Abstract:
This present paper entitled The Communication of Provincial Identity through the Mascots to Promote Thai Tourism is mix-method research and has three primary objectives: (1) To investigate the condition of using a mascot for communication concerning the provincial identity promotion in Thai tourism; (2) To study the perception of the provincial identity through a mascot based on the perceptions of Thai people; and (3) To formulate a strategy to enhance the provincial identity communication with a mascot to boost Thai tourism. The sampling population was 23 mascots, specifically designed for the tourism promotion at a provincial level in Thailand. The main group of respondents included: (1) The policymakers who take the lead to formulate the mascot policy, and mascot designers, which are 9 respondents in total; (2) 539 Thai citizens with the help of the survey, and group interviews. The tools used are the record form, in-depth interviews, group discussion, and questionnaires. The data collection was performed during January - May 2020. The quantitative data analysis was represented by the frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation; while, the qualitative dataset was the descriptive analysis. The results found that a mascot characteristic to promote Thai tourism concerning the provincial identity was made up of animals, males with cheerful and friendly personalities. A provincial identity found in the mascot contains 7 dimensions traditions and beliefs of the province, archaeological sites and antiques, food and handicrafts of the province, tourist attractions, clothing, cultural arts and performance, and other provincial identities. The most frequent use to promote the provincial identity by the mascot is the famous tourist attractions. Most of the morphological expressions are synonymous with the cartoon characters, making a thesis statement and attractive to the audience. On the planning aspect, the utilization of different media channels is crucial; for online, Facebook is the most frequently used while offline is used intensively for special events. The dissemination of information was found to be a broad-spectrum but not consistent. The findings illustrated that Thai people have rarely seen a mascot for tourism promotion, potentially caused the provincial identity to be perceived at a low level. The most visible mascot character seen by the public is Nong Charm from Lampang Province; while, the least one is Sida from Sa Kaeo province. The critical problems for provincial identity communication with a mascot are the dissemination of news, which is relatively low to create awareness and the lack of cooperation from communities and stakeholders, both government and private sectors. This included the inability to make a clear linkage between a mascot and a particular provincial identity. The study also showed that the strategy for provincial identity communication with a mascot to promote Thai tourism should be performed through the "MASCOT Model" consisting of three sub-strategies: (1) MOS that is the development of efficiency in policy management and sustainable operation; (2) ACT that is the creation and upgrading mechanisms to design and choose the right mascot to communicate a certain provincial identity; and (3) COT that is to improve the communication process to enhance awareness, comprehension, and connection between tourist behaviors more effectively.