Guidelines for the Development of Natural Tourism, Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study Thai tourists’ behavior in traveling to natural attractions in Chaiyaphum Province, and 2) to study the marketing mix of Thai tourists towards natural attractions Chaiyaphum Province. This research was a quantitative research. A research instrument was a questionnaire. The population of this study consisted of 400 people Data were analyzed using statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation (SD), Chi-square test, t-test, One-way ANOVA (F-test), and Scheffe's method for a pairwise comparison with a statistical significance level of 0.05. The results of this study indicated as follows: 1. Main purposes of traveling were for relax, travel, participating in musical fair, sports events, festivals and traditions, paying homage to monks, and making merit. For the nature of traveling, the respondents travelled with their family and relatives. There were 4 to 5 members in each trip. Travel period was between Saturday and Sunday. Travel frequency was 2 to 3 times. Most of the travel expenses were between 1,001 to 3,000 baht. A favorite attraction was Tat Ton National Park. 2. In terms of the respondents’ attitude towards the marketing mix, for Product, various activities were available for tourists’ participation in, that were suitable for all genders and ages. For Price, reasonable pricing for activities in natural attractions was set. For Place, accessibility to tourist attractions was easy, convenient and safe. For Promotion, advertising media was various that could be exposed to tourists of all genders and ages. For People, staff’s personality was polite, suitable, dressed appropriately for the service. For Physical evidence, the atmosphere and landscape in the tourist attraction was beautiful, clean, tidy and safe. Lastly, for Process, the process of visiting tourist attractions was not complicated.