A STUDY OF CHINESE TOURISTS’ MOTIVATION, SATISFACTION, LOYALTY: THE CASE STUDY OF BANGKOK, THAILAND

BY

MISS LIYING JIANG

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (ASEAN STUDIES) PRIDI BANOMYONG INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

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A STUDY OF CHINESE TOURISTS’ MOTIVATION,

SATISFACTION, LOYALTY: THE CASE STUDY

OF BANGKOK, THAILAND

BY

MISS LIYING JIANG

AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (ASEAN STUDIES) PRIDI BANOMYONG INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY

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(1)

Independent Study Title A STUDY OF CHINESE TOURISTS’ MOTIVATION, SATISFACTION, LOYALTY: THE CASE STUDY OF BANGKOK, THAILAND Author Miss Liying Jiang Degree Master of Arts (ASEAN Studies) Department/Faculty/University ASEAN Studies Pridi Banomyong International College Thammasat University Independent Study Advisor Associate Professor Artorn Fungtammasan Academic Years 2018

ABSTRACT

As a significant proportion of national income, tourism is now playing an increasingly important role in the development of the Thai economy. The development of tourism not only increases tourism job opportunities for people, but also raises the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of other related businesses. Thailand receives more and more foreign tourists every year, and China is one of the main sources of tourists. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, has become the primary choice for Chinese tourists. In order to promote the steady growth of Chinese tourists entering the country and increase the consumption of tourists, the success of the tourism industry should be guided by a thorough analysis of tourist motivation, satisfaction and loyalty. This study takes the mainland Chinese tourists visiting Bangkok as the survey object, adopts the empirical research method (questionnaires and interview), to analyze Chinese tourists’ motivations, satisfaction and loyalty, in order to provide

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useful suggestions and references for the Thai government and tourism operators, to formulate effective marketing strategies. In order to study tourist motivation, this investigation utilizes push and pulls motivation variables. The push motivation is related to internal motivation, while the pull motivation is associated with external forces. The integrated and simultaneous approach for measuring tourist satisfaction consists with the items of “expectation”, “worthwhile to visit” and “comparison”. The study of destination loyalty contains 2 variables which are “revisit” and “recommend to the other”. Consequently, tour managers should establish a higher tourist satisfaction level to create positive tourist behavior and create new motivation to simulate tourists to come back again, in order to improve and sustain destination competitiveness.

Keywords: Tourism motivation, Tourism satisfaction, Tourism loyalty, Chinese tourists, Bangkok

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis would not have been accomplished without the people who always support me and cooperate in every part to complete this thesis. I would like to take this chance to express my appreciation to them. It is with immense gratitude that I acknowledge the support and help of my supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Artorn Fungtammasan who has supported me throughout my thesis with his patience, support and knowledge. I would like to express sincere gratitude to my external examiner Associate Professor Dr. Somsak Tambunlertchai, who made significant contributions to this thesis with his very helpful comments and suggestions. I would like to offer my special thanks to my friends for their kind help in distribute questionnaires to Chinese tourists in Bangkok, and to every enthusiastic respondent for helping me fulfill the questionnaires. Moreover, I would like to thank the staffs in ASEAN Studies, Pridi Banomyong International College (PBIC), who are always kind and helpful. Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to my beloved parents who have always understood what I was doing and have been encouraging throughout my difficult times. I will be grateful forever for your love.

Liying Jiang Thammasat University Year 2018

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page ABSTRACT )1)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS )3)

LIST OF TABLES )6)

LIST OF FIGURES )7)

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Significance 6 1.3 Objective 7

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Tourism Motivation 8 2.2 Tourism Satisfaction 9 2.3 Tourism Loyalty 10

CHAPTER3 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION 11

3.1 Questionnaire Design 11

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3.2 Data Collection and Analysis Methods 15 3.2.1 Questionnaire Distribution and Collection 15 3.2.2 Data Analysis Methods 15

CHAPTER 4 SURVEY RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 17

4.1 Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Respondents’ Basic Data 17 and Survey Data 4.2 Tourism Motivation 21 4.2.1 Tourism Motivation (push factors) 22 4.2.2 Tourism Motivation (pull factors) 24 4.3 Tourism Satisfaction 26 4.4 Tourism Loyalty 27 4.5 Analysis of Survey Results 28 4.5.1 Gender & Tourism Motivation 28 4.5.2 Monthly income & Tourism Motivation 28 4.5.3 Age & Tourism Motivation 29 4.5.4 Tourism Satisfaction 29 4.5.5 Tourism Loyalty 29

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 33

5.1 Summary of Major Findings 33 5.2 Recommendations 35 5.3 Limitation of Study 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY 39 APPENDIX A 42 APPENDIX B 49

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YHPARGOIB 50

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables Page 1.1 Top 5 Arrivals by Nationality (2008-2018) 3 3.1 Questionnaire Design 12 4.1 Basic Information of Respondents (N=194) 20 4.2 Tourism Motivation (Push Factors) 23 4.3 Tourism Motivation (Pull Factors) 25 4.4 Tourism Satisfaction 26 4.5 Tourism Loyalty 28

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figures Page 1.1 Thailand Tourist Arrivals in Millions (2008-2018) 2

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Tourism is an important economic activity in most countries around the world. Thailand is a traditional tourist site with advantageous location, natural landscapes, cultural resources, splendid and magnificent Buddhist temples, beautiful Royal palaces, beautiful mountains, silver-white sand beaches, and so on. With the advantages of such rich resources, Thailand attracts a large number of tourists every year. The Thai tourism industry has developed at a fast pace and has become one of the country’s pillar industries. Thailand, as an important tourist country, its tourism industry is directly or indirectly associated with the economic development of Thailand. It is widely known that the service sector now has the biggest proportion in contributing highest GDP of the country, and the tourism industry contributes a big chunk to the service sector’s GDP. The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in 2017 was THB1, 433.5bn (9.4% of GDP). It is forecasted to rise by 7.8% to THB1, 545.2bn in 20181.

1 Adapt from TRAVEL & TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT 2018 THAILAND: https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2018/thailand2018.pdf

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(Source: www.tradingeconomics.com: Bank of Thailand)2 Figure 1.1 Thailand Tourist Arrivals in millions (2008-2018)

The international arrival to Thailand from 2008 to 2018 shows a significant rise from 2008 onwards. If we take the year 2008 as an easy benchmark with 14.58 million visitors at the time, we reached 26.55 million visitors in 2013, an increase of 119.70%. Arrivals decreased by 6.54% during 2014, a year that saw massive political demonstrations, followed by the military taking over the government. Recovery occurred in the final quarter of that year, and 2015 saw a boom in arrivals, almost up to 30 million. In 2015 some segments of Thailand's hospitality industry enjoyed their best year in over two decades, according to the research firm STR Global3. Thailand closed with an overall hotel occupancy of 73.4%, an increase of 13.6% over 2014, as arrivals rose to near the 30 million mark, driven by demand from the Chinese market. December 2015 was a particularly strong month as occupancy levels reached 77.4%, the highest level since 19954. Also, according to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports（MOTS）5, in 2016, the number of Thailand inbound tourists and tourism revenue increased significantly over the last year. In 2016,

2 Adapt from Trading Economics http://www.tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals 3 Adapt from STR Global https://www.strglobal.com/ 4 "Thailand's hotel occupancy hits 20-year high". eTN Global Travel Industry News. 2016-01-25. Retrieved 26 January 2016. 5 Adapt from Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports（MOTS） http://www.mots.go.th/mots_en57/main.php?filename=index

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Thailand received 32.57 million inbound tourists, with an increase of 8.86% than last year’s; inbound tourism revenue reached 1637.8 billion baht, up 12.4% compared to 2015. International tourist arrivals rose 8.8% in 2017 to a record 35.38 million, equivalent to half of Thailand's population. From 2012 onwards, China has been taking the top spot as far as providing tourists to Thailand, now way ahead of Malaysia in the second place.6 Thailand saw the tourism revenue of more than 1.8 trillion baht (56 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, a rise of nearly 12% from that of 2016, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism announced. Malaysia ranks the second in international tourist arrivals to Thailand with an amount of more than 3.3 million, followed by South Korea with about 1.7 million visitors to the Kingdom, said the ministry.

