AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BEHAVIOR OF THAI TOURISTS AND THE INFLUENCING FACTORS IN CHOOSING NATURAL TOURISM FORMATS IN BUENG KAN PROVINCE

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the behavior of Thai tourists that affect the choice of natural tourism in Bueng Kan Province, 2) study the channels of public relations news exposure that affect the choice of natural tourism in Bueng Kan Province, and 3) study the differences in demographic characteristics that affect the choice of natural tourism in Bueng Kan Province. This research is a quantitative research. The research instrument is an online questionnaire. The index of consistency of each question with the objective or content (Index of Consistency: IOC) was calculated by 3 experts. The sample group was selected by purposive sampling. The sample group consisted of 400 tourists in Bueng Kan Province. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The data were then analyzed by multiple regression analysis (MRA) with a statistical significance level of 0.05.

The research results found that 1) The tourist behavior of Thai tourists that affects the choice of natural tourism forms according to the natural tourism components is significant at the 0.05 level, namely, the duration of the trip and spending on tourism, which affect the decision to travel. 2) The factors of media and public relations channels affect the choice of natural tourism forms according to the natural tourism components are significant at the 0.05 level, namely, relatives/siblings/acquaintances and social media. If the person who provides the information is a reliable and influential person, the information will be reliable as well, which affects the decision to make, can persuade people to make a decision more easily, and the information can be distributed quickly and understandably. However, the differences in demographics do not affect the choice of natural tourism forms according to the natural tourism components in Bueng Kan Province. They want to buy a residence that promotes a lifestyle, gives importance to design and technology that saves energy and is environmentally friendly.