Announcing: Chen, Minggui and John Walsh, “Resilient Marketing of Chinese Hotel Enterprises Based on the Marketing Mix,” Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development (forthcoming).
This paper has been accepted for publication; it’s a Q2 Scopus-indexed journal and the first from my Krirk DBA students. Here is the abstract:
Resilient marketing in hotel enterprises is a research area that has not been systematically explored. This study is based on the 4p theory to conduct a systematic theoretical study of resilient marketing in hotel enterprises and promote the application of resilient marketing in hotel enterprises. Data were collected from Chinese hotel employees (n=501) through an online survey. Data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software. confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) combined with structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to explore hotel employees’ perceptions of resilient marketing in hotel companies. The findings suggest that the concept of resilient marketing, constructed through the four dimensions of resilient products, resilient prices, resilient price, and resilient promotions, is better able to help hotel enterprises withstand crises. This study contributes to understanding how Chinese hotel enterprises use the concept of resilient marketing to withstand crises, such as positively adapting to market changes, collaboratively responding to market competition, and resisting and reversing crises situation. It has important theoretical value and practical significance for constructing a theory of resilient marketing for hotel enterprises, promoting the practical development of resilient marketing for hotel enterprise.
Keywords: Resilient Marketing; Marketing Mix; Hotel Enterprises; Crisis Management；Recovery Strategy
The paper Logical Thinking among Asian Tourists During a Global Pandemic: Covid-19 Resilience and Sustainable Tourism Alternatives by Lavanchawee Sujarittanonta, Lin Fan, John Walsh and Rajendra Dalpat Khimesra has now been published in the proceedings of the conference at which it was presented. It is available here.
Abstract:
The Covid-19 situation offers an opportunity to examine human logic under uncertain times of a global pandemic. Given the Covid-19 situation which brought both domestic and international travel to a halt, this research examines (1) logical thinking, a lifelong learning skill that is critical to survival and resilience, particularly among tourists from Asian cultures during Covid-19, and (2) Sustainable tourism alternatives among Asian tourists during Covid19. A better understanding of logical thinking for tourists was obtained from literature review of concepts on logic, studies on reactions to pandemics in human history, in addition to developing an interview questionnaire adapted from the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT). Qualitative interview data from the present day case of Covid19 is obtained from Asian tourists, i.e. those who took action to travel despite Covid-19, in order to understand the logic behind the conscious decision to travel, how they logically managed their desire for travel, sustainable travel alternatives used as substitutes for the desire to go touring during the global pandemic. Findings from the tourist respondents indicated that travel was a form of stress relief from Covid-19 safety measures and restrictions, in line with previous research on the impact of emotion on logical thinking (Jung et al., 2014 and Cohen, 2016). Family and friends were logically thought to be valid reasons for travel. Travel alternatives that were positive and life-improving included taking classes, engaging in online business, spending more time developing oneself spiritually, and relieving stress by having pets. By offering a better understanding of Asian tourists, this research provides guidance for ideas on sustainable tourism alternatives for the tourism industry based on tourist travel motivation and adaptation under Covid-19 conditions, and provides support for continued need for building Covid-19 resilience for the tourism industry.
[My first attempt at a screen shot on my new computer. I did not realise it only captured the last one and deleted the rest.]
Today I attended the online Phuket International Tourism Conference 2021 co-hosted by UCSI University with the theme Crisis Management in Tourism: Challenges, Responses and Recovery Strategies. I was able to present on behalf of my co-author Dr. Wilaiporn Lao-Hakosol our paper The Contribution of Long-Term Residential Care for Domestic and International Elderly on the Local Economy in Thailand, which went well.
[Getting the hang of it now.]
Here is the abstract/introduction, for anyone who has not seen it before:
In common with most of the rest of the world, Thailand has a rapidly aging population. Approximately 13% of the total population is now aged 65 or older and this figure is expected to increase to 23.1% by 2035, with concomitant increases in the proportion of people aged 70+ and 80+ (Statista, 2021). Historically, older people are looked after by family members when it becomes necessary and Thai society, just as in the case of a number of other societies, acknowledge and accepts this situation. However, declining birth rates mean there are fewer young or working age people available to take up this burden, while increasing mobility also means people may not be able to accommodate their parents or elderly relatives, especially if they have moved to the city for work. Previously, the government made available a few beds across the country aimed at the indigenous aged and some charitable organizations also assisted. However, these options have become insufficient to meet increased demand and, as standards of living have been improved, better quality long-term care is required. Various private sector interests have entered the market in order to provide accommodation not just for local elderly but also elderly from overseas who would like to retire in Thailand because of its climate, cost of living and, for East Asian people, familiar and welcome cultural norms. As a result, a national-level industry has developed which combines long-term residential care with related medical and tourist facilities. As a relatively new phenomenon in Thailand, it is not very clear to what extent this industry contributes to local and national economy and what potential multiplier links exist. This is, for foreign residents, part of the tourist industry. Similar to other aspects of tourism and hospitality, long-term care of this sort suffers from the problems that it brings mainly low-skilled and low-paying jobs and, also, that the bulk of the money generated may not remain in the same area but be repatriated to the home area of investors. However, there are clearly capital-intensive forms of investment involved in such projects and a need for skilled and semi-skilled personnel. What, therefore, is the contribution of projects of this sort on the local economy? Answering this question requires acknowledgment that the financial impact alone does not give the full picture. Instead, it is necessary to embrace the triple bottom line approach that also incorporates the impact of the activity on the social and environmental dimensions of a specific location. This paper takes a case study approach to investigate several projects within different parts of Thailand to estimate the overall contribution to the local areas concerned. As a result, it is possible to provide evidence not just to private investors but also to public sector planning agencies and community leaders to formulate their responses to potential projects by means of a thorough evaluation of the effects felt by relevant stakeholders.
