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INFLUENCES ON THE CONSUMER DECISION
MAKING PROCESS IN SELECTING
DESTINATION WEDDING
BY
MISS NATTAPORN SUTHATARTRAKUL
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN MARKETING
(INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM)
FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND ACCOUNTANCY
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2017
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
Ref. code: 25605902040509ZWT
INFLUENCES ON THE CONSUMER DECISION
MAKING PROCESS IN SELECTING
DESTINATION WEDDING
BY
MISS NATTAPORN SUTHATARTRAKUL
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN MARKETING
(INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM)
FACULTY OF COMMERCE AND ACCOUNTANCY
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2017
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
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(1)
Independent Study Title INFLUENCES ON THE CONSUMER
DECISION MAKING PROCESS IN
SELECTING DESTINATION WEDDING
Author Miss Nattaporn Suthatartrakul
Degree Master of Science Program in Marketing
(International Program)
Major Field/Faculty/University Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy
Thammasat University
Independent Study Advisor Professor K. Douglas Hoffman, Ph.D.
Academic Year 2017
ABSTRACT
This study analyses factors considered by Thai and foreign couples when
choosing destination wedding by examining weddings in Thailand. The research
findings illustrate which factors compel couples to choose a destination wedding
because the recent trend is that many couples decide to celebrate their wedding
outside of their original hometown or country of residence. Due to this new context,
this study provides factors which affect decision-making pertaining to destination
wedding and also insight on related public organizers and wedding planners in a niche
market with special demands and characteristics.
To answer these topics, qualitative research and quantitative research
were conducted to describe the relative influences behind decision making.
Qualitative method was conducted through in-depth interview of those who work in
events management company. In quantitative approach, a questionnaire was carried
out with 133 respondents with eligible 91 respondents, who are already married or
intend to marry in the next few years in Thailand.
The respondents were divided into four groups based on factors that
couples consider before selecting destination wedding – Marketing-oriented segment
(23.1%), Convenience-oriented (15.4%), Self-reliance (13.2%) and Location-oriented
(48.4%).
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All these four segments are the respondents who selected or intent to select Thailand
as destination wedding, which have difference factors to be considered.
In conclusion, this study will give a better understanding of the various
factors to be considered between clusters and behavior pattern of each group and also
wedding preference and budget spending of each cluster. However, study related to
marketing was limited by time and study scope. This may continue to further develop
a deeper understanding in the aspect of marketing and the services of Thai wedding
service provider.
Keywords: Influencing factors, satisfaction of consumers, consumer behaviors,
Thailand and destination wedding
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor K.
Douglas Hoffman, Ph.D. for the useful comments, suggestion and engagement
through the learning process of this master Independent Study (IS).
Furthermore, I would like to thank the participants in my questionnaires,
who have willingly shared their precious time during the survey process.
Also, I would like to thank the Master’s degree program in marketing
(MIM) at Thammasat University who has provided a wide range of marketing
knowledge and education in which I will be able to use in real-life situations.
Miss Nattaporn Suthatartrakul
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT (1)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (3)
TABLE OF CONTENTS (4)
LIST OF TABLES (7)
LIST OF FIGURES (8)
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Problem statement and Research Propose 1
1.2 Research Objectives 1
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 3
2.1 News from the Tourism Authority of Thailand 3
2.2 Blogs from Signature Wedding 3
2.3 World Travel and Tourism Council Report 3
2.4 Research Gate Report 4
2.5 Wedding in Thailand: Traditional and Business Article 4
2.6 A Model of Destination Branding: Integrating the Concepts of the
Branding and Destination Image 5
2.7 News from Thailand Once Again Named Best Wedding Destination by
Travel and Leisure India 6
2.8 Blog from The Beginner’s Guide to Destination Weddings 6
2.9 Report from World Travel & Tourism Council 7
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CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 8
3.1 Research methodology 8
3.1.1 Exploratory Research 8
3.1.1.1 Secondary Data 8
3.1.1.2 In-depth interviews 8
3.1.2 Descriptive research 9
3.1.2.1 Questionnaire 9
3.2 Data Analysis 10
3.2.1 Qualitative data 10
3.2.2 Quantitative data 11
3.3 Sample Size and Qualifications 11
3.4 Limitation 12
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 13
4.1 Result of Analysis Using Factor Analysis 13
4.2 Result of Analysis Using Cluster analysis 18
4.3 Result of Analysis between Clusters towards their Behavior 20
4.3.1 Pre - purchase stage 20
4.3.2 Purchase stage 23
4.3.3 Post-purchase stage 26
4.4 Result of Analysis between Clusters and Nationality 27
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 33
