STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING THE ANDAMAN SEA COAST OF THAILAND TOURISM

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the situation of tourism in the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand and propose strategies for promoting tourism in the area. Samples used include a total of 400 Thai and foreign tourists visiting Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga and Trang provinces including to community representatives, national park/airport staff, and tourism operators in the area. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews to collect data and used the tourist statistics data from the tourism Authority of Thailand. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, F-test and SWOT analysis.

The results showed that the tourists have an attitude towards Andaman tourism in overall and all aspects at a high level and tourists have the highest attitude towards service, followed by tourist attractions, safety, price, facilities, and accessibility, respectively. However, tourists with different region, have different attitudes in services. It also was found that during the year 2007 - 2017, tourists in the Andaman tourist area increased continuously due to the strength of the source, travel tourism activities, culture, wisdom and location. However, there are still points that should be developed for tourism with international standards. The researcher therefore proposed a strategy to promote tourism in the area in creating value for the tourist attraction management and marketing promotion in order to develop to be a sustainable global tourism destination.