Table 1.1

Top 5 Arrivals by Nationality (2008-2018)

(Source: "Visitor Statistics, 1998–2016". Department of Thailand Tourism)7

From table 1.1, we can see that China and Malaysia are the top 2 tourist source countries for Thailand. Before 2012, the number of Malay tourist arrivals were

6 Source : Ministry of Tourism and Sports 7 Adapt from "Visitor Statistics, 1998–2016". Department of Thailand Tourism

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higher than that of Chinese tourists. However, after 2012, the amount of Chinese tourists to Thailand has presented rapid growth. By 2017, the numbers of Chinese visitors to Thailand almost tripled that of Malay tourists. After the year 2015, the number of Chinese tourists even exceeded the number of ASEAN tourists to visit Thailand. The Paper News8 reported that in the first half of 2016, Thailand has became the first choice for Chinese tourists outbound. Since 2012, China has become Thailand’s largest tourist source country, playing an important role in contributing to local tourism industry, and for Thailand’s economic development in general. In the year 2017, Chinese tourists remain the biggest contributor to Thai tourism, with more than 9.8 million visitors generating about 524.4 billion baht (16.3 billion U.S.dollars) to the country, reported by government tourism and sports official Pongpanu Svetarundra. According to the data provided by the ministry, the amount of Chinese tourists has risen 11.97% and there was a jump of more than 15% in terms of their spending compared to the same period in 2016. In the year 2013, Chinese visitors accounted for 27% of all foreign travelers to Thailand. It is estimated that an average Chinese tourist stays in the country for one week and spends 30,000–40,000 baht (US$1,000–1,300) per person per trip. An average Chinese tourist spends 6,400 baht (US$180) per day—more than the average visitor's 5,690 baht (US$160)9. Tourism is a pillar of the Thai economy and contributes some 9% to its GDP. Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects around 38 million tourists to travel to Thailand in 2018, of which about 10 million will come from China. The number of Chinese tourists to Thailand reached a record peak of 1.2 million in February 2018, boosted by the annual Spring Festival and its week-long holiday.10 In order to achieve the goal of steady growth in the number of Chinese tourists and their consumption, understanding the motivation,

8 The Paper News www.thepaper.cn 9 Adapt from Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit (18 February 2013). "Chinese spend more in Thailand". TTR Weekly. TTR Weekly. Retrieved 3 June 2013. 10 Source from Xinhua

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satisfaction, and loyalty of tourists is the key to profit creation. Bangkok has become a premier destination choice for Chinese tourist. Bangkok is not only Thailand's largest city and the capital of Thailand, but also the center of its politics, economic, trade, culture, technology, and education, etc. Each year, Bangkok, as one of the centers of international organizations, hosts a variety of international conferences. Bangkok's beautiful scenery, numerous historical sites, developed transportation system, prosperous commerce, advanced tourism facilities, distinctive national characteristics, and strong Buddhist culture and art make it a famous tourist city. As a result, Bangkok topped the 2016 listing of 132 cities, beating London, Paris, and Dubai to become the city most visited by international travelers in the MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities.11

However, Thailand’s crackdown on cheap tour packages for Chinese tourists has hit the arrivals in Thailand during China's peak "Golden Week" holiday and dimmed the prospects for an important sector in a sluggish economy. As a result of the crackdown, Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand in the last quarter of 2016 dropped by more than 12% compared to the year before.12 In order to continuously attract Chinese tourists to Thailand, the Thai government has taken some short-term measures. For instance, temporally reduce the fee of visa on arrival, from 2,000 baht to 1,000 baht for Chinese tourists; temporally eliminates Chinese travel visa fee from December 2015 to February 2016. As can be seen, these measures are not sustainable for longer periods. To continuously attract Chinese tourists to visit Thailand, it is important to understand the motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.

11 2016 Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index http://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/press-releases/bangkok-claims-title-as-worlds-most-visited-city-2016 -mastercard-global-destination-cities-index/ 12 Channel NewsAsia http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/is-a-zero-dollar-tour-crackdown-paying-off-for-thai-tourism/33 90458.html

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1.2 Significance

This study aims at investigating mainland Chinese tourists in Bangkok, understanding their motivation, and analyzing how the motivation affects satisfaction and loyalty. This study will hopefully provide some useful information for the Thai tourist industry and make the tourist industry more sophisticated, attractive, and meet a variety of needs of the tourists. Attempts to improve the quality of Thai tourism can improve the competitiveness of the Thai tourism industry in the international tourism market, and contribute to long-term economic development of Thailand. Tourism planning and management is crucial in creating strategies, and improving service quality and sustainability. Inskeep (1994)13 proposed that the tourism industry needs to consider two factors: supply factors and demand factors. Supply factors are tourist facilities, products, and services that are provided to the tourists, and the demand factor is the tourist. Therefore, understanding the tourists is an important task of tourist places. According to Ross (1991)14, to understand the tourist, the most important factor is to understand the tourist's motivation and satisfaction. Yoon (2005)15 put forward that in an increasingly saturated market, successful sales of tourist destinations should be guided by the analysis of the relationship among motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty of visitors. According to the above discussions, the study of tourists’ motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty has great significance, and it is very important for marketing strategies from Thai tourism industry.

13 Inskeep E. (1994) “National and regional tourism planning: methodologies and case studies”, Routledge 14 Dunn Ross E L, & Iso-Ahola S E. (1991) “Singhtseeing tourists’ motivation and satisfacation”, Annals of Tourism Research 15 Yoon, Y., & Uysal, M. (2005) “An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty: A structural model”, Tourism Management.

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1.3 Objective

The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty of Chinese tourists in Bangkok, analyze the reasons, in order to provide a scientific basis and reference for the destination government and tourism operators, and formulate effective marketing strategies, and further improve the tourism popularity and competitiveness of Bangkok in the international tourism market.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Tourist Motivation

Motivation is the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something. Motivation is a psychological process, which is caused by the needs, and become a driving force to promote individual behavior to meet the needs. After the needs are satisfied, the motivation process ends, and new needs are created; the process thus moves in cycles. (Xue Qunhei,2008)16 Travel motivation has long been the focus of tourism study as it is recognized as an essential part in understanding a tourist’s dynamic behaviour (Li and Cai, 2012)17. Iso-Ahola’s18 theory asserts that personal escape, personal seeking, interpersonal escape, and interpersonal seeking motivate tourism and recreation. Why people travel and what they want to enjoy are always essential subjects for producing a good product and satisfying visitors. According to Snepenger, King, Marshall & Uysal (2006)19, tourists' motivations are useful in explaining people's behavior, the vacation decision-making process, and satisfaction, and has a critical role in marketing tourism experiences and designing and planning tourism destinations. Xie Yanjun (1999)20 makes a lot of research and analysis on the causes of tourism behavior and positive factors. Xie believe that tourism needs to be stimulated, and its motivation cannot be separated from the influence of social concept. Liu Xiao(2006)21

16 Xue Qunhui(2008) “ Modern Tourism Psychology”,Science Press. 17 Li, M. and Cai, L.A. (2012) “The Effects of Personal Values on Travel Motivation and Behavioral Intention”, Journal of Travel Research, 51, 473-487. 18 Iso-Ahola S E, & Alllen J R,(1982) “The dynamics of leisure motivation: The effect of outcome on leisure needs”, Research Quarterly for Exercise & Sport. 19 Snepenger, D., J. King, E. Marshall, & M. Uysal. (2006). Modeling Iso-Ahola’s Motivation Theory in the Tourism Context. Journal of Travel Research, 45(2): 140-149. 20 Xie Yanjun(1999) “Basic Tourism Science”, Beijing: China Tourism Publish House 21 Liu Xiao,Gan Zhimao, and Yang Yanfeng(2006) “Tourism Motivation- The Basic Characteristic of Hunman Being-The New Discuss on The Tourism Motivation”.

