A comparative study of Thai and foreign tourists’ satisfaction and experience and how they influenced the tourists to revisit Chiang Rai

  • Nophadon Jindatham

Abstract

This research was aimed at 1) studying and comparing the satisfactions of Thai and foreign tourists who visited Chiang Rai; 2) studying and comparing the travel experiences of Thai and foreign tourists who visited Chiang Rai and; 3) investigating whether their satisfaction or travel experiences had more influences on their decision to revisit Chiang Rai. The participants in this study were 400 Thai and foreign tourists and a questionnaire survey was used as the instrument. The data analysis was conducted using percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA and multiple linear regression determined at .05 level of significance. Findings demonstrated that the participants had a high level of satisfaction, especially in terms of history and archeological sites. The participantsoverall travel experiences were also highly rated, especially in terms of escapism (namely, they felt like being themselves). Both groups of participants rated highest in the prospect of revisiting Chiang Rai (namely, in future, they will return to Chiang Rai for a visit again).Testing the hypothesis, the researcher discovered that the participantsplace of origin, age, monthly income, duration of stay and frequency of travel were not different when it came to satisfaction. However, their age and monthly income differently determined their travel experiences, statistically at .05 level of significance. Their differences in place of origin, duration of stay and frequency of travel did not however affect the participantstravel experiences in Chiang Rai.Investigating the influences of the participantssatisfaction and experience on their tendencies to revisit Chiang Rai, the researcher learned that travel experience accounted for 41.40% with escapism as the most influential factor. Satisfaction, on the other hand, accounted for only 30.00% with society and culture as the most influential factor. The difference was statistically significant at .05.

Published
2020-01-13
How to Cite
Jindatham, N. (2020). A comparative study of Thai and foreign tourists’ satisfaction and experience and how they influenced the tourists to revisit Chiang Rai. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29(2), 1423 - 1434. Retrieved from http://sersc.org/journals/index.php/IJAST/article/view/3382