Process of community enhancement on tourism promotion marketing for community-based tourism destination in designated Pattaya and Vicinity area

Abstract

This research aims 1) to develop an indicator used for evaluating community enhancement of tourism promotion marketing in community–based tourism destinations in designated Pattaya and vicinity areas, 2) to evaluate the community enhancement of tourism promotion marketing for community–based tourism destinations in the designated Pattaya and vicinity areas, 3) to obtain the community’s potential reinforcement method in the aspect of tourism marketing promotion currently proceeded by the related parties, and 4) to create a process of community enhancement for tourism promotion marketing for community–based tourism destination in the designated Pattaya and vicinity areas. A mixed method: both qualitative and quantitative methods are applied in this research.

Baan Chak Ngaew community, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi is selected as a study area for the research. Data collection is done by purposive sampling among 400 Thai tourists, who visited the community on Saturdays, through a questionnaire and interview. The questionnaire, which is the data collection tool for this research, was used to evaluate the community’s potential in the aspect of community-based tourism marketing promotion, whereas descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. The other type of data collection tool was an expert interview.

According to the result of the evaluation conducted by using six marketing promotion tools covering the four aspects: knowledge, attributes, general skills, and specific skills, it appears that the overall result is 3.22 or medium level. The result of each aspect can be concluded as follows: the community’s potential to operate marketing promotion by advertising is 3.65 or a high level; by publicizing is 3.50 or a medium level; by promotion sales is 3.09 or a medium level; by individual selling is 4.12 or a high level; by direct selling is 2.56 or a medium level; and by internet marketing is 2.44 or a low level.

Regarding data analysis in the aspect of qualitative research, content analysis is applied along with the analysis of opinions and recommendation from experts and persons related to the community-based tourism marketing promotion in the designated Pattaya and vicinity areas. Six elements of the community’s potential were evaluated in four aspects: general skills, specific skills, attributes, and knowledge. After obtaining the result, researchers analyzed the data, selected a procedure, and specified issues and suitable techniques used for improving each aspect of the community’s potential in order to enhance their potential to operate tourism marketing promotion more efficiently.

The process of community enhancement of tourism promotion marketing for community–based tourism destinations in designated Pattaya and vicinity areas consists of three major elements which are 1) an evaluation of the community’s potential in the aspects related to a marketing promotion process in order to understand their strengths and weaknesses; 2) an analysis of the procedures currently used in the area; and 3) the community’s potential enhancement process based on the procedures, issues, and techniques suitable for improving the community’s potential in the aspect of community-based tourism marketing promotion in order to develop their potential and sustainability: local people can keep operating the tourism marketing promotion by themselves.