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proposes that the tourism motivation is a process of mental activity, it is an internal driving force to promote a person to want to travel, to choose where to go, and too decide what kind of tourism he or she wants. In summary, tourist motivation is a kind of psychological tendency to guide and maintain individual tourism activities; tourism motivation will affect the tourists’ choices in destination, budget, and planning. It will trigger tourism behavior and maintain it until the end.

2.2 Tourist Satisfaction

Satisfaction has been defined as the product /experience was at least as good as it was supposed to be, surprise inherent in product acquisition and/or consumption experience (Oliver 1981)22. Customer satisfaction is the attitude of consumers after the purchase, which reflects the degree of customers’ likes and dislikes after consumption, and is an experience-based holistic approach. Researchers have further defined the concept of satisfaction from various perspectives in different contexts. Pizam（1978）23 first proposes the concept of tourist satisfaction, that is, by comparing the expectations of visitors before and after the tour experience. If the pre-tour expectation is equal to post-tour experience or travel experience is greater than expected, that means the tourists are satisfied; on the contrary, that means the tourists are not satisfied. Baker and Crompton (2000) 24 sums up his previous research and idealizes the definition of tourist satisfaction. They asserts that tourist satisfaction is not just the satisfaction with landscape and ecological environment of the tourist destination, and the scope of tourist satisfaction should be extended to diet, accommodation, health, transportation, and other

22 Oliver R L(1981) “Measurement and Evaluation of Satisfaction Processes in Retail Setting”, Jounal of Retailing. 23 Pizam A, Neumann Y, and Reichel A(1978) “Dimentions of Tourist Satisfaction with a Destination Area ”, Annals of Tourism Research. 24 Baker, D.A., & Crompton, J.L. (2000) “Quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions”, Annals of Tourism Research.

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infrastructure construction: the construction of recreational tourism facilities, the quality of service in tourist destinations, and many other aspects. Tourist satisfaction requires comprehensive analysis and evaluation of tourist behavior. From the above, we can see that tourist satisfaction is the psychological result coming from comparing expectation and personal experience. Therefore, the object of tourists' expectation and perception is the various elements involved in the process of providing products and services to the tourists.

2.3 Tourist Loyalty

Visitor loyalty is first borrowed from the concept of customer loyalty in consumer behavior. Tourism destinations, same as other consumer goods, have their unique properties and images that can provide tourists with satisfying experiences, which ultimately lead to the loyalty of tourists. A large number of studies find that loyal tourists will be more likely to revisit the same destination in the future, and will have the effect of word of mouth to attract other tourists to visit. Successful long-term marketing should thus pay more attention to cultivating loyal customers. Pritchard (1992) points out that visitor loyalty includes brand-level loyalty and product-level loyalty, product-level loyalty usually refers to the tendency of tourists to become loyal to recreational facilities, services, and activities. Opperman (2000) believes that loyal visitors are those who visit the same destination several times and stay for a long time. Also, in accordance with the time and frequency of visits, tourist loyalty can be divided into three types: some-what loyal, loyal, and very loyal. To sum up, tourist loyalty is a high degree of trust and behavior of voluntary publicity after visitors fell highly satisfied with tourist destinations, tourism products, or service quality. Furthermore, loyal tourists will make such destinations or tourism products their first choice when making the tourism decisions in the future.

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CHAPTER 3

QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION

3.1 Questionnaire Design

This chapter discusses the methods used in the collection and data analysis to answer the primary and secondary research questions of the study. It explains the research design, sampling techniques, and data collection methods used, and describe how the data collected from the research has been analyzed. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used in carrying out this research. However, the overall approach will be qualitative, because qualitative methods focus on the experiences of respondents and attempt to understand the reasons behind certain behavior description. The evaluation has been carried out using three systems of data collection techniques, including literature review, interviews, and questionnaires. Literature review and interviews are used to collect qualitative data while questionnaires are used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data, thus the two will complement each other. Survey design: - Sample: 200 Chinese tourists - Bangkok: King Power Duty Free Complex, Grand Palace, Siam Square Asiatique night market - Face-to-face street intercept survey (questionnaires) Respondents: Chinese tourists and some Thai locals

This study designs the questionnaire based on relevant literature, research purposes, and the current situation of Bangkok, Thailand. The questionnaire is divided into basic information of respondents, travel motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty of

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the respondents. In addition, several respondents’ data are measured with the Likert Scale. Each measurement item is given five ranking scales, ranging from the strongest to the weakest, and these five intervals are ordinal variables. The questionnaire first collects the basic information of the respondents, including gender, age, education, monthly income, times of visiting Bangkok, and the length of stay. The second part is the investigation of the tourism motivation of the respondents; it is divided into push factors and pull factors. The push factors include 16 motivational measures, and the pull factors include 16 motivational indicators to investigate the tourism characteristics of Bangkok. The third part investigates the satisfaction of the tourists after the trip with 4 questions: "Do you think this trip to Bangkok is beyond your expectations", "Are you satisfied with this trip to Bangkok", "Do you think this trip is worthwhile", and "Do you think Bangkok is better than any other places you have visited". The last part uses 2 questions to assess the loyalty of the tourists："This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again" and "You will recommend friends or relatives to travel to Bangkok” to express the willingness to re-visit and recommend. The distribution and assignment of each variable are shown in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1

Questionnaire Design Variables Valuations Gender Male；Female Basic information Age 18-24；25-34；35-44；45-54；55 or above of Education High school degree or below, College respondents degree, Undergraduate, Post-graduate or above

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Monthly Income 2,000 or below; 2,001-3,000; 3,001-5,000; (Yuan) 5,001-8,000; 8,001 or above Times of visit 1-3, 4-6,7 or above Bangkok Length of stay 1 or below, 1-3, 4-6, 7 or above (Days) Desire to travel abroad Visit site that people appreciate Religious adoration Broaden overseas travel experience To participate in festivals and events Desire to visit famous historical and cultural relics Desire to learn about the site’s folk customs Push Factors Experiencing new or different lifestyles Tourism To strength the family’s relationship Motivation Visit relatives or friends To go there with family/friends To make new friends

Reduce learning or working stress Need a break & relax Health tourism Escape from ordinary responsibilities Attractive publicity Pull Factors Low travelling cost Friendly local people

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Delicious food Convenient and cheap restaurants Convenient and cheap accommodation Convenient and cheap transportation shopping Entertainment Nightlife Unique customs Developed metropolis Famous scenery Famous historical and cultural relics Buddhism Unique tour: The Buddhist temple, Katoey show, Thai massage, Thai boxing, elephant show Satisfaction "Do you think this trip to Bangkok is beyond your expectations", "Are you satisfied with this trip to Bangkok" "Do you think this trip is worthwhile" and "Do you think Bangkok is better than any other places you have visited" Loyalty "This Bangkok trip is generally very good, will come to Bangkok again", " Will recommend friends or relatives to travel to Bangkok”

