The Factors Influencing the Paradigm of Religious Tourism: A Case Study of Wat Chedi (Ai Khai)

Abstract

This research aimed to explore the demographic factors which influence the paradigm of studying belief and faith in sacred items when traveling for religious tourism. The sample group was Thai tourists who used to visit Wat Chedi (Ai Khai), Amphoe Sichon, Nakorn Sri Thammarat province for religious tourism. Purposive sampling was employed in this study. In total, 211 Thai religious tourists provided data. By using the quantitative research method, descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the characteristics of the participants. In addition, the One-way ANOVA test was employed to investigate the demographic factors of the participants which influenced the six paradigms. The questionnaire was the main instrument for collecting the data. By analyzing the demographic variables with the six approaches of the paradigm of studying belief and faith, the results revealed that the Structuralist Approach and the Symbolic/Interpretive Approach found no significant difference at the level of .05 (p < .05). However, the different genders were influenced the Functionalist Approach at a significant level of .05 (p < .05). While the difference in income levels was found to affect the Psychoanalytic Approach and the Cultural Ecology Approach at the significant level of 0.00 (p < .00), the Power/Knowledge Approach discovered a statistically significant relationship with the age and the income variables at the level of .00 (p < .00).