Journal of Thai Hospitality and Tourism

The Guidelines to Manage Natural Resource Impacts of Nature-Based Tourism Attractions in Phuket Province

Unchun Tuntates, Komsit Kieanwatana, Krittika Sainaratchai — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study aimed to examine tourists' perceptions of the impacts on tourism resources in natural attractions in Phuket province, as well as the factors that influence these perceptions, in order to provide guidelines and suggestions for managing these impacts. Data were collected from 400 tourists of the 10 natural attractions in Phuket.

The results showed that the environment of natural attractions in Phuket matches what tourists expected before the visit. As for the results of perceived impacts on natural attractions in various issues, the results of the analysis revealed that most of the respondents perceived the impacts at a moderate level (x̅ = 3.02, S.D. = 1.22). The hypothesis testing showed that education level, sex, occupation, and income were significantly correlated with tourists’ expectations of visiting natural attractions in Phuket (p<0.05). Furthermore, the objective to travel, travel group, and the estimated cost of traveling differently affect tourists' perceptions of impacts on tourism resources of natural attractions in Phuket at a statistical significance level of 0.05. As for the guideline to reduce impacts on tourism resources, it is so necessary to give the first priority to tourism management based on the principle of sustainable tourism and raising awareness of the importance of natural resources to all sectors.

Developing the Service Quality of the Accommodation Raft Business in the Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi Province

Narin Somprasong, Keerati Trakansiriwanich, Yutthakarn Waiapha, et al. — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This research aimed to: (1) assess the level of service expectation among customers of raft accommodation businesses in Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province; (2) evaluate the level of customer satisfaction with the services provided by raft accommodation businesses in Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province; and (3) explore strategies for improving service quality in raft accommodation businesses in Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province. The study utilized a questionnaire as the primary research instrument, administered to 400 Thai tourists who had used raft accommodation services in the district. Descriptive statistical methods, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were employed for data analysis. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with raft accommodation operators in Sai Yok District, and the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis to interpret and draw conclusions.

The study found that the majority of tourists staying at raft accommodations in Sai Yok District are male, aged between 20 and 30 years, employed as laborers or private-sector employees, with an average monthly income of 15,001–30,000 baht, and most are single. The findings indicate that Thai tourists have the highest expectations for service quality in the following order: assurance, responsiveness, reliability, tangibles, and, lastly, empathy. Furthermore, the level of satisfaction with service quality among Thai tourists was found to be highest in four dimensions: empathy ranked first, followed by reliability, assurance, and responsiveness, respectively. The final dimension, which tourists rated as highly satisfactory, was tangibles—elements that are visually observable and physically perceivable. These tangible aspects are the result of deliberate service preparation, such as providing accommodations, offering engaging activities, and delivering comprehensive service information regarding raft accommodations in Sai Yok District.

To enhance tourist satisfaction, the study suggests several strategies: improving the overall environment and scenery; developing facilities or designing new service structures; and enhancing responsiveness by providing prompt services without requiring tourists to wait for long periods. This improvement requires a systematic service plan to ensure efficiency and timeliness. Implementing these measures could significantly stimulate higher levels of satisfaction among tourists utilizing raft accommodations.

Development of Creative Cultural Tourism Marketing Strategies with Historical Knowledge Base Among Four Upper Central Provinces of Chainat, Lopburi, Singburi, and Angthong for Extensive Accommodation of Quality Tourists

Wasana Losuwan — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The presented research was aimed at 1) exploring perceived cultural tourism resources, tourism behavior, and tourists’ demand for deciding to visit cultural tourism sites; 2) investigating tourism marketing strategies used by communities to manage cultural tourism; 3) analyzing the environment of cultural tourism sites with a historical knowledge base; and 4) proposing guidelines for developing creative cultural tourism marketing strategies with a historical knowledge base in four upper central provinces. It employed a quantitative research approach that included a total of 400 Thai tourists who were conveniently selected, using questionnaires for data collection and descriptive statistics for data analysis. A qualitative research approach was taken that included people involved in the management of community cultural tourism, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and people—altogether, 30 people who were purposely selected using interview forms and focus group discussions for data collection and descriptive statistics for data analysis.

