Abstract:
The purpose of this research was 1) to study the level of importance of the marketing mix factors of Klang Dong Floating Market in Nakhon Ratchasima, 2) to study the relationship between personal factors and Thai tourists behavior toward the floating market, and 3) to study the relationship between the marketing mix factors and the Thai tourists behavior toward the floating market. The population in this research was the Thai tourists who visited Klang Dong Floating Market in Nakhon Ratchasima within a period of 4 months. The exact number to use from an unknown population size came from the William Gemmell Cochran (1953) calculation method. It was 400 persons. The information collecting tool was a questionnaire while the statistical analysis used frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Chi-square test.
According to the study results, it was found that the Thai tourists in Klang Dong Floating Market are mostly single women aged 31-40, who have an undergraduate degree. Most are office employees and have a monthly income of THB 20,001-30,000. Concerning their behavior, they traveled to the floating market mostly with friends and for relaxation. The main purpose of travelling was to relax/entertain themselves. The people involved in making the decision to go were mainly friends. The preferred travel time was the weekends. The main information source to access the Klang Dong Floating Market was via the Internet and the frequency of the visits was once a month.
1. The overall analytical results of the marketing mix factors were at the highest levels. Considering each individual dimension, Thai tourists gave priority to the personnel dimension the most.
2. The marketing mix of were statistically related at the 0.05 level of significance, to the following personal factor: gender, status, educational level and career. Age and monthly income were not statistically related to the travelers behavior.
3. The analytical results of the relationship between the marketing mix toward the tourists behavior and toward the floating market, revealed that all aspects were significantly related.