I hope that some version of this will be published in due course. Let’s see how it goes.
The organizer of the Phuket International Tourism Conference 2021 asked me to provide an extended abstract of our forthcoming paper, which is provided below.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL CARE FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ELDERLY ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY IN THAILAND
John Walsh, Krirk University and Wilaiporn Lao-Hakosol, Independent Scholar
In common with most of the rest of the world, Thailand has a rapidly aging population. Approximately 13% of the total population is now aged 65 or older and this figure is expected to increase to 23.1% by 2035, with concomitant increases in the proportion of people aged 70+ and 80+ (Statista, 2021). Historically, older people are looked after by family members when it becomes necessary and Thai society, just as in the case of a number of other societies, acknowledge and accepts this situation. However, declining birth rates mean there are fewer young or working age people available to take up this burden, while increasing mobility also means people may not be able to accommodate their parents or elderly relatives, especially if they have moved to the city for work. Previously, the government made available a few beds across the country aimed at the indigenous aged and some charitable organizations also assisted. However, these options have become insufficient to meet increased demand and, as standards of living have been improved, better quality long-term care is required. Various private sector interests have entered the market in order to provide accommodation not just for local elderly but also elderly from overseas who would like to retire in Thailand because of its climate, cost of living and, for East Asian people, familiar and welcome cultural norms. As a result, a national-level industry has developed which combines long-term residential care with related medical and tourist facilities. As a relatively new phenomenon in Thailand, it is not very clear to what extent this industry contributes to local and national economy and what potential multiplier links exist. This is, for foreign residents, part of the tourist industry. Similar to other aspects of tourism and hospitality, long-term care of this sort suffers from the problems that it brings mainly low-skilled and low-paying jobs and, also, that the bulk of the money generated may not remain in the same area but be repatriated to the home area of investors. However, there are clearly capital-intensive forms of investment involved in such projects and a need for skilled and semi-skilled personnel. What, therefore, is the contribution of projects of this sort on the local economy? Answering this question requires acknowledgment that the financial impact alone does not give the full picture. Instead, it is necessary to embrace the triple bottom line approach that also incorporates the impact of the activity on the social and environmental dimensions of a specific location. This paper takes a case study approach to investigate several projects within different parts of Thailand to estimate the overall contribution to the local areas concerned. As a result, it is possible to provide evidence not just to private investors but also to public sector planning agencies and community leaders to formulate their responses to potential projects by means of a thorough evaluation of the effects felt by relevant stakeholders.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Even until the first part of the C21st, Thailand had a pre-modern health system. Reforms made since then have provided a universal health care system at a low cost at the point of access, with a Patient’s Bill of Rights and appropriate hospital accreditation procedures. The relationship between doctors and patients has also changed so that the latter are no longer (but not always) treated as inferior to the former (Aulino, 2019:135). The patient-healthcare provider relationship overall is complicated by the pervasive deference (kreng jai) in Thai culture with respect to people considered to be worthy of it, because of status, wealth or age. Thai culture considers family circumstances to be combined with morality and virtue, so that people with a high rank in society are considered to be worthy of respect by all. Although the indicators of this are not always evident to outsiders (Moore, 2012), they are clear to Thai people. Those responsible for marketing this industry have resorted to familiar themes in the portrayal of Thai and Thai culture: “As a provider in the global service company, the Thai state and its corporate partners have capitalized on feminized Thai cultural traits as warmness, hospitality, and servility, as well as bodily and emotional labour performed mostly by Thai women, to compete in the market (Sunanta, 2014).” These dynamic factors are not operating in the same direction and this begs the question as to how the retirement industry will develop in a professionalized manner suitable for scaling up to the current and potential future level of demand. The subject is one of considerable interest in the study of tourism (e.g. Kolar & Tabkar, 2010; Zhou, Zhang & Edelheim, 2013) and, more generally, in the ways in which traditional patterns of behaviour are converted to market-based processes (e.g. Walsh, 2011). The research contributes, therefore, to the understanding of how tourism development has an impact on Thai culture and economy and gives rise to some policy and managerial implications.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study adopted a qualitative approach to the research based on a program of in-depth personal interviews which are ongoing. Interviews were accompanied by extensive note-taking or were recorded for subsequent transcription. Interview notes and transcriptions were entered into a database together with relevant secondary sources and the contents of the research journal, which was used to record non-interview observations and insights that occurred during the research process. The contents of the database were subjected to recognized content analysis processes and the findings thereby obtained presented in the appropriate section of this paper.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Previous research (Lao-Hakosol & Walsh, 2019) had outlined the emerging shape and nature of the industry and this was mainly confirmed by the new research. As suggested previously, the professionalization of the service was reflected in diminution of importance of feminized Thai-style services from the perspective of the healthcare provider but not necessarily from the perspective of the consumer, who often had an imagined form of Thai-ness which it was expected would be available.
