Factors Influencing the Decision of Tourists to select Ecotourism in Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to study the factors that influenced the decision of tourists to select ecotourism in Thailand. The sample group used in this study was 400 oversea tourists who had an experience in ecotourism by using a purposive sampling method. Data was collected by using questionnaires with the reliability coefficient at 0.89. The data was analyzed by using statistical methods with descriptive analysis such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.

The result indicated that the overall factors influenced the decision of tourists on selecting the ecotourism in Thailand were at the highest level. The aspect having the most influencing power on tourists' decisions was the area with the beauty of the scenery and the abundance of natural resources, followed by the management which provided safety information to tourists such as signs or warning signs and security officers. Next, the activities and processes; the tourists prefer having a variety of ecotourist activities such as hiking, bird watching, planting trees, or rafting. The last one was the participation; the tourists wanted tourism which distributed income to the community, such as selling souvenirs, providing a local tour guide, or guest speakers.