Marketing Strategy of Pet-friendly Tourist Accommodations in Khao Yai Tourism Area, Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

Currently, the group of customers who love animals has grown a lot. And there is a desire to take pets to travel to various places as well. Many accommodations recognize this demand trend. This has resulted in the growth of the tourist accommodation business that allows pets to stay. Especially in the Khao Yai tourism area. The article therefore aims to study the characteristics of accommodations and marketing strategies, including problems, obstacles, and limitations of pet-friendly tourist accommodations in the Khao Yai tourism area. By collecting data from the Booking.com website, the accommodation's website, and the Facebook page, as well as interviewing 6 case study accommodation operators and analyzing the qualitative data to summarize lessons learned from implementing the said marketing strategy.

The study found that 1) there are 3 types of pet-friendly tourist accommodations in the Khao Yai tourism area: hotels, resort/villa and other types such as tents, tree houses, farm stays, etc. The entrepreneur's main idea is that they love pets and want to have space for pets, 2) accommodation characteristics and important amenities. This is the type of accommodation that has a lawn area, 3) 4 groups of customers come to use the accommodations: teenagers, working age group, family group, and couples. The group of customers who are most likely to come back and use the service again is the family group because they like the service of the accommodation and it is an accommodation that accommodates pets. From the target group that came to use the service, the researcher found that the previous accommodation marketing strategies that the operators had implemented were product strategies, such as having a lawn area in front of every residence. Having 24-hour care staff and marketing promotions such as free accommodation for the first dog, 4) problems and obstacles that most entrepreneurs have to face are:  customer responsibility for their pets during their stay which affects amenity listing and room pricing.

The study reveals important lessons for implementing pet-friendly accommodation marketing strategies. The key strategies to consider are: 1) determine the type of accommodation and its characteristics, focusing on optimizing the usable area for pets, which influences pricing and activities, 2) enhance the experience for customers who bring their pets, increasing the likelihood of repeat visits by ensuring staff are trained to handle pets and providing specific amenities for them, 3) include more pet-related offers in marketing promotions to attract more customers, such as special deals, discounts, or packages designed for pet owners. By focusing on these areas—product, service, and marketing promotion—accommodations can effectively attract and retain pet-owning customers.