Research results revealed the following: 1) Tourists reported perceived tourism resources at a moderate level; their tourism behaviors included traveling with their own car, a morning-evening round trip, no more than 2 days, 1-2 trips per year, 2-5 companions, vacation purposes, an expense of 5,000 baht on average, and a preference for visiting historical attractions with tourism information received from friends or relatives and siblings; the tourists’ demand for cultural tourism marketing mix was at a high level, ranked respectively as service staff and process, tourism resources, tourism marketing, and tourism activities. 2) The cultural tourism marketing strategies used by the community in the management of cultural tourism included cultural sites at the highest level, followed by tourism cooperation, tourism expense, tourism communication, and tourism convenience. 3) The environment of cultural tourism with a historical knowledge base was found to have strengths in having cultural tourism sites, having historical stories, having learning sources suitable for studies, and having distinct historical information. Weaknesses were found in the lack of budget, the lack of educated staff, the lack of readiness in tourism management, and the lack of knowledge and understanding about cultural tourism marketing. There were opportunities in having policies to promote cultural tourism, having cultural tourism sites, and having diverse forms of tourism. There were threats in the lack of amenities to support tourism. 4) Guidelines for developing cultural tourism marketing strategies in the four upper central provinces of Chainat, Lopburi, Singburi, and Angthong consisted of (1) a strategy for the management of tourism activities based on the historical stories about Queen Chamadevi and King Naresuan the Great; (2) a strategy for tourism cooperation; (3) a strategy for tourism communication; and (4) a strategy for tourism expenditure.

Factors Influencing Thai Travelers' Decision to Visit Lamphun Province

Saypin Supasri, Yutthakarn Waiapha, Keerati Trakansiriwanich, et al. — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the travel behavior of Thai tourists visiting Lamphun Province; (2) to explore their opinions regarding the level of expectations toward tourism in Lamphun Province; and (3) to analyze the factors influencing Thai tourists’ travel decisions to Lamphun Province. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to 400 respondents. The analysis employed descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

The findings revealed that: (1) most respondents were female, aged 61 years and above, engaged in general labor occupations, married, and held an associate degree or vocational diploma. Their average monthly income was less than or equal to 15,000 THB. Their travel behavior was characterized by a preference for leisure and relaxation, emphasizing activities that promote a sense of tranquility and well-being. They favored activities that restore mental and physical health, traveled with family members by private car, and resided in Lamphun Province or neighboring provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Chiang Rai. (2) Regarding expectations toward tourist attractions and tourism-related businesses in Lamphun Province, the majority of respondents expressed high expectations for service quality, particularly the availability of well-prepared staff in sufficient numbers to meet tourist demand, thereby ensuring confidence in tourism services. The next priority was the availability of facilities, particularly basic infrastructure at tourist attractions, such as electricity, water supply, mobile phone signal, wireless internet access, and sanitary facilities. These facilities should be adequate, clean, and accessible to pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Moreover, effective management of attractions with sufficient capacity was also considered essential to support efficient tourism services. (3) In terms of factors influencing Thai tourists’ travel decisions to Lamphun Province, economic factors were found to have the greatest impact, followed by the physical attributes of tourist attractions.

Creative Community-Based Tourism Activities: Income Creation Channels through the Community Guide Process

Mayurada Mahiphan, Fungkiat Mahiphan — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This research aims to 1) design creative community-based tourism activities that contribute to the spending of tourists and 2) develop a community guide’s model consistent with such tourism activities. The acquisition of data for this research uses qualitative data collection through a participatory research process. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with community tourism stakeholders as well as focus group meetings to mobilize opinions among local residents, government sectors, and private sectors involved in tourism in the area.

