The THE BEHAVIORS AND NEEDS OF TOURISTS TRAVELING IN SONGKHLA PROVINCE AFTER THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the behavior of tourists in Songkhla province after the COVID-19 crisis, and 2) study the needs of tourists in Songkhla Province after the COVID-19 crisis. The study utilized quantitative research. 400 sets of questionnaires were collected from tourists by using simple random sampling. The data was analyzed with percentage, mean, standard deviation, and one way analysis of variance. The research results were as follows;   1) Most tourists chose to travel for sightseeing or for leisure on weekends. They chose to spend time on holidays. Before their travel, tourists got information from various online media such as Facebook and Instagram. The types of selected accommodation were resorts or hotels. The duration of the stay was two nights, while the average travel expenses per person per day were between 1,000 – 2,000 Baht.  Private cars were the most chosen means of transport for travelling. 2) As for the needs of tourists in traveling, the tourists were satisfied with service models, offered by enterprises in Songkhla, that had been developed in terms of productivity and quality, process, place strategy, physical appearance, personnel, promotion, products, and prices, respectively at a high level. Songkhla province had the availability of a variety of tourism services. It could create a satisfying experience for tourists. The product quality and service prices were suitable for economic situation during the time of COVID-19. However, tourists had a desire for entrepreneurs to use social media such as Facebook and Instagram to introduce products and services, to comply with SHA standards to ensure user confidence, and to accept online payment methods such as via bank accounts and PromptPay