Satisfaction of Volunteer Tourists in Administration of Elephant Camp in Mae Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

                The study of satisfaction of volunteer tourists in the administration of elephant camp in Mae Taeng District of Chiang Mai province was conducted using mixed methods with quantitative and qualitative approaches to research in combination. Samples were the group of 62 volunteer tourists, who visited the elephant camp in Mae Taeng District of Chiang Mai province to voluntarily take care of elephants in the camp.

                Results from data analysis revealed the following: 1) Concerning the demographic characteristics of respondents, the majority of them were female of 40 persons, and male of 22 persons. Most of them were bachelor’s degree holders in the age range of 18-35 years old, being employees of private companies with income range between USD 5,001 – 10,000. The majority of them spent 1-4 weeks in elephant training programs with most of them having the objective to learn how elephants could be intelligent, followed by those with objectives to learn about training techniques and to gain new experience respectively. 2) Analysis on level of satisfaction among volunteer tourists in the administration of the elephant camp in Mae Taeng District of Chiang Mai province revealed that most of them had the highest level of satisfaction in general, and considering each aspect of their satisfaction, results also revealed the highest level of satisfaction in all aspects with the highest rating on food and facilities, followed by trustworthiness, learning, reliability, and environment respectively in descending order.3) Results from hypothesis test relative to the satisfaction level of volunteer tourists and administration of the elephant camp in Mae Taeng District of Chiang Mai province, classified by demographic characteristics revealed differences among those in different age ranges, levels of income, education, and occupation.