Influence of Destination Image and Authenticity toward Perceived Value of Cultural Tourism in Thailand with Gender and Age as a Moderators

Abstract

This research is a quantitative research with the objectives were 1) study the influence of destination image and authenticity on perceived value in cultural tourism; 2) to study the influence of destination image and authenticity on perceived value in cultural tourism with gender as a moderator; and 3) to study the influence of destination image and authenticity on perceived value in cultural tourism with ages as a moderator. The sample consisted of 397 Thai tourists aged 20 years and over who had traveled to cultural tourism in the past 4 years. The research tool was a questionnaire and using Cronbach's alpha coefficient to find the confidence of the questionnaire. The statistics were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, multiple regression analysis and hierarchy multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the infrastructure of the destination image, environment image, objective authenticity and existential authenticity have the influence on perceived value at the statistical significance level of 0.05, which could mutually describe the perceived value by 56.2%. Moreover, when tested the gender moderator effect, it was found that gender was a moderator between the destination image and the perceived value; and between the authenticity and the perceived value which the females will increase the influence between destination image and perceived value while reducing the influence between authenticity and perceived value. Whereas, ages as a moderator, it was found that aged 30-39 years old had a higher influence between destination image and perceived value, while reducing the influence between authenticity and perceived value.