MARKETING STRATEGIES OF COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM FOR GENERATION Y CHINESE TOURISTS THE CASE OF ANDAMAN COAST, THAILAND

Abstract

The sustainable development of community-based tourism or CBT requires a dynamic balance between supply and demand sides. There are rich CBT resources on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, but not many Chinese tourists come here to visit. The Generation Y Chinese tourists who have grown up in the digital age may create new market opportunities for the development of CBT on the Andaman Coast. This poses a challenge to innovative marketing strategies for CBT. Therefore, the purpose of this study is 1) To study the current marketing strategy of CBT on the Andaman Coast; 2) To examine the travel motivation and behavior of Generation Y Chinese tourists towards CBT on the Andaman Coast; 3) To investigate the marketing mix affecting Generation Y Chinese tourists to CBT on the Andaman Coast; and 4) To propose appropriate marketing strategies of CBT on the Andaman Coast for Generation Y Chinese tourist.

The theories on CBT, marketing, innovation, tourist behavior, and related researches about the Andaman Coast have been reviewed through the literatures, and a conceptual research framework has been established to study the appropriate marketing strategies of CBT for Generation Y Chinese tourists.

The mix research method is used in this study. During February 2018–February 2019, 426 questionnaires were distributed to collect quantitative data from Generation Y Chinese tourists; meanwhile, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data from 30 residents and stakeholders on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, as well as 30 Generation Y Chinese tourists who are interested in CBT. Content analysis is used for qualitative research, while descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are used for quantitative research.

The results found that 1) Tourism products can be developed by the community on the Andaman Coast based on the concept of CBT and the local lifestyle. The principle of fair trade is followed in pricing, channel strategies e.g., online, offline, and partners are implemented, and word-of-mouth promotion is valued. However, the disadvantage is that there is homogenization of tourism products between communities, the pricing mechanism is not flexible enough, omni-channel marketing has not yet been established, and there are few Chinese tourists and no impressive “brand character” have been established. 2) Generation Y Chinese tourists mainly go to CBT based on experiencing local culture, eager to gain new knowledge and broaden their horizons. They like a casual atmosphere, are willing to feel nature, and enhance their relationship with relatives and friends by participating in activities together. They want to know more deterministic information before making travel decisions, attach importance to participatory interactive experiences and digital social relationships during the travel process, and have a high willingness to revisit and recommend CBT after their tours. 3) Appropriate marketing strategies are conducive to stimulating the willingness of Generation Y Chinese tourists to travel to CBT. In terms of products, “capacity”, “authenticity”, and “customized” or “value proposition innovation” are emphasized; in terms of prices, “flexible pricing” and “value for money” are approved; in terms of channels, “easily access”, “easily search”, “easily booking” and “encourage sharing” are emphasized; in terms of promotion, “digital marketing”, “affiliate Marketing”, “branding”, “converge online and offline”, “friendly relationship with local”, “word-of-mouth” and “discount” are valued. 4) The appropriate marketing strategies of CBT on the Andaman Coast for Generation Y Chinese tourist includes improvement strategy, insight strategy, fit strategy, appropriate product strategy, appropriate price strategy, appropriate place strategy, and appropriate promotion strategy.

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