Guidelines for the Development of Tourism Areas in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District to Meet the Needs of Japanese Tourists

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) study behavior and satisfaction of Japanese tourists; and 2) suggest guidelines for the development of tourism areas in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Province to meet the needs of Japanese tourists. The sample, calculated a sample size by using W.G. Cochran’s formula and randomly selected by convenience sampling technique, consisted of 384 Japanese tourists visiting Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. The instrument used for collecting data was a questionnaire with the reliability of 0.975.  The statistical tools used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.     

The findings were as follows:  Most of the Japanese tourists visiting Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District were single (50.5%), male (56.5%), aged between 21-30 years (32.3%) with bachelor’s degree education (33.6%).  They were mostly private sector employees (51.6%) with monthly income more than 30,000 baht (67.4%).  In terms of tourist behavior, it was found that 79.2% of the Japanese tourists visiting Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District for the first time; 31.0% of them recognizing tourism areas in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District via the Internet; 38.8% of them traveling with friends or acquaintances; 41.1% of them staying there more than three days; 25.0% of them visiting there in November the most; 65.1% of them staying in hotels/resorts; 49.5% of them going there by a tour bus or van; 82.0% of them visiting there due to the fact that it is one of the famous World Heritage sites; 62.5% of them firstly visiting the Ayutthaya Historical Park; and 89.6% of them wanting to come back there again.  In terms of tourist satisfaction, it was found that, overall, the satisfaction of the Japanese tourists towards a visit in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya District was at a high level ( = 3.86, S.D. = 0.65); of which tourist attractions ( = 4.07, S.D. = 0.74), local people ( = 3.99, S.D. = 0.77) and services provided by the staff ( = 3.97, S.D. = 0.78) respectively were the first 3 satisfying aspects ranked to be in the highest.