The Malaysian Tourists’ Behaviors in Hat Yai Municipality, Songkhla Province: Voice from Hotel and Restaurant Stakeholders

Abstract

The tourism business in Hat Yai Municipality, Songkhla Province, has been threatened bythe disorder in three provinces in Southern Thailand. Knowing the current Malaysian tourist behavioris a key to recovering it. This study investigates Malaysian tourist behavior when they come to hotelsand restaurants in Hat Yai. Six hotel and restaurant stakeholders were interviewed and a questionnairewas administered to 400 Malaysian tourists for each business. The fi ndings were grouped andshown according to 4P marketing strategies. Regarding the product factor, Malaysian tourists preferstandard service and various products. Malaysian tourists prefer a cheap, but reasonable, price inregards to price. For the place factor, Malaysian tourists prefer a location close to the accommodation,transportation, convenient, clean, safe and standard facilities for tourism service. Regarding the promotionfactor, Malaysian tourists prefer promotions in advertisements and brochures. In general the resultsof the study are similar to the studies in Thai and foreign research. To increase the competitive advantagein the tourism business, the government of Hat Yai Municipality should control the quality of product,price, and hygiene. The tourism stakeholders should train and develop human resources about serviceskills, advertising skills, personality, and communication skills.

Keywords : Malaysian Tourist Behavior, Hotel Business, Restaurant Business