Tourists’ behavior and importance of marketing mix factors in decision to use community-based agritourism services under the new normal era in Rayong Province, Thailand
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Abstract
The results showed that the majority of tourists visiting the site were female, between the ages of 20-30, single, and had completed a bachelor’s degree. Most of the tourists were students and had a monthly income of at most 15,000 THB. In terms of agritourism behavior, the study found that most tourists visited the site during weekends and holidays for study tours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. First-time visitors were prevalent, and most were influenced by friends and colleagues before the pandemic. During the pandemic, self-decision became the primary factor for traveling. Tourists preferred day trips to the Suan Yai Da agritourism site, with a majority intending to revisit the site. People’s recommendations and Facebook fan pages were the top sources of information for tourists. Regarding the perception of marketing mix factors, tourists gave the highest importance to the awards received by the agritourism site as the best tourist attraction (x̄ = 4.25). This indicates that the reputation and recognition of the agritourism site play a significant role in attracting visitors. Other product factors that were highly rated included processed products available (x̄ = 4.20), lectures for agricultural knowledge (x̄ = 4.20), and the ability of tourists to visit all year round (x̄ = 4.14). In terms of price factors, tourists rated all of them as important, with mean ratings (x̄) ranging from 4.12 to 4.25. Overall, the study provides insights into the socio-demographic profile, agritourism behavior, and perceptions of marketing mix factors of tourists visiting the Suan Yai Da agritourism site. The findings can serve as a basis for agritourism service providers to improve their services and attract more tourists.
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