DEVELOPMENT OF AN APPLICATION FOR LINKING TOURISM ROUTES AND PROMOTING THE IDENTITY OF CHINESE ETHNIC CUISINE IN NAKHON SI THAMMARAT AND TRANG PROVINCES

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) Develop a mobile application for linking tourism routes and promoting the identity of Chinese ethnic food in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang provinces, 2) Evaluate the efficiency of the developed application, and 3) Assess user satisfaction and technology acceptance (TAM). The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach based on the Agile methodology, emphasizing iterative processes including requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and refinement. The sample group was divided into 1) Five software development experts, 2) Twenty food and tourism entrepreneurs, and 3) Four hundred tourists. The results revealed that the developed application provided core functions such as tourism route recommendations, Chinese ethnic food menu recommendations, storytelling of food identity, and an interactive map for tourists to explore destinations linking restaurants and cultural attractions in both provinces. The system was designed using a 3-Tier Architecture to ensure scalability and flexibility. The evaluation of system efficiency by experts indicated a very high level (Mean = 4.65, S.D. = 0.47), while user satisfaction was also at a very high level (Mean = 4.58, S.D. = 0.52). In addition, the evaluation of technology acceptance based on the TAM framework showed that Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) were rated at a very high level and had a positive influence on Attitude Toward Using (ATU) and Behavioral Intention to Use (BI). The overall mean score across all four dimensions was at a very high level (Mean = 4.60, S.D. = 0.50). These findings indicate that the developed application is practical, well-accepted by users, and demonstrates strong potential for continuous use.