Marketing Factors and Tourism Components Affecting Religious Tourism Decision of Tourists in Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study behaviors and motivations affecting decision-making on religious tourism and 2) to study marketing factors and tourism components influencing the decision-making on religious tourism in Nakhon Ratchasima province. It was a survey research using a quantitative research method. A questionnaire was developed as a tool for collecting data. A sample group consisted of 400 tourists who traveled to Nakhon Ratchasima province for religious tourism purposes, by using convenience sampling. The collected data were analyzed through a statistical analysis with Frequency, Percentage, Mean, and Standard Deviation. Hypothesis was tested in a One-way ANOVA and a multiple regression analysis was used to find the effect size between variables. The results showed that, according to the respondent's opinion, the marketing factors and 6 areas of overall tourism components affecting the decision-making on religious tourism in Nakhon Ratchasima province were at a high level ( = 4.25). The results of the hypothesis testing revealed that the behaviors and motivations of the tourists affected the decision-making on religious tourism in Nakhon Ratchasima province in every aspect. Moreover, the marketing mix and the tourism components that affected the decision-making regarding religious tourism in Nakhon Ratchasima province-either the location/attractions for the religious tourism, the marketing promotion of the religious tourism, the activities of the religious tourism, the services of the religious tourism, and the physical evidence and presentation of the religious tourism influencing the decision-making on the religious tourism in Nakhon Ratchasima province- were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. The prediction of the tourists’ decision-making to travel to the religious attractions in Nakhon Ratchasima province was 48 percent.