The findings of this study found that community tourism resources can design creative tourism activities in communities that contribute to the spending of tourists' money. There are 7 activities: making bamboo garlands, making wooden furniture, hand-woven embroidery, Phu Thai cooking classes, making cocoon soap, making wicker containers, and making souvenirs. All of these designed activities are connected to the way of life, art, culture, and wisdom of the people in the community. Moreover, under the above activities, it has been used as information to develop villagers into community guides, with the following development results: 17 community guide models and 52 youth community volunteer guides were created and upgraded, for a total of 69 people. This is considered an important mechanism for managing community tourism more completely because community guides will facilitate the sale of tourism products and services in the community to tourists, motivate and stimulate the spending of tourists, and increase income opportunities to distribute to the community.

Dealing with Training Needs Analysis in the Restaurant Business

Ousanee Sawagvudcharee — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

The objective of the study is to increase knowledge about the function that training needs analysis (TNA) performs in knowledge migration in the restaurant business. It was created in response to the question, “What kind of relationship between training needs analysis and knowledge migration is appropriate for the restaurant business?” The restaurant industry has faced several issues up to this point, including high employee turnover, ambiguous products, disparities in knowledge and skill, and difficult procedures. Due to these issues, properly training staff members in restaurants is difficult. This study utilized a documentary approach as the data source, along with interpretive epistemology and qualitative research methods in social science, to collect, analyze, and interpret non-numerical data. Data analysis using topic and content analysis was the established method. Identifying the primary TNA based on a basic comprehension of work performance in the restaurant industry and developing relevant conceptual models that could help achieve this goal were the main goals of this study.

A Proposed Ratchaburi’s Tourism Strategic Execution Model to Strengthen Cultural Tourism Development: A Case of Ratchaburi Province, Thailand

Dhouchatorn Itthiophakorn, Sirichai Preudhikulpradab — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This mixed-methods research has three objectives, which are 1) to examine the current situations of factors that influence destination loyalty from the perspective of Ratchaburi's cultural tourism development and deployment, 2) to explore the common perspectives of key informants on the strategic execution of Ratchaburi's cultural tourism development and deployment, and 3) to propose the strategic execution model for cultural tourism to strengthen the overall tourism potential and attractiveness. The target population is Thai people who have domestic traveling experience to the central province of Ratchaburi. The researcher utilized structured questionnaires for quantitative sections and in-depth interviews for qualitative sections. Key findings illustrate that the factors influencing destination loyalty that are most significant are authentic experiences, meaningfulness, local culture, destination image, and a memorable tourism experience, followed by involvement and lastly knowledge. Derived themes from the qualitative section are also ranked based on their repeating frequency. Both results were juxtaposed to form a proposed strategic execution model. Additionally, the proposed model is validated by three experts through the Delphi technique utilization for two rounds. Recommendations for strengthening destination loyalty towards cultural tourism development are accessibility of cultural knowledge, capability-building initiatives, creative tourism activities, innovative and smart promotion, and coordinative local engagement.

Benefits of Enterprise Risk Management’s Influence on the Growth of Tourism Businesses: the Moderating Role of Location

Sippavit Wongsuwatt, Wipada Thaothampitak, Sansanee Kiatkiri — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This quantitative research project aimed to determine the influences of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) implementation on business growth and examine the moderating role of the tourism enterprise’s location between ERM and business growth. The convenience sampling method was employed. The participants were 419 tourism business owners along Thailand's Andaman Coast using surveys. The impact of ERM on growth was examined statistically, both generally and within the context of each province, using multiple regressions and a variable selection tool. Results revealed a positive influence by ERM implementation on the businesses’ growth and that the firm’s location had a positive moderating role. ERM implementation is an important concept for enhancing a firm’s growth. Few studies, however, have attempted to ascertain the impact of ERM implementation regarding the significant impact on tourism businesses. As a result, this study tries to close this research gap in the field by presenting relevant, practical ideas and their implications.