ONLINE MARKETING MIX FACTORS AFFECTING ONLINE ACCOMMODATION DECISIONS OF THAI TOURISTS

Prathip  Pandey; Wanida  Suwunniponth; Nattapong  Techarattanased; Chutima  Klaysung

Prathip Pandey Department of Business Administration (Marketing), Faculty of Management Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University
Wanida Suwunniponth Department of Business Administration (Marketing), Faculty of Management Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University
Nattapong Techarattanased Department of Business Administration (Marketing), Faculty of Management Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University
Chutima Klaysung Department of Business Administration (Marketing), Faculty of Management Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University

Keywords: Decision making, Online accommodation, Online marketing mix, Touris

Abstract

The research objective was to study demographic factors and online marketing mix factors affecting online accommodation decisions of Thai tourists. The research used a quantitative method. A sample of 220 tourists was randomly selected using the snowball sampling from target group who are ordinary Thai tourists on social media platforms and interested in booking online accommodation. Data collection tools used a closed-ended questionnaire. The statistics used in data analysis were descriptive statistics and inferential statistics which used Independent-Sample T-Test, One-Way ANOVA, and Multiple Regression Analysis. The research results revealed that the sample group gave high importance to the online marketing mix (5A), namely Aware, Appeal, Ask, Act, and Advocate. The results of the hypothesis test revealed that differences in genders had different effects on Thai tourists' decision to online accommodations, while differences in age, education level, occupation and income had no different effects on their decision making. In addition, all aspects of online marketing mix factors significantly influenced Thai tourists' decision to online accommodations at the significance level of .05, which the online marketing factor in term of Act having the most influence, followed by Advocate, Appeal, Ask, and Aware, respectively.