Semiotic landscapes in Bangkok’s Chinatown as a tourist destination

The aims of this study were to investigate the semiotic landscapes (SLs) in Bangkok’s Chinatown from the social semiotic perspective, to identify the types of semiotic resources that make Bangkok’s Chinatown a tourist destination, and to examine tourists’ stances toward the SLs. In total, 108 tourists participated in this research, in which a qualitative analysis was mainly used. The results revealed that six types of semiotic resources merged to index the SLs in Bangkok’s Chinatown, namely the Chinese language, colors, decorations, images, products and food displays, and architecture. The participants’ positive stance toward Bangkok’s Chinatown was elicited by the integration of decorations, colors, and the Chinese language, whereas their negative stance was based on the lack of Chinese-style architecture, the lack of the Chinese language on certain signs, and insufficient information in Chinese on some signs. Different types of semiotic resources functioned in conjunction to establish the SLs of Bangkok’s Chinatown as a tourist destination. Although the combination of languages, colors, decorations, and images created a Chinese atmosphere and positive stance toward Bangkok’s Chinatown among the tourists, the deficiencies in the architecture resulted in the insufficient presentation of Chinese culture and the culture and history of the Chinese diaspora in Bangkok.