Image of tourist attractions in Thailand as perceived by people in ASEAN: A case study of people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

This research has purposed to study and compare the image of tourist attractions in Thailand as perceived by people in ASEAN: a case study of people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As a quantitative research, 400 questionnaires were carried out to collect data from Malaysians living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and those residing in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province by convenience sampling, with W.G. Cochran’s determining 95 percent of the confidence level. These analyzing methods were Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation (S.D.) and Hypothesis Testing analyzed by t-test and One Way ANOVA (F-test). The findings reveal that the majority of responders are males, those who are between the ages of 21 and 30. They are bachelor’s degree holders who work for private firms and earn salaries ranging from 20,001 to 30,000 Baht per month. According to the research participants' perceptions of Thailand's tourism attractions via social media, the southern part of the country is the most appealing to Malaysian tourists, and they recognize that Thailand has a reputation for natural tourism attractions. As shown in the perception level of tourist attractions in Thailand, perceptions in general have reached a high level. When each component is considered, it is discovered that the aspect with the highest average level of awareness was the tourist expense budget. It is worthwhile to travel through this particular topic. The tourism attractions have the lowest level of awareness, in terms of night travel attractions and their renowned entertainment venues. As hypothesis testing revealed, respondents of different ages had different perceptions of the image of tourist attractions, restaurants, and food in Thailand. In addition, different levels of education of tourists have different views of Thailand's restaurants and food, with a statistically significant level of 0.05.