Table 1: Healthcare Villages and Condominiums
Project Name
Prices
Bangsai Wellness City (Ayutthaya province)
4 million baht and up
Jin Wellbeing Country (Rangsit area) (condominium)
4 million baht and up for 43-66 sq.m.
Sawangkanivat 2 (condominium, for one generation only) (Samut Prakan province)
1-2 million baht for 40-60 sq.m.
Otium Retirement Villa (Phuket province) (2021 construction in progress)
51.6 million baht for 276 sq.m.
Senior Complex (72 rai in Samut Prakan province (Ministry of Finance and Rama Hospital (expected to open in 2023)
Minimum rent 10,000 baht per month for qualified tenants
Camillian Group (Camillian group hospital, associated with religious institution)
30,000
17,000
Srisook Home Pathum Thani
35,000
22,000
15,000*
Sansiri Sukhumvit 107
35,000
25,000
Huachew University
28,000 (60,000**)
50,000**
32,000**
Source: Authors’ Survey (October, 2020-March, 2021). (* physiotherapy included; ** special care cases)
Most new developments are taking place in the periphery of Bangkok, for a combination of cost purposes and to maintain a market for healthcare professionals, who are often reluctant to work in what are considered to be distant provinces.
CONCLUSION
This paper presented findings concerning research into the emergence of long-term residential and health care in Thailand. The research was intended to determine the contours of the importance and value of this industry and its connections with other parts of the economy. It also investigated the nature of the offering provided by industry actors and government partners and the extent to which this has changed as historical approaches to promoting Thailand and Thai-ness have been affected by marketization of the industry. It is clear that the industry is still in the growth stage and that different segments can be identified which are serviced in different ways and with respect to the degree of technology and supporting equipment provided.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No acknowledgments.
REFERENCES
Aulino, Felicity, Rituals of Care: Karmic Politics in an Aging Thailand (Ithaca, NY and London: Cornell University Press, 2019).
Kolar, Tomaz and Vesna Zabkar, “A Consumer-Based Model of Authenticity: An Oxymoron or the Foundation of Cultural Heritage Marketing?” Tourism Management, Vol.31, No.5 (October, 2010), pp.652-64.
Sunanta, S. (2014), “Thailand and the Global Intimate: Transnational Marriages, Health Tourism, and Retirement Migration,” MNG Working Paper (14-02), available at: http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-F41B-B.
Walsh, John, “Suriya Coffins: Traditions Become Market Opportunities,” Society and Business Review, Vol.6, No.2 (2011), pp.168-75.
Zhou, Qilou (Bill), Jie Zhang and Johan R. Edelheim, “Rethinking Traditional Chinese Culture: A Consumer-Based Model Regarding the Authenticity of Chinese Calligraphic Landscape,” Tourism Management, Vol.36 (June, 2013), pp.99-112.
Xi, Qin and John Walsh, “Huashan Rock Art: Presentation of a Chinese Cultural Heritage Site in the Absence of Tourism Infrastructure,” Marketing and Tourism Review, Vol.5, No.2 (2020), DOI: 10.29149/mtr.v5i2.6295.
Abstract:
The Huashan Rock Art site is a cultural tourism site of considerable importance in the development of domestic tourism focusing on heritage and history. As a previously peripheral part of Chinese society, Huashan has a significant role in explaining to Chinese people the extent and complexity of their history. Yet development of the research site has been hampered by the lack of tourism infrastructure (e.g. managerial capacity, accommodation, transportation, integrated services and so forth) and the private sector is not well-positioned to make up for the shortfall. The situation compares unfavourably with other destinations in neighbouring provinces. Under these circumstances, a program of qualitative research was launched using in-depth personal interviews to investigate the means by which Huashan Rock Art site is being presented and promoted currently and how can that presentation lead to an emotional and ideological response. It was found that there is some interaction between the type and nature of presentation and the success of the site in terms of destination management and this interaction is explored.