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3.2 Data Collection and Analysis Methods

3.2.1 Questionnaire Distribution and Collection This research takes Chinese tourists in Bangkok as the investigation object, invites tourists to take the questionnaire by using the random interception method. At the same time, in order to facilitate the communication with the interviewees, I asked Chinese friends to be my research assistants, and we sent out these questionnaires in three main tourist attractions of Chinese tourists (Grand Palace, Siam Commercial Center, and King Power Duty-Free Complex). The questionnaires were distributed between 2 and 4 February, 2017. The period covered a time when Chinese New Year was scheduled. A total of 200 questionnaires were sent out and 194 valid questionnaires were completed (Some of the respondents did not fill out the basic information). The response rate of this questionnaire is 97%, which is quite reasonable for this type of survey. The profile of respondents is detailed in the results section. Questionnaires in Chinese were used to make it easier for the Chinese tourists to understand, then all items in this survey were translated into English. In addition to the questionnaire survey, some Chinese tourists from different cities were interviewed; results were used to further refine the questionnaires.

3.2.2 Data Analysis Methods Evaluation has been carried out using interview, and questionnaire. The survey and interviews are used to collect qualitative data while questionnaires are used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data; thus the two will complement each other. Descriptive statistical analysis Descriptive statistical analysis is a statistical description of the relevant data of all the variables in this survey, including the frequency analysis of data, the trend analysis of data, the analysis of data dispersion, the distribution of data,

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and some basic statistical graphs. This method is used in this study to analyze the basic characteristics of respondents. Likert scale Likert scale, a rating system used in my questionnaires, is designed to measure people’s attitudes, opinions, or perceptions. Subjects choose from a range of possible responses to a specific question or statement; responses typically include “strongly disagree,” “disagree,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “agree,” and “strongly agree.” Often, the categories of response are coded numerically, in which case the numerical values must be defined for that specific study, such as 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, and so on. The Likert scale is named for American social scientist Rensis Likert, who devised the approach in 1932.

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Chapter 4

SURVEY RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This section of the report describes the results of the questionnaire survey. It is divided into three sections. Section I outlines the demographic composition of the sample, including information pertaining to different aspects of their holiday such as length of stay and times of visit. Section II presents the satisfaction data with regards to each tourism object, and details the results pertaining to satisfaction with a range of activities visitors may have engaged in during their stay. This section reports on the memorable aspects of the visitors’ stay. Also reported are the levels of satisfaction and the importance that respondents attach to different aspects of their holiday. Finally, Section III reports on whether respondents are likely to return to Bangkok, recommend Bangkok as a tourist destination to others, and so on.

Questionnaire Analysis

4.1 Descriptive Statistical Analysis of Interviewees' Basic Data and Survey Data

The characteristics of respondents included gender, age, education level, current monthly income, visit times, and the length of stay. Based on the data obtained from the research, Statistical Product and Service Solutions（SPSS）software was used to carry out a descriptive analysis to find out the number of assignments and the percentage. First of all, in terms of gender: the majority of the respondents were females, with 113 people, accounting for 58.24% of the total sample, and the males accounted for 41.76% of the total, with 81 people. There are more female than male Chinese tourists coming to Thailand. This may be because Chinese women have

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lower work pressure than men and prefer to travel more than men. Also may be due to the natural beauty, food, massage, and romantic images of Thailand, it is more likely to attract women tourists. Secondly, in this study, the age range of Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand is divided into 5 age groups, which are 18 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45to 54, and 55 years old or above. Among the 194 valid questionnaires, the number of people aged between 18 and 24 was 33, accounting for 17.01% of the total; the number of people aged between 25 and 34 was 94, accounting for 48.45% of the total; the number of people aged between 35 and 44 was 41, accounting for 21.13% of the total; 19 people were in the age group 4 (45-54 years old), accounting for 9.80% of the total; 7 people were in the age group 5 (55 years old or above), accounting for 3.61% of the total. Among the 5 age groups, the number of people aged 25-34 was the highest, followed by the age of 35-44, and the lowest one is the age group 5. The sample comprised a range of age groups with 18-44 years being the most dominant, especially those aged from 25 to 34, while Chinese tourists in age group 4 and 5 are less. This may be because tourists aged 18-44 is younger and more powerful compared to group 4 and 5, they have more energy and interest. Especially for visitors with an age of 25 to 34, composed of post-80s and post-90s, who are more willing to try and accept new things. Thirdly, in terms of educational level of respondents, it was the highest in the number of undergraduates with 106 people, accounting for 54.64% of the total sample. There were 32 respondents who had a post-graduate degree or above, accounting for 16.49% of the total sample, and 40 respondents who had a college degree, which accounts for 21.13% of the total sample. The number of respondents with an educational level of high school or below is the minimum, with 16 people, accounting for 8.25% of the total sample. Fourthly, in the aspect of monthly income, the largest number of respondents gets a monthly income of 8,001 Yuan and above, 71 individuals,

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accounting for 36.60% of the total sample. The monthly income of respondents from 2,001 to 5,000 Yuan accounted for 24.23% of the total sample, which were 47 people. The sample of individuals with monthly personal income of 5,001 to 8,000 Yuan accounted for 30.41% and 59 people. The least number of respondents with monthly income was less than 2,000 Yuan, 17 tourists, accounting for 8.76% of the total sample. Fifthly, the times of Chinese tourists come to Bangkok is divided into 3 groups (1-3imes, 4-6 times, 7 times or above). Among the 194 valid questionnaires, the number of tourists who came to Bangkok for 1 to 3 times was 177, accounting for 91.24% of the total number; the number of tourists who came to Bangkok for 4 to 6 times was 9 and 4.64% of the total; the number of tourists who traveled in Bangkok for 7 times or above was 8 and it was 4.12% of the total. It can be seen from the times of Chinese tourists come to Bangkok, Chinese tourists are mainly concentrated in first to third times to visit Bangkok. Finally, the length of Chinese tourists staying in Bangkok is divided into 4 groups (1 day or below, 1-3 days, 4-6 days, 7 days or above). Among the 194 valid questionnaires, the number of tourists staying in Bangkok within one day was 47, accounting for 24.22% of the total; the number of tourists staying in Bangkok for 1-3 days was 57, accounting for 29.38% of the total number of visitors; the number of visitors staying in Bangkok for 4-6 days is 90, accounting for 46.39% of the total. There is no Chinese tourist staying in Bangkok for 7 days or more in this questionnaire. Among the Chinese tourists who came to Bangkok, the majority of tourists stayed for 4-6 days. This shows that Chinese tourists tend to stay in Bangkok for a longer period of time, but not exceeding one week.

