An investigation of major aspects influencing domestic tourists’ choosing of upscale hotels in Phuket during COVID-19

Abstract

Phuket is one of the most successful tourist destinations in Thailand but has been heavily impacted by COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 resulted in Phuket’s 2020 tourist arrivals falling to just 4 million and its revenue to 108 billion baht (Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 2021). For many years, hospitality and tourism have been the growth drivers of Phuket’s economy. Consequently, the objective of this study is to investigate the deterministic factors for selecting an upscale hotel during the pandemic. A quantitative approach was adopted employing over 420 usable questionnaires that were completed at three tourist destinations in Phuket. Then, data analysis of descriptive statistics was used to determine tourists’ characteristics and behavior while inferential statistics of factor analysis was used to investigate meaningful relationships between variables. Furthermore, a binary logistic regression was implemented to investigate the hotel factors that influenced the possibility of upscale hotel selection. The results indicated that hotel service and facilities, hotel image and reputation, and hotel location and design have a significant impact on the selection of an upscale hotel. According to the
findings, the upscale hotel must emphasize for the customer positive perceptions of hotel service and facilities, the hotel’s image and reputation, and the hotel’s location and design to attract domestic tourists during the pandemic. Furthermore, the outcome of this study would provide insights into the needs of domestic tourists in Phuket, enabling the hospitality and tourism industries to provide appropriate products and services.