Keywords: China, cultural tourism, domestic tourism, Huashan Rock Art, tourism infrastructure
The paper “Tourist Experience, Tourist Motivation and Destination Loyalty for Historic and Cultural Tourists” by Juan Zhang and John Walsh has been accepted for publication at the Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities at Pertanika, which is a SCOPUS-indexed journal.
Tourist Experience, Tourist Motivation and Destination Loyalty for Historic and Cultural Tourists
Juan Zhang, PhD Candidate, School of Management, Shinawatra University
John Walsh, School of Business and Management, RMIT Vietnam
Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between tourist experience, tourist motivation and destination loyalty for historic and cultural tourists. A survey of 1,389 tourists who visited Sheqi, an ancient town in center China was conducted as the basis for empirical analysis. The results of this study revealed that tourists’ experience influenced destination loyalty positively, and tourist motivation mediated the effect of tourist experience on destination loyalty significantly.
Keywords: tourist experience, tourist motivation, destination loyalty, mediating effect, historic and cultural tourism
Announcing: Khin Kyi Zin and John Walsh, “Achieving Sustainable Community-Based Tourism in Rural Myanmar: The Case of River Ayeyarwaddy Dolphin Tourism,” Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business, Vol.22, No.2 (2019), pp.95-109, doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/zireb-2019-0022, available at: https://hrcak.srce.hr/228942.
Abstract:
Community-based tourism is recognised as being a potentially important means by which economic development can take place in rural Myanmar. One particular project in this vein is the dolphin-based tourism organized at six villages on the River Ayeyarwaddy in the northern Mandalay division. Qualitative research featuring personal interviewing of international tourists and service providers in the region indicated the potential for this project but also the formidable problems of poor connectivity and service provision that will need to be overcome to achieve success. The threats to the dolphins concerned and the indifference with which they are treated by many community members suggest real threats to the sustainability of the project as a whole.
Abstract: Festival tourism is part of a phenomenon which is rather larger than its tourism component. The relationship between people and the various elements of the festival may be complicated by the changing availability of information sources, including web-based sources, as well as changing relationships towards those sources with respect to access ease and trust. A sample of 400 respondents was achieved via online questionnaire distribution to investigate these issues and to formulate lessons that might inform marketing strategies relating to future iterations of the festival. It was found that no straightforward relationships existed with respect to segmentation of the sample and, therefore, population and that attitudes towards both information sources and the institutions of the festival are undergoing a process of change.
Keywords: festival tourism, information sources, China, online marketing
Announcing: Chamdermpadejsuk, Chantip, Fuangfa Ampornstira and John Walsh, “Characteristics of the Emergent Slow Tourism Sector in Thailand: Evidence from Samut Prakan,” Acta Universitatis Danubius Oeconomica, Vol.15, No.2 (2019), pp.7-24, available at: http://journals.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/oeconomica/article/view/5228/4868.
Abstract:
Slow tourism is an emergent concept that investigates ways in which people can reject the tenets of mass tourism with its ever increasing velocity of consumption and expenditure. Instead, it offers way in which people can engage with local customs, institutions and people at a pace which is also less damaging to the environment. However, the facilities and services that such a form of tourism requires is little known to destination managers (although perhaps not to specific facility managers) in both the private and public sectors. In order to determine the extent to which understanding of this issue is widespread in Thailand, which is a country where the tourism industry is vital in maintaining the economy, and where a range of different types of tourism have become available. The province of Samut Prakan has been selected for this purpose and a convenience sample of 400 respondents was taken in a total of four different destinations using a questionnaire based on the UNWTO’s Recife Declaration on Slow Tourism. It is found that Thai slow tourists in the sample demonstrate some spiritual qualities in their desire for experiences that are not accounted for in the original declaration and it is suggested that this be adjusted accordingly.
Tourism is an industry of crucial importance to the economy of Thailand. The rise of tourism from China, in particular, has been one of the few dynamic factors propping up the country in recent years. Yet the basic model of Chinese tourism in Thailand is a very basic one that has not developed very far from the zero dollar tourism approach that used to be used. However, despite numerous plans being announced for the future of the country’s industry and manufacturing sector, very little appears to have been done to develop a new understanding of and approach to tourism, apart from the emphasis on wellness tourism. Consequently, this paper draws upon the results of a program of qualitative research conducted with a variety of
stakeholders in Thailand’s tourist sector aimed at trying to identify emergent forces and the possible future means of its development. These are reported on here and some initial conclusions drawn from the results.
Keywords: Tourism, Growth, Stakeholders, Chinese tourist, Thailand
Ladprao 64 