Paper Title
Monuments and Shrines: Perception of Thai Historical Tourism

Abstract
The concept of monument and shrine was combined in Thai belief. Monuments are not represented memory of the dead but became a place to hold spirit of historical figure who transformed into guardian or deity. Since Thais believed in guardian spirit of historical figures, the monument or the shrine were built in order to pay respect to the King or hero, and also to gained attentions from public as a place to visit since it is a historical place and pilgrimage. The Monuments and Shrines of historical figures became famous tourist attractions that helped local economy. Government agencies such as Tourism Authority of Thailand and Cultural office of each province also supported the idea of festival or activities that involved h either to pay respect to the king or to use his name as a part of festival in order to promote tourism. Keywords - Thai historical figure, Thai historical tourism, local hero, monument, religion tourism