Guidelines for Building the Herbal City Brand as a Wellness Tourism Destination in Prachinburi Province
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Abstract
The objectives of the study were to: (1) study the behaviors of wellness tourists in Prachinburi Province, (2) examine the perceptions of the herbal city's image, and (3) propose guidelines for establishing the herbal city brand as a wellness destination in Prachinburi. Qualitative data were collected using a semi-structured interview approach with ten key informants selected through purposive sampling, verified using data triangulation. Quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire administrated to a sample group of 370 tourists selected through convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-Square test at a significant level of .05. The average reliability coefficient was found to be 0.725. The results indicated that most tourists traveled to purchase herbs for nourishing and promoting their health. They obtained information primarily from social media platforms and highly recognized the herbal city's image associated with natural resources. This related to their experiences, information sources, travel purposes, and places to visit. The study identified an opportunity to enhance the value of existing resources through the implementation guidelines of tourist city branding based on the 7Ps concept, including Potential, Positioning, Personality, Performance, Promotion, Partnership, and Possibility.
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