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Table 4.1

Basic Information of Respondents (N=194) Demographic Simple numbers Percentage（%） characteristics Male 81 41.75 Gender Female 113 58.24

18-24 33 17.01 Age(Years old) 25-34 94 48.45 35-44 41 21.13 45-54 19 9.80 Over 55 7 3.61 High school degree 16 8.25 or below

College degree 40 21.13 Education level Undergraduate 106 54.64 Post-graduate or 32 16.49 above 2,000 or below 17 8.76

Monthly income 2,001-5,000 47 24.23 (Yuan) 5,001-8,000 59 30.41 8,001 or above 71 36.60 1-3 177 91.24 Times of visit 4-6 9 4.64 Bangkok 7 or above 8 4.12

Length of stay 1 or below 47 24.22 (Day) 1-3 57 29.38

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4-6 90 46.39 7 or above 0 0

After that, a total of 32 items of tourism motivation (including 16 push and 16 pull items) in the second part of the questionnaire. Followed by 4 questions in the tourism satisfaction, there are 2 items for tourism loyalty part. All the items in the questionnaire were measured with a five points Likert scale ranging from 1 - Strongly disagree to 5 - Strongly agree (1 - Strongly disagree, 2 - Disagree, 3 - Neither agree nor disagree,4 - agree, 5 - Strongly agree). The statistics were shown in the following tables in each topic, with the mean of every item. A sample is defined as the subset of the given population. Also, the sample size is denoted by n. The weighted average(x) is an average in which each observation in the data set is assigned or multiplied by a weight before summing to a single average value.（x=weight×score） Thus, the sample mean is defined as the average of n observations from the sample. Consider, x1,x2,...,xn be n observations in the sample. Then, the sample mean is defined as the quotient obtained when of sum of observations is divided by the number of observations in the sample. Moreover, the sample mean is usually denoted by . The formula is given by,

For example, in table 4.2, the score of “Desire to travel abroad” =(15×1)＋（ 23×2） ＋（ 93×3）＋（ 46×4）＋（17×5) divided by 194 （the total number of respondents answering this questionnaire）

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4.2 Tourism Motivation

4.2.1 Tourism Motivation (Push Factors) In this study, a total of 16 motivation indicators were selected to describe the respondents’ internal motivation. As shown in table 4.2, the average size of the 16 items was slightly different for each respondent's tourism motivation. Overall, it was between 2.36 and 4.16. The highest mean value was “Desire to learn about the site’s folk customs” (M=4.16). For “Need a break & relax” (M=4.08) and “Experiencing new or different lifestyles” (M=4.08), the average of these two items are same. It shows that “Desire to learn about the site’s folk customs” is the main internal motivation of respondents to travel to Bangkok. Indeed, Thailand attracts Chinese tourists with unique customs and culture, making them want to experience the local Thai lifestyle. With the improvement of the living standard of the Chinese people and the increase in their income, people's desire to travel abroad has increased. As a neighboring country of China, Thailand attracts Chinese tourists with its unique customs and natural scenery. It makes Chinese tourists eager to learn Thai folk customs and experience Thai lifestyle. Convenient transportation and relatively inexpensive cost have further attracted Chinese tourists. Thailand has different nationalities, festivals, etc., and all these factors attract Chinese tourists to learn and experience. Most people are busy at work, so they hope to relieve pressure and get relaxation and rest while traveling. The lowest mean values were "Visit relatives or friends” (M = 2.36) and “Religious adoration” (M = 2.73), and the average of these two items are below

3.0. It shows that, most Chinese tourists do not have many Thai relatives and friends, and do not visit Thailand for the purpose of visiting relatives and friends. As we all know, Thailand is a Buddhist country, however, Chinese tourists do not travel to

Thailand for religious adoration. Most Chinese have no specific religious beliefs, so 70 respondents have maintained a neutral attitude in this item.

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Table 4.2

Tourism Motivation（Push Factors） Tourism Motivation (Push 1 2 3 4 5 Score Factors) Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly (M) disagree agree nor agree disagree Desire to travel abroad 15 23 93 46 17 3.14 Visit site that people appreciate 4 13 69 84 24 3.57 Religious adoration 26 54 70 34 10 2.73 Broaden overseas travel 5 8 49 88 44 3.81 experience To participate in festivals and 13 30 79 58 14 3.15 events Desire to visit famous historical 2 14 63 80 44 3.68 and cultural relics Desire to learn about the site’s 0 3 29 96 66 4.16 folk customs Experiencing new or different 1 5 37 85 66 4.08 lifestyles

To strength the family’s’ 25 28 67 51 23 3.10 relationship Visit relatives or friends 57 63 36 24 14 2.36 To go there with family/friends 6 7 38 84 59 3.94 To make new friends 14 17 71 71 21 3.35 Reduce learning or working stress 4 6 36 95 53 3.96 Need a break & relax 5 2 27 99 61 4.08

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Health tourism 10 19 69 62 34 3.47 Escape from ordinary 3 16 64 66 45 3.69 responsibilities

4.2.2 Tourism Motivation (Pull Factors) In this study, 16 related pull motivational items were selected, involving the characteristics of Bangkok's attributes. As shown in the table 4.3, the overall average of pull motivational items was not significantly different, ranging from 3.16 to 3.85. Among them, the highest averages are “Delicious food” (M=3.85), “Friendly local people” (M=3.83), and “Buddhism” (M=3.79). This was followed by “Famous historical and cultural relics” (M=3.77) and “Unique customs” (M=3.73). Obviously, famous historical and cultural relics, delicious local food, and unique local customs in Bangkok are the most attractive for Chinese tourists. Thai food is famous for being spicy and sour using unique and diverse spices, which deeply attracts the

heart of Chinese tourists. Chinese tourists are also deeply impressed by the civilized and friendly Thai people. Almost all Chinese tourists have learned to say “sawadika” (hello) and “kob khun ka” (thank you) during their Thailand trip. Also, the local attractive tourism performance items are preferred by Chinese tourists, such as Thai boxing, Lady Boy Show, Thai massage and so on. Interestingly, “religious adoration” (M = 2.73) is a low in motivation push factors. Chinese tourists do not come to Bangkok for religious worship, instead they are attracted by the prevailing Buddhism (M = 3.79) in Thailand and enjoy the atmosphere of the country of Buddhism.

The lowest score is the “Developed metropolis” (M=3.16). Chinese tourists do not regard Bangkok as a developed metropolis, because of the untidy streets and inconvenient bus service. The Thai government should pay more attention to these shortcomings. Tourism publicity in Bangkok is not enough to attract Chinese

tourists, which only got 3.21 among these items. Bangkok tourism advertising is not distinctive enough and do not notice by Chinese tourists in China’s domestic media.

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Table 4.3

Tourism Motivation (Pull Factors) Tourism Motivation (Pull Factors) 1 2 3 4 5 Score Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly (M) disagree agree nor agree disagree Attractive publicity 9 29 86 52 18 3.21 Low traveling cost 5 14 77 72 26 3.52 Friendly local people 1 12 49 89 43 3.83 Delicious food 4 9 49 83 49 3.85 Convenient and cheap restaurants 2 12 70 76 34 3.66 Convenient and cheap 2 19 80 73 20 3.46 accommodation Convenient and cheap 7 19 88 59 21 3.35 transportation shopping 4 19 99 55 17 3.32 Entertainment 3 17 102 59 13 3.32 Nightlife 8 18 73 73 22 3.43 Unique customs 1 6 69 83 35 3.75 Developed metropolis 9 25 97 51 12 3.16 Famous scenery 4 11 69 86 24 3.59 Famous historical and cultural 1 7 65 83 38 3.77 relics Buddhism 3 16 54 67 54 3.79 Unique tour: The Buddhist 2 18 56 73 45 3.73 temple, Katoey show, Thai

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massage, Thai boxing, elephant show

4.3 Tourism Satisfaction

Table 4.4 lists the statistics and mean value of respondents' tourism satisfaction. Overall, the average of the respondents' tourism satisfaction is 3.67, which has reached a relatively high level. Among them, the one with the highest degree of satisfaction was “Do you think this trip is worthwhile” with an average value of 3.94. “Are you satisfied with this trip to Bangkok” got 3.86. These indicate that Chinese tourists' motivation has been satisfied, whether in leisure and entertainment, life experience, food, and other aspects. For the other two items “Do you think this trip to Bangkok is beyond your expectations” and “Do you think Bangkok is better than any other places you have visited,” the mean values are 3.56 and 3.32 respectively. The results show that Chinese tourists have a higher level of satisfaction in these aspects. Bangkok needs to maintain and improve the satisfaction of tourists. Table 4.4

