FACTORS AFFECTED BETONG RESIDENTS’ DECISION TO TRAVEL BY AIR TRANSPORTATION

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study 1) The demographic factors influencing the decision to travel by air transportation among residents of Betong District, Yala Province; and 2) The marketing mix factors based on the 4E’s framework that affect their decision-making.
This research employed a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 400 residents of Betong District, selected through convenience sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire divided into four sections: 1) Demographic information, 2) Marketing mix factors based on the 4E’s affecting the decision to travel by air transportation, 3) Factors influencing the decision to travel by air transportation, and 4) Additional suggestions. Descriptive statistics-frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation-were used to analyze the data, while inferential statistics included one-way ANOVA and regression analysis, with statistical significance set at the 0.05 level. The findings revealed that: 1) Education level, occupation, and monthly income significantly influenced the decision to travel by air transportation at the 0.05 level, whereas gender and age showed no statistically significant differences; and 2) Among the marketing mix (4E’s) factors, Engagement (β = 0.44), Everyplace (β = 0.24), and Experience (β = 0.11) had a statistically significant influence on the decision to use air travel services. Collectively, these factors were able to predict the decision to travel by air transportation at 46.00%.