Date of Degree

5-2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

Judith Beauford

Advisor

Norman St. Clair

Advisor

Osman Özturgut

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how ethical sales behavior related to the likelihood of tourists to return to Thailand. The Ethical Tourism Industry survey used was adapted from previous studies found in the literature. The sample of 300 participants was drawn from international tourists who travelled in the North, Central, and South regions of Thailand. Tests of correlation used Pearson, logistic regression, and linear regression to analyze the research questions in this study. An analysis found that most tourists who were revisiting Thailand were male, and 49% of tourists came from Europe and Africa for leisure purposes. Those tourists had a median age of 37.5 years with an average household income. Generally speaking, tourists were satisfied with all aspects, except tour packages and information services, the public signs and directions, political and economic stability, and especially, the cleanliness of public places. Thailand’s tourism might be increased by improving public facilities and improving the stability of government. Also, international tourists reported that well over half would return to Thailand in the next 12 months if given the opportunity, and they would recommend Thailand to others. The empirical results of this study emphasized that there was a strong relationship between the perceived ethical sales behaviors of businesses and international tourists’ satisfaction when moderated by gender, age, household income, and region. In addition, Somers’ analysis showed that there was a moderately significant relationship between the tourists’ satisfaction and the likelihood of international tourists to return, and the relationship between the tourists’ satisfaction and their positive recommendations Thailand to others. The results indicated that the variables of gender, age, household income, and region did not have an influence on the likelihood of international tourists to return, but the tourists’ satisfaction did positively influence that likelihood to return. The study provided useful information to the tourism local authorities, tourism planners, businesses, and marketers to focus more on enhancing, improving, and maintaining factors that contribute to international tourists’ satisfaction, ethical sales behaviors, and likelihood to return.

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