Tourism Satisfaction Tourism Satisfaction 1 2 3 4 5 score Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly (M) disagree agree nor agree disagree Do you think Bangkok is better 2 17 104 58 13 3.32 than any other places you have visited Do you think this trip to Bangkok is 0 5 89 86 14 3.56

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beyond your expectations Are you satisfied with this trip to 0 1 51 117 25 3.86 Bangkok Do you think this trip is worthwhile 0 0 36 134 24 3.94 Average 3,67

4.4 Tourism Loyalty

Table 4.5 lists the average and standard deviation of the variables of respondents' loyalty. The overall loyalty of respondents is 3.93, which is not significantly different from the tourists’ satisfaction discussed above. The mean value of “This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again” is 3.87, showing that respondents have a strong desire to visit Bangkok again. And “You will recommend friends or relatives to travel to Bangkok" has a mean of 3.98, showing that Chinese tourists have a positive desire to recommend Bangkok to their friends and relatives. Although the result shows relatively high revisit willingness and recommendation rate, the marketing work in Bangkok also needs to maintain the high degree of loyalty of tourists, and pay full attention to improve the loyalty of tourists. In terms of pull factors, Bangkok’s tourism promotions have not attracted the eyes of Chinese tourists (M =3.21). However, after their trip, Chinese tourists have a strong willingness to recommend it to others. That means Bangkok tourism has enough advantages to attract Chinese tourists to revisit, but tourism promotion is not recognized by Chinese tourists. Thai Tourism Department should do more in tourism promotion, and making foreigners know more about Thai tourism.

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Table 4.5

Tourism Loyalty Tourism Loyalty（the willingness of 1 2 3 4 5 Score re-travel and recommendation） Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly (M) disagree agree nor agree disagree This Bangkok trip is generally very 3 4 38 119 30 3.87 good, you will come to Bangkok again You will recommend friends or 1 3 35 114 41 3.98 relatives to travel to Bangkok

4.5 Analysis of Survey Results

4.5.1 Gender & Tourism Motivation There is a significant difference between genders over three tourism motivations: “Visit sites that people appreciate”, “Religious adoration”, and “Broaden overseas travel experience”. Women have stronger intentions than men in these factors. There is no significant difference in gender and other tourism motivations.

4.5.2 Monthly income & Tourism Motivation The monthly income has significant differences in the push factors of “Desire to travel abroad”, “To make new friends”, and “Reduce learning or working stress”. People with monthly incomes below 2,000 Yuan and above 8,000 Yuan are less concerned with these factors. There is no significant interaction between gender and monthly income on push factor. There is a significant difference between monthly income and four? pull factors: “Attractive publicity”, “Friendly local people”, “Convenient and cheap

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accommodation”, and “Buddhism”. The higher monthly income respondents pay more attention to these factors. Monthly income and gender have a significant interaction in pull factor that “Friendly local people”. 4.5.3 Age & Tourism Motivation There is a significant difference between age and push factor "Health tourism." People in the age groups of 25-34 and 35-44 are more concerned with this factor than people of other ages. Gender and age have significant interactions in the areas of “Desire to travel abroad”, “To make new friends”, and “Reduce learning or working stress”. There is no significant interaction between monthly income and age. There are significant differences between age and these three pull factors: “Delicious food”, “Convenient and cheap accommodation,” and “Buddhism”, indicating that different ages have different levels of emphasis on these pull factors. 4.5.4 Tourism Satisfaction There is a significant difference between genders over the factor that “Do you think Bangkok is better than any other places you have visited”. Women are more likely to identify with this factor than men, and think that Bangkok is better than other similar places they have visited. Monthly income has a significant difference in “Do you think this trip is worthwhile”. The monthly income below 2000 has lowest tourism satisfaction, and the monthly income between 2000-5000 has highest tourism satisfaction. It means that monthly income has a close relationship with tourism experience. Gender and monthly income have significant interactions in “Are you satisfied with this trip to Bangkok”. Women with monthly income below 2,000 Yuan feel lower satisfaction than men. However, women with monthly income between 2,000 and 5,000 have higher satisfaction than men.

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4.5.5 Tourism Loyalty Monthly income is significantly different in the “This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again", higher monthly income respondents have higher revisit rate. There is a significant difference between ages and “This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again”. The younger group has higher loyalty, indicating that Thai tourism is more popular among young people. There is a significant difference between gender and "This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again". Men are more likely to travel again than women. All factors have no significant differences in "You will recommend friends or relatives to travel to Bangkok."

In addition to the questionnaire survey, I interviewed some Chinese tourists for the reason why they choose these items and why they are satisfied or dissatisfied in a particular item. Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participant’s experiences. The interviewer can pursue in-depth information on the topic. Interviews may be useful as a follow-up to certain respondents for questionnaires, e.g., to further investigate their responses. (McNamara, 1999) Interviews are a far more personal form of research than questionnaires. In the personal interview, the interviewer works directly with the respondent. In order to better understand the Chinese tourist motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty to Bangkok, I randomly conducted street visits of 10 Chinese tourists in King Power Duty Free Complex, Grand Palace and Asiatique night market. (The sample comprised 3males and 7 females (n=10). The sample primarily visited Bangkok for a holiday of less than 7 nights. For many (70%), this was a repeated visit to Bangkok. The sample was more heavily weighted toward female visitors. In general, the sample

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was educated and professional. The sample included responses from Shanghai, Suzhou, Wenzhou, Qingdao, Nanning and Kunming, most of respondents originating from South China. The sample comprised a range of age groups with 36–45 years being the most dominant. The mode of travel to and from Bangkok for 9 samples was the airplane, 1 male was by private car with his friends. The results presented in this section detail the level of satisfaction with each individual tourism object based on five dimensions: value for money, accessibility, service, environment, and communication problems. 90% of the participants indicated they were somewhat to very satisfied with all dimensions of their travel experience in Bangkok. 4 participants expressed they were very likely to return to Bangkok for a holiday within the next 12 months, followed by 100% who suggested it was likely they would return. The majority of participants indicated they were either likely or very likely to recommend Bangkok as a holiday destination to other potential visitors (90%).) The results showed that almost all Chinese tourists are highly satisfied with this trip to Bangkok, they are looking forward to revisiting and are willing to recommend Bangkok to their friends and relatives. Even though the purpose of this trip to Bangkok is different, most people have a positive evaluation of this Bangkok trip. To investigate my topic, my interview posed 12 open-ended questions, such as impression of Thailand, unforgettable experience, favorite Thai food, and personal feeling in Bangkok. When I ask about the first thing that is called to the minds when thinking of Thailand, the top five key elements are: a country of Buddhism, Lady boy show, abundant tropical fruits, Thai food and Beautiful islands and beaches. Buddhism has become a name card for Thailand, and attracts a large number of Chinese tourists. It is surprising that the key element ranked on the second is the Lady boy show, which has never been the tourism marketing focus of the Thai tourism authorities. Some negative impressions were also mentioned, e.g. riots and unstable politics.

