EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES OF COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES IN THAILAND TO CHINA

Abstract

This study aims to 1) study the effect of demographic characteristics of Chinese tourists in Thailand on the purchase decision of processed mango products (PDPM), 2) study opinions on marketing mix affecting the PDPM of Chinese tourists in Thailand, 3) analyze the causal relationship of marketing mix affecting the PDPM of Chinese tourists in Thailand and 4) study the competitiveness of Thailand affecting the processed mango export to China and propose guidelines to develop the processed mango export to China. The research was designed using mixed methods research. The sample in the quantitative study comprised 400 Chinese tourists in Chachoengsao Province. Accidental sampling was used to select the respondents to answer the questionnaires and the sample in the qualitative study comprised 12 key informants participating in in-depth interviews. The statistics used to analyze data consist of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, One-Way ANOVA F-test, and multiple regression. The results found that different demographic characteristics differently affected PDPM without statistical significance, while the marketing mix had a relationship with PDPM with statistical significance. The study, moreover, suggested that government should participate with farmers and exporters in dealing with the export system to meet the product quality standard control as well as modern tools that should be promoted for developing processed mango exports to China.