Marketing Strategies on the Exhibition of Ubon Plants Festival to Promote Agricultural Tourism in Nong Khon Sub-district, Muang District, Ubonratchathani Province

Abstract

Based on the qualitative study, the major purposes of this study aimed to investigate the contexts of exhibition of Ubon Plants Festival, to analyze the internal and external circumstances of the exhibition of Ubon Plants Festival, as well as to create the marketing strategies on the exhibition of Ubon plants festival to promote agricultural tourism in Nong Khon sub-district, Muang district, Ubonratchathani province. For research methodology, an open-ended interview was conducted with 45 stake-holders dealing with the creation of marketing strategies. The data were also presented with the descriptive technique.

            The findings of the study revealed that this exhibition, which was held in every January, was considered one of the 2^nd greatest plants festival in Ubonratchathani province, ranked from the Southeastern Agriculture Fair organized by Ubonratchathani University. In the morning session, competitions related to ornamental flower-gardening together with wedding arch-creating, essay-writing, and poem-composing were mostly found; otherwise, folk song contest, singing contest, Miss Queen Beauty contest, and other different entertainment activities were mostly found at night.       

In terms of its strength, it showed that a northeastern distribution hub for flowers and plants, various species of inexpensive plants, and convenient transport services were mostly found, meanwhile conflicts on beneficiaries, staff’s no participation in their plant exhibition, as well as their no awareness of plant exhibition were mostly found in terms of its weaknesses. In terms of its opportunities, it showed that the location of Ubonratchathani city bordering with Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia, as well as convenient plants import and export services were mostly found. In terms of treats, it also showed that driving personal cars together with no public transport services were mostly found.

The slogan of marketing strategies on the exhibition of the exhibition of Ubon Plants Festival to Promote Agricultural Promotion in Nong Khon Sub-district, Muang District, Ubonratchathani Province was “Annual Plants Festival Leading to All Excellent Services with Good Quality”. The mission of this exhibition aimed, firstly, to set up the guidelines for the development of marketing strategies on the annual plants festival; secondly, to develop and modify the effective standardized internal and external organization managements in line with economic and social contexts; thirdly, to promote and improve the involved staff’s better understandings and awareness of their next internal exhibition. Also, three major marketing strategies found in this exhibition included 1) strategies on the development of tourism staff; 2) strategies on the development and promotion of marketing affecting tourists’ perception, and 3) strategies on the development of seven tourism supportive factors and eleven projects.