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There are many different travel purposes for respondents, some for sightseeing, holiday trips, shopping, and some for business trips. They said that Bangkok, as the capital of Thailand, is an important spot in their trip. There are various public transportation, delicious cuisines, colorful nightlife, numerous historic and cultural relics, friendly local people, countless night markets and roadside stalls, and convenient life in Bangkok. However, respondents also encountered some problems, safety issues, traffic jams, relatively dirty streets (especially cluttered wires everywhere), and the majority of shops cannot be paid by Wechat Pay, language barriers, and it is hard to take the bus in Bangkok. Some of these problems caused by the differences of culture and living habits between Thai and Chinese, but some of them can be solved by the Thai government. At that time, Bangkok will attract and facilitate more Chinese tourists. Chinese tourists have different experiences due to the different tourism motivations to Bangkok. Respondents raised some questions that were always encountered during their journey in Bangkok, but generally they were satisfied with this trip. In terms of tourism loyalty, respondents expressed that Bangkok is a good choice for shopping and as a transfer station to another Southeast Asia countries. Simple tourist visa procedures, convenient transportation, cost-effective tourism projects, and exotic customs make respondents willing to recommend Bangkok to the people around them.

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CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study takes the Chinese tourists in Bangkok as the research object and analyzes the motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty of tourism. In this study, I used questionnaire survey to collect the required data, and applied statistical methods to analyze the useful samples.

5.1 Summary of Major Findings

Through this survey, the reason why Chinese tourists choose Thailand as a destination for overseas travel is mainly based on these following reasons: (1) Cultural similarity. Thailand and China both belong to the East Asian cultural circle, their cultures are similar in many aspects. The culture of Thailand is influenced by Chinese culture to a great extent. Therefore, Chinese tourists have a kind of cultural affinity for Thai culture. (2) Numerous tourist attractions in Thailand. There are more than 500 tourist attractions in Thailand and its tourism resources are very rich. Such tourism resources include not only natural resources, such as sunlight, sand, and islands, but also cultural tourism resources, such as buddist architecture and food culture. These rich Thai tourism resources is particularly attractive for Chinese tourists. (3) The relatively low travel expenditure. Because the geographical location of Thailand is not very far from China, tourism expenditure is relatively small, and the domestic price level in Thailand is lower than some Chinese cities. This also attracts

Chinese tourists to Thailand to some extent. (4) The relatively simple Thai tourist visa formalities. For Chinese tourists, Thai tourist visa processing is relatively simple with no complex requirements, thus simplifies the procedure, which also increases the good feeling from Chinese tourists. (5) The development of Thailand's tourism

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industry is relatively mature, with complete supporting facilities and convenient transportation. Now, more and more Chinese tourists travel to Thailand, mainly due to the relatively high satisfaction of Chinese tourists to Thailand. The main factors affecting the satisfaction of Chinese tourists are as follows: (1) Low cost. The exchange rate of Thai baht and RMB is roughly 5:1. Although there is a small devaluation of RMB, the exchange rate of RMB and Thai baht is relatively stable. And in Thailand, the overall price level is relatively low, so Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand will develop an impression of low price, which also increases consumer satisfaction in Thai tourism. (2) Service satisfaction. Because the majority of Thai people believe in Buddhism, even faced with strangers, Thai people also greet them with a smile. The relatively mature tourism industry and friendly locals make Chinese tourists feel at home, and give Chinese tourists a sense of satisfaction with Thailand's services. (3) The richness of tourism resources. The core of the tourism process is still the tourism resources. Therefore, the abundance of Thai tourism resources has a positive influence on the satisfaction of Chinese tourists, thus recommending. Chinese tourist’s satisfaction with Thailand is affected by all of these factors. After they get higher tourism satisfaction, Chinese tourists will recommend traveling to Thailand to their friends and relatives. Through the descriptive statistical analysis, in terms of demographic characteristics of tourists, there are more female respondents than male, accounting for 58.24% of the total sample; almost half of the respondents are between ages of 25-34, showing that the largest number of Chinese tourist in Bangkok is from a younger generation; most of respondents are undergraduates; most of them earn 8,000 Yuan or above monthly; 91.24% of the respondents have fewer visit times to Bangkok, between 1-3 times; more than 45% of respondents spent 4-6 days in Bangkok. As for 32 tourism motivation, it is divided into push factors and pull factors, 16 variables respectively. On the one hand, Chinese tourists choose to travel

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to Bangkok want to experience different lifestyles and take a break. On the other hand, Bangkok attracts Chinese tourists with its hospitable people, famous historical and cultural relics, and delicious foods. In terms of satisfaction, the statistical analysis of the overall average shows that Chinese tourists are highly satisfied with the tour, considering it a worthwhile trip. In terms of loyalty, statistical analysis shows that tourists have a higher chance of revisiting and will recommend it to others. In general, most of the respondents enjoyed their trip to Bangkok with high loyalty. There is a significant positive correlation between tourism motivations (pushes and pull factors) and the satisfaction of the respondents, a stronger motivation leads to a higher degree of satisfaction. This result is consistent with Lee (2011), Wu (2007), Qu. (1999).

5.2 Recommendations

According to the tourism motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty model established in this study, it is known that the push and pull factors in tourism motivation have a positive and significant effect on the satisfaction of respondents, while the motivation and satisfaction of tourism also have a significant positive effect on the loyalty of Chinese tourists. Therefore, this study has the following suggestions for the relevant tourism authorities in Bangkok: First, according to Chinese tourists’ internal push motivation, in the future planning and development of the tourism market in Bangkok, especially for the Chinese tourist market, the market segmentation should be considered, and the development of tourist commodities should be targeted with the needs of Chinese consumers. Chinese tourists not only want to visit famous sights in Bangkok, but also are eager to experience Thai culture and local lifestyle. At the same time, Chinese tourists hope to get a pleasant and unique experience here. Tourism department should

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fully and thoroughly understand the tourist motivation, actively cater to the tourists' needs, and develop more travel programs suitable for groups or family. Thai culture is the unique selling proposition in the Thai tourism market, so tourism projects should be integrated with Thai culture. Cultural tourism can create direct or indirect economic wealth and enhance Chinese tourists’ satisfaction with Bangkok. Second, Bangkok's tourism has many advantages, such as convenient transportation and accommodation, delicious food, famous historical and cultural attractions, prosperous Buddhism, fancy shows, as well as big shopping malls, etc. When developing tourism in Bangkok, related departments should take full advantage of these tourism resources. It is necessary to build more affordable accommodation facilities, pay more attention to Chinese dietary habits, establish more convenient shopping centers, and set up tour commentary in tourist attractions. Although there is an increasing number of Chinese that can use English or Thai either as a working language or a tool for daily communication, Mandarin is much more preferred in searching, reading, and sharing information. To strengthen the Chinese training of service personnel can be a good way to improve Chinese tourists’ satisfaction. In terms of the bus system, bus stops should be marked with detailed multilingual stops’ information to facilitate tourists. Thai tourism depends on the Thai tourism authority’s better understanding of the new needs of Chinese tourists by providing the right knowledge to the right people at the right time through the right forms. Third, provide “new feelings for old places” for Chinese tourists who are revisiting in conjunction with Bangkok's tourism advantages. There are many unique festivals in Thailand; each festival has different meanings and activities. Therefore, travel agencies can develop more tourist routes and set up more programs for each festival in different times, to increase the experience of Chinese tourists, and ensure that they have different experiences each time they visit Bangkok. Fourth, make greater efforts to publicize Bangkok. As Thai opera now attracts many Chinese audiences, travel agencies can develop related routes for them.

