GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS AND BELIEF-BASED TOURISM IN NAKHON SI THAMMARAT PROVINCE
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The objectives of this study were 1) to examine tourist behaviors toward religious and belief-based tourist attractions in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, 2) to assess tourists’ satisfaction with these attractions, and 3) to propose guidelines for the development and promotion of religious and belief-based tourism in the province. The study employed a quantitative research approach. The target population consisted of tourists who visited important religious sites, and a purposive sampling method was used to select 400 participants. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by experts, which yielded a content validity index of 0.96 and a reliability coefficient of 0.96. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used in the analysis.
The results indicated that the overall level of tourist satisfaction was high, with rating mean of 3.03. In particular, the transportation aspect received the highest rating mean of 3.21. Most tourists (17.3%) chose Wat Chedi (Ai Khai) as their primary destination. In addition, 49.5% of respondents traveled on pre-arranged tours, and 47% traveled mainly to engage in merit-making activities. Hypothesis testing revealed no significant difference in satisfaction related to the chosen attractions, travel arrangements, or travel objectives. These findings suggested that tourists were generally delighted with religious and belief-based attractions, especially with regard to transportation and the diverse range of sacred and intriguing sites available.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
I and co-author(s) certify that articles of this proposal had not yet been published and is not in the process of publication in journals or other published sources. I and co-author accept the rules of the manuscript consideration. Both agree that the editors have the right to consider and make recommendations to the appropriate source. With this rights offering articles that have been published to Panyapiwat Institute of Management. If there is a claim of copyright infringement on the part of the text or graphics that appear in the article. I and co-author(s) agree on sole responsibility.
References
Budovich, L. S. (2023). The impact of religious tourism on the economy and tourism industry. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 79(1), 8607.
Chan, A., Ma, J., & Wong, P. (2021). Religious tourism in Southeast Asia: Trends and motivations. Journal of Tourism Studies, 32(3), 345-362.
Christou, P. A., Pericleous, K., & Singleton, A. (2023). Spiritual tourism: Understandings, perspectives, discernment, and synthesis. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(19-20), 3288-3305. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2183819
Erul, E., Uslu, A., Cinar, K., & Woosnam, K. M. (2023). Using a value-attitude-behaviour model to test residents’ pro-tourism behaviour and involvement in tourism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(19), 3111-3124.
Gorji, A. S., Garcia, F. A., & Mercadé-Melé, P. (2023). Tourists’ perceived destination image and behavioral intentions towards a sanctioned destination: Comparing visitors and non-visitors. Tourism Management Perspectives, 45, 101062.
Hassan, T., Carvache-Franco, M., Carvache-Franco, W., & Carvache-Franco, O. (2024). Motivations as predictors of religious tourism: The Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 14(3), 419-435.
Hoang, G., Wilson-Evered, E., Lockstone-Binney, L., & Luu, T. T. (2021). Empowering leadership in hospitality and tourism management: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(12), 4182-4214.
Inkson, C., & Minnaert, L. (2022). Tourism management: An introduction. Sage.
Jaya, P. H. I., & Izudin, A. (2023). The role of religious belief in sustainable community-based tourism during post-disaster recovery. Tourism Culture & Communication, 23(4), 357-374.
Kim, M. J., Hall, C. M., Chung, N., Kim, M., & Sohn, K. (2024). Does using public transport affect tourist subject well-being and behaviour relevant to sustainability? Value-attitude-behaviour theory and Artificial Intelligence benefits. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(10), 1666-1682.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Office. (2022). Religious tourism and beliefs in Nakhon Si Thammarat. https://www.nakhonsithammarat.go.th/web_52/datacenter/detail.php?news_id=1036541 [in Thai]
Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Sports. (2021). National tourism development plan, edition 2. https://www.mots.go.th/download/article/article_20170320150102.pdf [in Thai]
Passafaro, P. (2020). Attitudes and tourists’ sustainable behavior: An overview of the literature and discussion of some theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of Travel Research, 59(4), 579-601.
Rebuya, N. R., Lasarte, E. S., Amador, M. M. A., & De la Roca, G. R. (2020). Assessing religious tourism motivational factors and experiences of visitors to selected religious sites in Camarines Sur, Philippines. Open Access Library Journal, 7, e6404.
Sarakong, S., Laptaneda, U., & Tiyapongphaphan, W. (2024). Spiritual tourism. Journal of Multidisciplinary in Social Sciences, 20(1), 102-107. https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/sduhs
Smith, M., Robinson, P., & Lee, A. (2021). The impact of collective travel on religious tourism experiences. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 16(2), 150-166.
TB Economic Analysis Center. (2023). TTB analytics expects Thailand’s tourism revenue in 2023 to increase by 1 trillion Baht from the previous year. https://www.ttbbank.com/th/newsroom/detail/travel-thailand-2566 [in Thai]
Tourism Authority of Thailand. (2022). Strategic plan for tourism development in Nakhon Si Thammarat 2022-2026. https://shorturl.asia/m1xXv [in Thai]
Walker, G., Li, X., & Huang, Z. (2024). Religious tourism expenditure patterns in Thailand. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 41(1), 34-51.
Zheng, F., Chan, C. -S., & Zhang, S. (2023). The effects of personal value, motivation, transformation and behavioural intention on spiritual tourism: A case study in Tibet. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(1), 92-111. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2160308
Zhou, G., Liu, Y., Hu, J., & Cao, X. (2023). The effect of tourist-to-tourist interaction on tourists’ behavior: The mediating effects of positive emotions and memorable tourism experiences. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 55, 161-168.
