The Effect of Phattalung Province’s Tourist Attraction Image on Travel Intentions Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This was a quantitative study designed to study the destination image of Phatthalung Province and travel intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants in this study were four-hundred Thai tourists who had never previously travelled to Phatthalung Province who filled out questionnaires to provide data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis, including means, standard deviations, percentages, and multiple linear regressions. The results revealed that, overall, Phattalung Province’s has a high level destination image with regard to attractions, accessibility, activities, carrying capacity, and COVID-19 epidemic management. Additionally, the results from multiple linear regression analysis found that the destination image for accessibility, activities, carrying capacity, and COVID-19 epidemic management had a significant influence on travel intention. In terms of implications, our findings would suggest that the stakeholders related to the tourism sectors should enhance creating a concretely positive destination image for Phatthalung Province, with special focus on promoting tourists’ perception related to COVID-19 epidemic management in Phatthalung Province