5.1 Factors that predict satisfaction of target sample 33
5.2 Recommendation on segments and its behavior 34
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5.2.1 Marketing-oriented segment 34
5.2.2 Convenience-oriented segment 34
5.2.3 Self-reliance segment 35
5.2.4 Location-oriented segment 35
REFERENCES 37
APPENDICES 39
APPENDIX A: Questionnaire 40
APPENDIX B: Bar chart represented respondents’ behavior 48
BIOGRAPHY 50
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LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
3.1 Questionnaires Distribution Timeline 11
4.1 Regression analysis between factors to be considered and satisfaction 14
4.2 Paired Samples analysis between expectation and satisfaction 14
4.3 Results of Factor Analysis of factors to be considered 16
4.4 Results of Source that Used the Most to Search for Related Information by
Clusters 20
4.5 Results of First Hear Source about wedding destination by Clusters 21
4.6 Results of Method of Booking Wedding Event by Clusters 22
4.7 Results of ANOVA Analysis, Factors to be Considered and Clusters 23
4.8 Satisfaction towards host country by Clusters 26
4.9 Frequency of Recommend Behavior by Clusters 26
4.10 Frequency of Re-purchase Behavior by Clusters 26
4.11 Frequency of wedding venue type selected by Clusters 27
4.12 Frequency of guest invitation by Clusters 28
4.13 Frequency of Budget Spending for Wedding by Clusters 28
4.14 Frequency of Budget Spending for Wedding by Nationality 29
4.15 Result of ANOVA Analysis of Night Spent by Clusters 30
4.16 Compare Means of Number of Guests by Clusters 31
4.17 Compare Means of Number of Guests by Nationality 32
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figures Page
4.1 Results of Cluster Analysis Based on Factors to be Considered 19
5.1 Study’s framework of factors that predict customers’ satisfaction 33
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Problem Statement and Research Purpose
Hospitality service is one of the growing industries in Thailand. Many tourists
– foreigners and locals - are attracted to the charming environment of Thailand and
affectionate Thai people. Tourism industry is one of the main contributions in Thai
economy at THB1292bn, making up 9.2% of total GDP in 2016. The service industry
creates over 2.3 million jobs. Of the total amount of spending, leisure spending
accounted for 88% (THB 2096bn), while business spending amounted to only 12%
(THB 292bn).
My interest is on wedding events, which the bride and groom (consumers) are
highly involved most of the decision making and wedding plan. As this is a once in a
life time event, consumers have to consider a wide array of options for venue, food,
wedding gown, rings, souvenirs and the long list goes on. In order to successfully
meet consumer expectations, there are several choices to consider during the planning
process, beginning with choosing where to go for wedding photos. Destination
wedding is definitely part of the initial planning process. The choices made are highly
important since they co-relate to every other options in the wedding plan. Thus the
following study allows readers to understand the influencing factors behind
consumers’ decision and benefits to current and new entrance players in tourism
industry to find the right target segment.
1.2 Research Objectives
This study is a topic in applied marketing, in society subject area. The
purposes of this study is to understand driven of decision making motivations of
consumers, in order to benefit involved stakeholders in industry. And research
objectives are as follow:
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1) To understanding the complexity of consumer decision-making process
with various motivations associated towards selecting a destination
wedding
2) To determine the key drivers of consumer decision making as it pertains to
destination wedding
3) To segment consumers in wedding events industry through internal/external
motivations from exploratory research
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 News from the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Due to its cultural lure, natural beauty attracted several nationalities around the
world and Thai consumers to consume service in country. And wedding tourism is a
niche service under the tourism industry, with $80 billion (almost 30% of total global
expense on wedding events) coming from destination weddings around the world.
Thailand acquired these consumers through attracting various wedding ceremonies
and cooperation with luxury resorts and hotels, wedding planers, event organizers,
and professional photographers (The Tourism Authority of Thailand, 2016).
2.2 Blogs from Signature Wedding
Because of these reasons, Thailand is one of the world’s top six countries, and
already Asia’s top destination for couples from the Middle Eastern and African
countries (Thai destination wedding sector grows, 2017). In addition, estimated
revenue from the honeymoon and wedding segment in Thailand was $1.04 billion,
with more than one million trips have been made (Weddings a key niche market,
2013). Thus, it expressed the sense of growing trends and highlighting the importance
of wedding market to Thai economy.
2.3 World Travel and Tourism Council Report
The direct contributions of travel and tourism industry to Thai GDP was
THB1292bn, 9.2% of Total GDP in 2016, and average growth until 2027 was
forecasted by 6.7%, which contributed to employment of over 2.3 million jobs
directly to the service industry. The employment growth in 2027 was forecasted to
rise by 5% to over 4 million jobs, which will account for 10.4% of total employment.
