Tourists’ Hotel Booking Preferences Changed by the COVID-19 Outbreak
Abstract
This study aims to identify the characteristics and behaviors of Thai tourists during the pandemic, to investigate the marketing factors in tourism affecting their hotel reservations during the pandemic, and to analyze which marketing factors in tourism have affected their decisions on hotel reservations during the pandemic. Online questionnaires were used to collect data from 385 people. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while the hypotheses were tested by inferential statistics. The results indicated that Thai tourists considered significant factors in tourism marketing. It included hotel products, room rates, reservation channels, promotions, personnel, features, and services. Furthermore, the hypothesis test indicated that Thai tourists had different hotel reservation behaviors during the pandemic. Gender, age, region, occupation, monthly income, travel goal, accommodation type, length of stay, travel companion, and reservation channel played a statistically significant role at 0.05. Therefore, this study will support hoteliers in planning their strategy to handle situations during the pandemic and prepare for another health crisis in the future. Furthermore, it will benefit the hotel industry by showing ways to develop and improve their products and services to meet tourist demand during a pandemic.
References
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[2] Bayih, B. E., and Singh, A. 2020. Modeling domestic tourism: motivations, satisfaction and tourist behavioral intentions. Heliyon 6 (9):e04839. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04839
[3] Brown, T. A., and Moore, M.T. 2012. Confirmatory factor analysis. Handbook of structural equation modeling, 361-379.
[4] Byrne, B. M. 2016. Structural Equation Modeling With AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming, Third Edition. New York, US: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
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[6] Chatchakul, N. 2008. Tourism industry. Bangkok: Chulalongkron University.
[7] Chow, K. E., Garretson, J. A. and Kurtz, D. L. 2008. An exploratory study into the purchase decision process used by leisure travelers in hotel selection. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing, 2 (4): 53-72. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1300/J150v02n04_05
[8] Chuaikrut, C., Phusanam, A. and Dejmanee, O. 2020. Factors Affect to Tourist Behavior of Thai Teenagers after Invasion of Covid-19. NEUARJ NEU Research Journal, 10 (3): 188-202.
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[11] Do, H.-N., Shih, W. and Ha, Q.-A. 2020. Effects of mobile augmented reality apps on impulse buying behavior: An investigation in the tourism field. Heliyon, 6(8): e04667. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04667
[12] Folinas, S., and Metaxas, T. 2020. Tourism: The great patient of coronavirus COVID-2019. International Journal of Advanced , 4 (8):365-375. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12069.24804
[13] Garcia, I. 2020. Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott Will Introduce New Cleaning Protocols. Available at: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a32367701/hilton-hyatt-and-marriott-new-cleaning-protocols-coronavirus/
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[15] Gössling, S., Scott, D. and Hall, C. M. 2020. Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1): 1-20. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708
[16] Gursoy, D., and Chi, C. G. 2020. Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality industry: review of the current situations and a research agenda. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(5): 527-529. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2020.1788231
[17] Hair Jr, J.F, Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. and Anderson, R. E. 2014. Multivariate Data Analysis. 7th ed. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.
[18] Hao, Fei, Qu Xiao, and Kaye Chon. 2020. COVID-19 and China’s hotel industry: Impacts, a disaster management framework, and post-pandemic agenda. International journal of hospitality management, 90: 102636. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102636
[19] Ju, Yongwook, and SooCheong Shawn Jang. 2023. The Effect of COVID-19 on hotel booking intentions: Investigating the roles of message appeal type and brand loyalty. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 108:103357. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103357
[20] Kamata, H. 2021. Tourist destination residents’ attitudes towards tourism during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1881452
[21] Kelleher, S. 2020. Poll: Americans Are Wary About Traveling After COVID-19. Available at: https://theharrispoll.com/poll-americans-are-wary-about-traveling-after-covid-19-curve-flattens/
[22] Kerlinger, F. N., and Lee, H.B. 2000. Foundations of Behavioral Research. 4th ed. Orlando, US: Harcourt College Publisher.
[23] Kline, R.B. 2015. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Edited by Todd D Little. 4th ed. New York, USA: Guilford publications.
[24] Klussmann, M. 2020. Will the Coronavirus Crisis Force Hoteliers to Implement New Technologies Faster? Available at: https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/will-the-coronavirus-crisis-force-hoteliers-to-implement-new-technologies-faster/
[25] Laeeq Razzak J., et al. 2021. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on logistics performance, economic growth and tourism industry of Thailand: an empirical forecasting using ARIMA. Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management, 18 (2):e2021999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14488/BJOPM.2021.001
[26] Laparojkit, S., and Suttipun, M. 2021. The Influence of Customer Trust and Loyalty on Repurchase Intention of Domestic Tourism: A Case Study in Thailand During COVID-19 Crisis. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8 (5):961-969. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13106/JAFEB.2021.VOL8.NO5.0961
[27] Larios-Gómez, E., Fischer, L., Peñalosa, M. and Ortega-Vivanco, M. 2021. Purchase behavior in COVID-19: A cross study in Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. Heliyon, 7(3): e06468. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06468
[28] Liu, J.N. K., and Zhang, E. Y. 2014. An investigation of factors affecting customer selection of online hotel booking channels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 39: 71-83. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.01.011.
