|
Abstract:
|
This research aims to study the behavior and the factors that determine the total expense of elderly Thai tourists who come and visit Chiang Mai, Thailand. The 400 samples are divided into 2 main groups depending on their tourism behavior including behavior before traveling and behavior during traveling. Regarding behavior before traveling, studying factors include the reasons why Chiang Mai is the chosen target for elderly people and reliable data sources to make decision for traveling. For behavior during traveling, concerning aspects include the purpose of traveling to Chiang Mai on the occasion, traveling style, and travel companions. The relationship between individual characteristics of sample groups and tourism behavior has been tested by using chi-squared test statistic (Chi-Square Test). On the other hand, analyzing factors that determine the travel expenses of the sample groups has been tested by Multiple Classification Analysis method (MCA).
The result of the behavior before traveling of the sample group found that the main reason which most sample group choosing to travel in Chiang Mai is because of the unique tourist attractions, by having friends or acquaintances as important source of information for making travel decision. The testing result of the relationship between individual characteristics of the sample group and behavior before traveling found that the average monthly income is associated with the main reason for choosing to travel in Chiang Mai, data sources used in making travel decision, and how to book the accommodation. The occupation of the sample group is related to the main reason for making decision to travel in Chiang Mai.
The study of behavior of the sample group during a trip of elderly Thai tourists found that the main purpose of visiting Chiang Mai is to relax mostly at the natural tourist attractions with family. For the test of the relationship between the individual characteristics of the sample group and behavior during the trip, it has been found that the average income per month is associated with their tourism plans. While the study of factors that determine the travel expenses of sample group found that the average cost of elderly Thai tourists travelling to Chiang Mai is 14,534 baht. While, elderly tourists with support rod or wheelchair without congenital disease is the group, in which spending most money for traveling and select an apartment or condominium as their accommodation with the total average cost of 19,576 baht.
Keywords: Behavior, The tourist, Expenses, Thai Elderly, Chiang Mai Province
|