Influence of the Marriage Equality Law on Thailand as a Tourism Destination for LGBTQ+ Tourists
Keywords:
LGBTQ+ Tourism, Marriage Equality Law, Travel Intention, Theory of Planned BehaviorAbstract
This study aims to examine the effects of the Marriage Equality Law (MEL) on attitudes (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of LGBTQ+ tourists, as well as to analyze the influence of these variables on travel intention (INT) to visit Thailand. The participants were 400 self-identified LGBTQ+ individuals who had never traveled to Thailand, and data were gathered via an online questionnaire distributed among LGBTQ+ online communities. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was employed, and data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The findings reveal that MEL has a positive and statistically significant effect on ATT, SN, and PBC, explaining a substantial proportion of their variance (48–53%). Moreover, ATT and PBC were found to have positive and significant effects on INT, whereas SN showed a positive direction but without statistical significance. Overall, the research model explained 59.9% of the variance in travel intention. These results confirm that the Marriage Equality Law not only promotes equal rights but also contributes significantly to developing positive attitudes and building confidence among LGBTQ+ tourists, thereby enhancing Thailand’s image as a friendly and safe travel destination. The study contributes theoretically by extending the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) within the context of law and tourism. In practical terms, it enables tourism operators to design services that respond effectively to LGBTQ+ travelers. From a policy perspective, the findings highlight that marriage equality can be strategically leveraged to strengthen Thailand's position as an LGBTQ+-Friendly Destination with strong potential in the global tourism market.
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