Abstract:
The objective of this research is to study Thai tourists satisfaction toward tourism in Bokeo and Luang Namtha Provinces, Lao PDR. The samples in this research are Thai tourists who returned from tourism in Bokeo and Luang Namtha Provinces. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 Thai tourists. Statistics used in data analysis were percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation and one-way analysis of variance.
The results depicted that slightly more than half of respondents were female (51.5%) and 51% of respondents were between 26-34 years old. Forty-eight percent of respondents resided in northern Thailand and more than half of respondents were married (53.8%). Two fifth of respondents were self-employed (41.0%) and nearly a half of respondents had average monthly income 15,001-30,000 baht (49.5%). Just more than half of respondents obtained a bachelor degree (51.0%). Recreation and relaxation were the purpose most frequently cited by respondents (30.7%), followed by business purposes (20.8%). Huayxai City, Bokeo Province was the main target for Thai tourists (59.2%) and Ton Phueng City, Bokeo Province ranked second (23.6%). More than one fifth of respondents receive information regarding Lao tourism from television (22.0%), followed by searching information from websites (15.5%).
The results of the satisfaction of Thai tourists showed that the sites were highly attraction and they satisfied local hospitality at a high level. However, Thai tourists had a relatively low satisfaction with tourism facilities and accessibility between the attractions. The hypotheses testing results indicated that Thai tourists demographics (gender, age, education level and occupation) were related to the satisfaction with tourism facilities and accessibility between the attractions. In addition, Thai tourists places of origin were related to the satisfaction of local hospitality.
Keywords: Satisfaction/Thai tourists/Bokeo and Luang Namtha Province