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These programs can take Chinese tourists to visit Thai opera theatres and enjoy beautiful natural scenery, cultural heritage, and unique customs. Tourism department can propose travel themes such as "Travel Bangkok with Thai stars" to increase their travel motivation. At the same time, Thai tourism department can conduct web promotion by establishing tourist websites in simplified Chinese, putting advertisements in Chinese mainstream social media (e.g. Wechat, Weibo, and QQ). While the number of Chinese tourists continues to grow rapidly, many unexpected events have occurred in many places in Thailand in the recent years. For example，there have been safety and service quality issues, natural disasters, public health incidents, terrorist attacks, and political turmoil, etc. The relevant departments should pay more attention to the safety of tourists, and the two countries can jointly build emergency response cooperation mechanisms for tourism emergencies.

5.3 Limitation of Study

First of all, this study uses Chinese tourists traveled to Bangkok as the research object and discusses their tourism motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty. Due to academic ability, time, funding, and other limiting factors, there are two deficiencies in this study: The number of samples selected for the questionnaire survey in this study is limited. Compared to the huge number of Chinese tourists traveling to Bangkok, the number of respondents participated in this study is very few. At the same time, visitors have limited time and cannot answer questionnaires fully, resulting in a limited number of finished surveys. It is hoped that follow-up studies can increase the number of surveys and collect more comprehensive tourists’ information in combination with in-depth interviews, question-and-answer methods, and so on. Due to time and funding constraints, this study only conducted surveys and studies on Chinese tourists in Bangkok with no regards to tourists from other

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countries. Future research may extend to tourists from other countries and conduct comparative studies. It is also possible to compare tourism motives, satisfaction, and loyalty of those who travel to Bangkok for the first time with those who revisit.

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APPENDIX A

QUESTIONNAIRE

中国游客在泰国曼谷的旅游动机、满意度与忠诚度调查

尊敬的先生/女士：您好！ 非常感谢您能抽出宝贵的时间填写此次问卷！您所填的资料将仅供学术研究使用， 本研究的主要目的是为了了解您到曼谷的旅游动机以及您对曼谷的满意度与忠

诚度。请根据您本人的真实意愿和实际情况选择答案，谢谢配合！ 谨祝：旅游愉快，万事如意！ 泰国国立法政大学 东盟研究 江丽英 敬上

1. 请您完善以下信息（请打“ √ ”或填入具体数字） 您的性别： 男 女 您的年龄： 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ 您的受教育程度： 高中或以下 专科 本科 硕士或以上 您目前的月收入： 2000 元或以下 2001-5000 元 5001-8000 元 8001 以上 这是您第 ？次来曼谷旅行： 1-3 次 4-6 次 7 次及以上 在曼谷停留天数: 1 天或以下 1-3 天 4-6 天 7 天及以上 2. 请您评价以下使您参与泰国曼谷旅游的原因 旅游动机（为什么选择来泰国曼谷旅游？） 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意 1 2 3 4 5

实现国外旅游的梦想 游览人们赏识的地方 宗教崇拜

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增长国外旅游的知识和经历 参加节庆，节假日，运动或活动 游览著名的历史文化古迹 想看不同的事物 体验不同的生活方式 增进家庭成员感情 探亲访友 喜欢和家人，朋友一起旅游 结交新朋友 缓解学习，工作压力 放松休息 疗养健体 远离习惯的生活，工作地点，摆脱生活烦恼 该地的宣传很吸引人 该地的消费水平较低 该地居民较为友好 有各种美食可选 餐馆就餐方便，价格低廉 该地住宿较为方便，价格低廉 到达该地的交通较为便利，价格低廉 该地可以购买到许多具有地方特色的纪念 品，价格低廉 该地有好玩的娱乐设施 该地有丰富的夜生活 该地有独特的风土人情 该地是发达的大都市 该地是风景较好的城市

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该地有较多著名的历史文化古迹 该地有十分盛行的佛教 该地有独具魅力的游览项目：如佛寺，人妖 表演，泰式按摩，泰拳，大象表演等 3. 请您评价您对此次泰国曼谷旅游的满意度 满意度 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意 1 2 3 4 5

您觉得曼谷比其他您游览过的类似地方好 您觉得曼谷之行比您的期望相比更高 你对此次曼谷之行感到满意 您觉得此次旅行值得 4. 请您评价您对泰国曼谷旅游的忠诚度（是否愿意推荐给他人，是否愿意重游） 忠诚度（是否愿意推荐给他人，是否愿意重 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意 游） 1 2 3 4 5 此次曼谷之行总体来说很不错，你会再来曼 谷旅游 您想给亲戚或朋友推荐来曼谷旅游 5. 其他补充或建议 ______再次感谢您的耐心与配合！

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Survey on motivation, satisfaction and loyalty of Chinese tourists

in Bangkok, Thailand

Hello, Sir /Madam Thank you very much for taking time to complete this questionnaire! The information you fill will only be used for academic research. The main purpose of this study is to understand your travel motivation,satisfaction and loyalty to Bangkok. Please select the answer based on your true wishes and actual situation. Thank you for your cooperation! Wish you all the best! ASEAN Studies, Thammasat University Liying Jiang

1. Basic information Gender Male Female Age 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-55 55 or above Education High school degree or below College degree Undergraduate Post-graduate or above Monthly income 2,000 or below 2,001-3,000 3,001-5,000 5,001-8,000 8,001 or above Times of visit Bangkok 1-3 4-6 7 or above Length of stay 1 or below 1-3 4-6 7 or above

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2. Please rate the following reasons for your participation in Bangkok, Thailand Tourism Motivation Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly Disagree agree nor Agree disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Desire to travel abroad Visit site that people appreciate Religious adoration Broaden overseas travel experience To participate in festivals and events Desire to visit famous historical and cultural relics Desire to learn about the site’s folk customs Experiencing new or different lifestyles To strength the family’s relationship Visit relatives or friends To go there with family/friends To make new friends Reduce learning or working stress Need a break & relax Health tourism Escape from ordinary responsibilities Attractive publicity Low level of consumption Friendly local people Delicious food Convenient and cheap restaurants

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Convenient and cheap accommodation Convenient and cheap transportation shopping Entertainment Nightlife Unique customs Developed metropolis Famous scenery Famous historical and cultural relics Buddhism Unique tour: The Buddhist temple, Katoey show, Thai massage, Thai boxing, elephant show

3. Please rate your satisfaction with this tour of Bangkok, Thailand Satisfaction Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly Disagree agree nor Agree disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Do you think Bangkok is better than any other places you have visited Do you think this trip to Bangkok is beyond your expectations Are you satisfied with this trip to Bangkok Do you think this trip is worthwhile

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4. Please rate your loyalty with this tour of Bangkok, Thailand Loyalty（the willingness of re-travel and Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly recommendation） Disagree agree nor Agree disagree 1 2 3 4 5 This Bangkok trip is generally very good, you will come to Bangkok again

You will recommend friends or relatives to travel to Bangkok

5. Supplement & suggestion ______

Thank you again!

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What impressions did you have before you came? What did you expect? What surprised you? 2. What did you see? Where did you go? 3. What differences did you see between Thailand and China? 4. What’s your favorite Thai food? 5. Is there anything you couldn’t get used to? 6. Is there anything you’d do differently? 7. Any advice for people who want to visit Thailand? 8. Would you come back? 9. What's your favorite place so far? 10. Do you prefer solo travel or with someone else? 11. How many foreign words have you learnt so far? 12. How much did this trip cost? Do you think it's worth it? What was the most expensive aspect in this trip?

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BIOGRAPHY

Name Miss Liying Jiang Date of Birth November 15, 1992 Education Attainment 2015: Bachelor of Arts in Thai Language and Thai Culture, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Thailand 2015: Bachelor of Arts in Thai Language and Thai Culture, Yu Xi Normal University, China

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