Tourist Behavior and Gastronomy-Tourism Motivation at Kham Khong Market, Nong Khai Province
Keywords:
tourist behavior, motivation, gastronomy tourism, Kham Khong MarketAbstract
This research aimed to 1) examine tourist behavior in gastronomy tourism, and 2) examine push and pull motivational factors in gastronomy tourism at Kham Khong Market, Nong Khai Mekong Riverside Walking Street, Nong Khai Province. A survey research design was employed. Data were collected from 400 tourists selected through purposive sampling, using a questionnaire as the research instrument, and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.
The findings revealed that most respondents were female, aged 21–30 years, single, held a bachelor's degree, were students, and resided in the Northeastern region. Regarding behavior, the majority traveled by private vehicle (94.00%), for leisure and gastronomy tourism (69.75%), were first-time visitors (73.75%), traveled with friends (39.75%), and obtained tourism information via social media (64.50%). Regarding motivation, push factors were rated at a high level overall (x̄= 4.33), exceeding pull factors, which were likewise rated at a high level (x̄= 4.27). The highest-rated push factor was the desire for relaxation through dining at the market (x̄= 4.46), while the highest-rated pull factor was the quality of service provided by food vendors (x̄= 4.34); the taste of the food received the lowest mean score (x̄= 4.19). The study proposes the PIER Model for developing gastronomy tourism in Mekong border destinations.
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