Market Positions of the Northeastern Provinces

Abstract

          The objective of this research is to study the perception of market positions of Northeastern cities. This quantitative research used purposive sampling with 380 respondents. Questionnaires were used as a research instrument. The samples were asked to indicate the differences and the similarities of the ten most visited cities in the Northeast. Data were analyzed with the multidimensional scaling technique. The study results reveal that the samples classified these cities based on the importance of the city (a main or a secondary city of the Northeast) and the location (in the upper or the lower part of the Northeast). That is, the samples perceived Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani as the main cities of the lower Northeast while Khon Kaen and Udon Thani are perceived as the main cities of upper Northeast. Buriram, Sisaket, and Surin are viewed as the secondary cities of lower Northeast while Loei, NongKhai, and Mukdahan are perceived as the those of upper Northeast. This research provides useful guidelines for city development to increase the level of tourism in main and secondary cities.

Article history : Received 25 April 2021
                             Revised 10 July 2021
                             Accepted 15 July 2021
                             SIMILARITY INDEX = 0.81 %