Policy implication of tourism management for Japanese senior tourists : a case study of Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

Abstract

Japanese senior tourist group is prioritized by Thailand’s tourism industry due to the increasing number, the quality, and the high purchasing power. However, most Japanese senior tourists have traveled to Thailand’s main tourist destinations, not secondary destinations. Chiang Rai, the northernmost province of Thailand, is one of the secondary destinations and is not yet widely known by Japanese senior tourists. However, Chiang Rai is selected to be one of the fourteen provinces of Thailand suitable for senior tourists due largely to its very complete universal design. Therefore, it is challenging for government authorities and tourism-related stakeholders to come up with policies and proactive strategies to attract more Japanese senior tourists and create their loyalty strong enough to revisit and/ or recommend others to visit Chiang Rai. Besides, the existing research regarding the policy implication of tourism management for Japanese senior tourists with all-rounded aspects are considered rare. Thus, it can be inferred that there is still not any study result that can be applied as policy implication of tourism management for Japanese senior tourists for Chiang Rai Province. On this account, the objectives of this study were (1) to study the behavior and demand of Japanese senior tourists towards Chiang Rai’s tourism; (2) to identify factors affecting destination loyalty of Japanese senior tourists; (3) to evaluate Chiang Rai’s current tourism management for Japanese senior tourists and (4) to propose the policy implication of Chiang Rai’s tourism management for Japanese senior tourists.

This study employed mixed methods research. The quantitative method research was conducted using a survey technique. The respondents included 400 Japanese senior tourists aged 55 years old and older who had traveled and stayed at least two nights in Chiang Rai Province. Purposive sampling technique was used to distribute the online self-administered questionnaires and collect the data from the targeted respondents. Meanwhile, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data from 17 key informants of Chiang Rai’s tourism-related stakeholders, namely public sector, private sector, and local community.

Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation), Factor Analysis, K-means Cluster Analysis, and inferential statistics (Independent Samples t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Multiple Regression Analysis) were employed to analyze the quantitative data. While the qualitative data was analyzed by the SWOT framework, TOWS matrix, and content analysis.

The quantitative results revealed (1) Japanese senior tourists with different demographics which included gender, age, education, occupation, marital status, average monthly income, and health status had different behavior and demand for Chiang Rai’s tourism management; (2) factor analysis of the data identified four psychological factors, which were further analyzed using cluster analysis. The cluster analysis revealed three groups of Japanese senior tourists: informative socialization, quality planning, and impromptu independence; (3) Japanese senior tourists with different psychographics which included activities, interests, and opinions had different behavior and demand for Chiang Rai’s tourism management; (4) tourists’ motives, destination attributes, and quality of life were the factors that affected destination loyalty towards Chiang Rai Province among Japanese senior tourists; (5) Japanese senior tourists with different demographics, including age, education, occupation, average monthly income, marital status, and health status indicated different levels of satisfaction towards Chiang Rai’s tourism management; (6) Japanese senior tourists with different psychographics had different levels of satisfaction towards tourism management in Chiang Rai Province.

As for qualitative results, the SWOT analysis framework indicated that Chiang Rai Province had 14 strengths, 9 weaknesses, 10 opportunities, and 9 threats for its tourism in the elderly tourist market. In addition, the TOWS matrix was carried out to formulate four strategic alternatives including proactive strategies, improvement strategies, preventive strategies, and vigilant strategies. Subsequently, the results of all three research objectives were integrated and used for developing the proposed policy implication of Chiang Rai’s tourism management for Japanese senior tourists. Moreover, the proposed policy implication was verified by three tourism experts with at least five years of experience. Ultimately, the policy implication of Chiang Rai’s tourism management for Japanese senior tourists was proposed under the four aspects, namely, tourism policy, development of the quality of destination attributes, tourism marketing and communication, and cooperation of the stakeholders and associations related to tourism. This study also proposed Chiang Rai Province to be a destination of recreation and leisure for senior tourism in order to drive the province to become a top-of-mind destination for recreation and leisure among Japanese senior tourists.