MARKETING STRATEGIES THAT AFFECT THE SATISFACTION OF THE ELDERERLY CHINESE TOURISTS WHO USE THE SERVICE TO PROMOTE HEALTH TOURISM IN THAILAND

Abstract

          The objectives of this study were to 1) examine the characteristics of Chinese elderly tourists who travel to Thailand for health promotion tourism, and 2) investigate the effect of marketing mix attributes toward satisfaction of Chinese elderly tourists who visited Thailand for health promotion tourism. The study was a survey research conducted with a large sample size, 400 Chinese tourists. The questionnaire was used as the main research instrument for data collecting. The quantitative data was statistically analyzed in according to frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and multiple linear regressions. The results revealed that the majority of Chinese elderly tourists were males, the average monthly income was 10,000-15,000 RMB, has a marital status, age 56-60 year-year-old, being the business owners, obtained a diploma and being the Buddhists. In terms of traveling behaviors, the majority of respondents reported that they travelled alone, they were impressed with cultural and traditional attractions. Also, they mostly purchased leathers as souvenirs. Furthermore, the appropriate time for travelling to Thailand was on their weekends; they accessed information about tourism of Thailand from newspapers and magazines, and most of them preferred to stay at the hotel. In terms of satisfaction toward marketing strategies, it showed that overall it was at the high level when “physical environments” was the highest score and “price” was the lowest score. The result of multiple regressions showed gender, income, marital status, occupation and educational background affected on satisfaction toward marketing mix attributes of Chinese elderly tourists who visited Thailand for health promotion tourism.