Ecotourism Preferences of Shanghai Senior Tourists Visiting Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this study are: 1) To study the demographic factors (gender, age, education level, income and marital status) of PRC seniors visiting Thailand; 2) To investigate demographic factors influence on cultural differences (taste and values of perception), food preferences (nutrition, organic food, food ornamental and localism), sports preferences (entertainment, health, adventure and environment) and to ecotourism of PRC seniors visiting Thailand (experience and sustainability); 3) To explore potential causal relationships modeling of demographic factors, cultural differences, food preferences, sports preferences and to ecotourism among PRC seniors visiting Thailand.
This study adopted a quantitative method and collected a total of 867 questionnaires from senior tourists from Shanghai who had visited in ecotourism in Thailand. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis, linear analysis, factor analysis and path analysis using SPSS 29.0 and AMOS 23.0.
The majority of the respondents, the senior tourists from Shanghai, PRC, are well-educated women aged between 65 and 70, with a moderately high income, and prefer to join the traditional activity. And studies have found that educational level significantly influence ecotourism visiting Thailand. The analysis results show that the equation formula is following: PRC Seniors’ Ecotourism Visiting Thailand = 0.375 (Cultural Differences) + 0.208 (Food Preferences) + 0.230 (Sports Preferences), the determination coefficient is 75%. The development model is consistent with the empirical evidence, which exceeds the standard level of 60% (X²/df = 2.126, P < 0.05;RMSEA = 0.044; RMR = 0.030 GFI = 0.976 AGFI = 0.961; CFI = 0.969) .
The results show that cultural differences, food preferences and sports preferences have a significant impact on the ecotourism preferences of senior tourists from Shanghai. This study provides practical suggestions for the development of tourism products in Thailand’s tourism industry, and proposes measures such as multilingual and cultural guides, personalized catering services, and diversified sports activities. This is the contribution to attracting more senior tourists from PRC, promoting the development of Thailand’s tourism industry, and facilitating exchanges between the two countries. It has enriched the concept of senior ecotourism preferences academically, provided a basis for policymaking implementation, and promoted the sustainable development of tourism between China and Thailand.

Keywords: Keywords: Ecotourism visiting Thailand, PRC Senior Tourists, Cultural Differences, Food Preferences, Sports Preferences

6419310003,  Mrs. Guiyu Su, Advisor: ดร.สุเทพ ดวงจินดา – Dr. Suthep Duangchinda, บทความ (Paper), – Ecotourism Preferences of Shanghai Senior Tourists Visiting Thailand, ตีพิมพ์ในวารสาร (Journal Name), Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal , ปริญญาเอก (Doctorate Degree), บัณฑิตวิทยาลัย (Graduate School), บริหารธุรกิจดุษฎีบัณฑิต สาขาวิชาการตลาด – Doctor of Business Administration Program in Marketing, บธ.ด. การตลาด – D.B.A. Marketing, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand – มหาวิทยาลัยสยาม กรุงเทพมหานคร ประเทศไทย