Strategic Management for the Survival of Tourism Business During COVID-19 Crisis of Elephant Park in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Abstract

Thesis on “Strategic management for tourism business survival under the COVID-19 crisis of the elephant park in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.” The main objectives of this research was 1. Study the income situation of the elephant park business in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province under the COVID-19 situation. 2. To study and analyze the adaptation strategies of elephant park businesses under the COVID-19 situation and analyze the similarities and differences of large and small businesses. This research was conducted using a qualitative research method that consisted of an in-depth interview, a Structured Interview Form, and a field note by the contributor proprietary information and employees of the elephant park in Mae Taeng District Chiang Mai Province. The researcher used simple random sampling by lottery method, which specified quotas for 2 small elephant parks and 2 large elephant parks out of a total of 8 elephants.

The results showed that the COVID-19 epidemic crisis affects the income of the elephant park business in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province. Studies have shown that the spread of COVID-19 affects the tourism of Thailand foreign tourists cannot enter Thailand. Due to the country's lockdown policy in which foreign tourists are considered a key factor in generating the main income for the elephant parks in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province and when categorizing the elephant park businesses into large and small, it was found that the average income of large elephant park businesses before the COVID-19 situation and during the COVID-19 situation. The average income rate decreased by 99.87%. The average income of the small elephant park business before the COVID-19 situation and during the COVID-19 situation the average income rate decreased by 97.06%. Compared between the large elephant park business and the small elephant park business, the average income declined equally high. And the adjustment strategy of the elephant park business in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province of the large elephant park businesses, the use of human resource management strategy was the most important in management, followed by marketing strategy, process strategy and prevention strategies for COVID-19 and financial strategy and the strategy and prevention strategies for COVID-19 were the most, followed by financial strategy and marketing strategy and human resource management strategy. The large elephant park businesses focus on using the human resource management, the overall average was at good ( = 4.12), while the small elephant park businesses focus on the use of process strategy and prevention strategies for COVID-19 as a result as the small elephant park business in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province under the COVID-19, the overall average was at good ( = 3.60) Other strategies are at a similar level.

This thesis shows characteristics of choosing and using strategies for managing 5 areas of elephant park business with the same and different selection characteristics according to the size of the elephant park. It is important to choose the right one for the operating characteristics of each size. The results of the study will benefit elephant park operators in studying ways to cope with the current COVID-19 crisis.