Tourist Experiences of Thai Senior Tourists in Travelling to the Nordic Countries with a Tour Operator

Abstract

             The objective of this research was to study tourist experiences of Thai senior tourists in travelling to Nordic countries with a tour operator. By use Qualitative Research Methods. Data were collected from 26 Thai senior tourists who had travelled to the Nordic countries at least once. They were selected by purposive sampling and snowball sampling. A combination of semi-structure interviews and participant observation was utilized to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed with thematic analysis.

            The research revealed that experiences of these tourists were multidimensional consisting of five main groups which can be divided into peak experiences and supporting experiences. The peak experiences included: 1) opportunities to join seasonal tourism-related activities and 2) learning about innovation in these countries whereas supporting experiences included 1) unique restaurant services, 2) unique transportation services and (3) friendly hospitality of local people.