes that Thailand’s future use of the Death Railway should balance tourism development with historical responsibility, stronger museum interpretation, local participation, and more inclusive remembrance of both prisoners of war and Asian labourers.
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