Development of a Tourism Recommender System using Design Thinking and Social Media Analytics

Abstract

This research aims to 1) Gather and analyze data and requirements related to tourism in Sukhothai Province 2) Develop a business model for an online tourist attraction recommendation system 3) Evaluate the business model for the online tourist attraction recommendation system 4) Develop the online tourist attraction recommendation system through public relations and marketing support for tourist destinations in Sukhothai Province via the LINE Official Account platform and 5)Assess user satisfaction with the online tourist attraction recommendation system. The research employed primary data collection through in-depth interviews with one tourism expert, three business experts, and 15 tourists, as well as secondary data collection from social media platforms. The system testing was conducted with a sample group of 30 tourists. The research findings revealed that 1) tourists were interested in using the online tourist attraction recommendation system for information retrieval and travel planning 2) the business model for the system received a very high evaluation score (average 4.09) and 3) the user satisfaction with the system was rated good (average 3.93).The results of this study can be applied to further develop an online tourist attraction recommendation system using the LINE Official Account as a communication tool for disseminating tourism information and enhancing marketing effectiveness.