[29] Lomax, R.G., and Schumacker, R.E. 2016. A beginner's guide to structural equation modeling. 4th ed. New York, US: Routledge.
[30] Long Tun Man. 2020. Tourism revenue before COVID-19. Available at: https://www.longtunman.com/20913
[31] Pahrudin, P., Chen, C.-T. and Liu, L.-W. 2021. A modified theory of planned behavioral: A case of tourist intention to visit a destination post pandemic COVID-19 in Indonesia. Heliyon, e08230. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08230
[32] Quang, T.D., et al. 2020. Is Vietnam ready to welcome tourists back? Assessing COVID-19’s economic impact and the Vietnamese tourism industry’s response to the pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1860916
[33] Soliku, O., Kyiire, B., Mahama, A. and Kubio C. 2021. Tourism amid COVID-19 pandemic: impacts and implications for building resilience in the eco-tourism sector in Ghana's Savannah region. Heliyon, 7(9): e07892. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07892
[34] Sparks, B. A., and Browning, V. 2011. The impact of online reviews on hotel booking intentions and perception of trust. Tourism management, 32(6): 1310-1323. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.12.011
[35] Spector, P. E. 1992. Summated rating scale construction: An introduction. Vol. 82: Sage.
[36] Spoerr, D. 2020. Factor Analysis of Hotel Selection Attributes and Their Significance for Different Groups of German Leisure Travelers. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 22(3): 312-335. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2020.1774032
[37] Thams, A., Zech, N., Rempel, D. and Ayia-Koi, A. 2020. An initial assessment of economic impacts and operational challenges for the tourism & hospitality industry due to COVID-19. IUBH Discussion Papers-Tourismus & Hospitality. Available at: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/216762/1/1696970539.pdf
[38] Van Vuuren, C., and Slabbert E. 2012. Travel motivations and behaviour of tourists to a South African resort. Tourism & Management Studies, 295-304.
[39] Yu, M., Cheng, M., Yang, L. and Yu, Z. 2022. Hotel guest satisfaction during COVID-19 outbreak: The moderating role of crisis response strategy. Tourism Management, 93: 104618. DOI:doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104618
[40] AHLA. 2020. Leisure and Hospitality Industry Proves Hardest Hit by COVID-19. Available at: https://www.ahla.com/covid-19s-impact-hotel-industry
[41] China Hospitality Association. 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 on China's lodgin industry." Available at: https://www.chinatravelnews.com/article/145477
[42] Exchang Wire. 2021. COVID-19: Insights on Travel Impact, 2020. Available at: https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/2020/03/12/covid-19-insights-on-travel-impact/
[43] JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. 2021. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/jwmarriottphuket
[44] TAT Inteligence Center. 2020a. Final Report Thai Tourist behavior 2020. Available at: https://intelligencecenter.tat.or.th/articles/34101
[45] TAT Inteligence Center. 2020b. Thai tourits's behavior during COVID 19. Available at: https://intelligencecenter.tat.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/พฤติกรรมท่องเที่ยวคนไทยช่วงสถานการณ์-Covid-19-ถึงวันที่-24-กค-63.pdf
[46] Thairat News. 2020. Frist COVID-19 in Thailand. Available at: https://www.thairath.co.th/sport/others/2003033
[47] The standard Team. 2021. COVID-19 in Thaland. Available at: https://thestandard.co/onthisday120163/
[48] Tourism Economic Review. 2020. Impact of COVID-19 and Thai tourism. Accessed 19 December 2020. Available at: https://www.mots.go.th/download/TourismEconomicReport/4-1TourismEconomicVol4.pdf
[49] UNWTO. 2020. Impact assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak on international tourism. UNWTO Madrid.
[50] World Health Organization. 2020. Virtual pree conference on COVID-19. Available at: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/who-audio-emergencies-coronavirus-press-conference-full-and-final-11mar2020.pdf?sfvrsn=cb432bb3_2
Published
2023-03-31
How to Cite
RODYU, Sauwanee et al.
Tourists’ Hotel Booking Preferences Changed by the COVID-19 Outbreak.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 14, n. 2, p. 306 - 319, mar. 2023.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/7680>. Date accessed: 25 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v14.2(66).02.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2023 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2023. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.