STUDY OF TOURISTS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GREEN LOGISTICS PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM ON KOH SAMUI

Abstract

The research objectives were 1) To study tourist behavior and preferences for green logistics public transportation, and 2) To study the value and factors influencing tourists' willingness to pay for the development of green logistics public transportation on Koh Samui. This quantitative study involved 400 Thai tourists visiting Koh Samui. The sample consisted of convenience sampling. The research instrument was a four-part questionnaire 1) Respondents' general information, 2) Travel behavior and behavior, 3) Factors affecting their decision to use public transportation, and 4) Willingness to pay. The statistics used included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and estimation using a log-normal distribution model. The results were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The research results found that: 1) Tourists who prefer to use green logistics public transportation are more likely to return, with 46.80% increase. and 2) The average willingness to pay for trips less than 5 kilometers is 30.75 baht, for medium-distance trips between 5 and 15 kilometers is 44.16 baht, and for long-distance trips (greater than 15 kilometers or around the island) is 121.83 baht per trip per person. Factors influencing willingness to pay are: females are willing to pay approximately 1.79 times more than males; those with positive attitudes (average score of 3.5 or higher) are willing to pay approximately 3.99 times more than those with attitudes below 3.5; and those who do not decide to return because of the transportation system are 2.08 times more likely to be willing to pay than those who decide to return because of the transportation system. This reflects the important role of transportation in creating attraction for tourists.