Total contribution including its investment, supply chain and induced income was
about 2906bn in 2016, which is approximately 32% of Thai GDP. Majority of the
travel spending is from Leisure travel accounted for 88% (2096bn) with 9.6% growth
rate, while Business spending is only 12% (292bn) with 3.5% growth rate which main
contribution. Spending of these two sectors are mainly from foreign visitors over 79%
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that express the importance of tourism industry is one of the main contribution of Thai
export (World travel and tourism council, 2017).
2.4 Research Gate Report
The study interest on an event being a relevant motivator of wedding tourism
and figuring the enhancement of both the appeal and attractiveness of a destination.
The destination wedding is defined as a wedding ceremony that is cerebrated outside
of the bride and groom’s hometown (as cited in Daniels & Loveless, 2007; Shumann
& Amado, 2010). According to literature, there are many economic (expenditure,
number of visitors), social (couple’s image, local food, show case), environmental
(local heritage) and marketing impacts (wedding package, promotion campaign) and
benefits to host country. Motivations affected couple to select destination wedding
combined of various factors 1) escaping from social obligation; gay couple 2) cost
saving; small number of guests, wedding and honeymoon combination and lower cost
of living 3) wedding tourism product; restaurant and accommodation 4) local
institution; paper work procedure (ResearchGate, 2013).
2.5 Wedding in Thailand: Traditional and Business Article
Wedding business consists of multiple enterprises like caterers, wedding
consultants, dressers, various beauty suppliers (hair, makeup), photographers,
musicians and honeymoon planners. Thai consumers, especially the rich and famous,
prefer an extravagant and luxurious wedding ceremony as it reflects a high level of
social status amongst relatives and friends. The most popular month is September, as
the number nine is a lucky number for Thai consumers, which means that this
industry is quite seasonal based on auspicious time. Selecting wedding venues –
hotels, associations, convention center, restaurant and club – to hold the wedding is
directly related to budget and also the social status of the couple and their families.
The couples who are business entrepreneurs usually hold their wedding at the pricey
location in the city center, while the couples who draw fixed income tend to choose
the cheaper choice in the clubs or restaurants (Pongsiri, 2014).
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Budget of wedding depends on the social situation (job and living social
classes), their families and also set by how much the couple can afford. The overall
budget for the wedding can be separated into five groups. The first group expect to
pay less than 200,000 THB (this accounts for 20 percent). The second group sets the
budget between 200,001THB and 400,000 THB (this accounts for 46 percent). The
third group’s budget range from 400,001THB to 600,000 THB (this accounts for 14
percent). In the forth group, the couples decide the budget should be between 600,001
THB and 800,000 THB (this accounts for 3 percent). The last group expect to pay
more than 800,000 THB (this accounts for 17 percent). Further detail into the budget
will be five main portions - Venue (40%), Food and beverage (30%), Photography
(15%), Operation (5%) and others (10%) (Pongsiri, 2014).
2.6 A Model of Destination Branding: Integrating the Concepts of the Branding
and Destination Image
Before becoming a tourist destination, destination must be included in the
consumers’ evoked set first. However, consumers bombarded with various destination
choices that provide similar features such as quality accommodations, beautiful scenic
view, and/or friendly people. Hence, the destination needs to be identification and
differential to other places.
Identification involves physical offering, which contains various material -
historical sites, beaches and non-material elements - culture, customs, and history to
represent it. Determining a target market is crucial because some aspects of a
destination might be positive to one segment while ineffective to another.
Differentiation is to differentiate itself from competitors. It is more critical to
understand what associations of a destination are advantageous over competitors.
Points of difference help consumers positively evaluate and attach to the destinations.
The study shows three main components; Cognitive, Unique and Affective image
which affect overall destination images. These impact consumer intentions to revisit
and intentions to recommend (Hailin Qu, 2011).
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2.7 News from Thailand Once Again Named Best Wedding Destination by
Travel And Leisure India
Thailand has been voted as the best destination wedding by reader of
publication Travel and Leisure India and South Asia. Thailand’s top ranking reflects
the huge popularity of Thailand for Indian wedding planners and couples seeking a
romantic destination.
From the news, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority
of Thailand (TAT) said that Thailand has amazing and romantic wedding venue and
400 Indian weddings are held in Thailand at several locations such as Bangkok,
Pattaya, Hua Hin, Rayong, Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak and Chiang Mai. Thailand is not
only the destination wedding but also for other types of celebrations which include
anniversaries, birthdays, family re-unions, bachelors and bachelorettes parties.
In 2016, Thailand has welcomed a total of 895,880 travelers from India, an
increase of 13 percent over the previous year. The average length of stay of Indian
tourists is 8 days and average spending per person per day is 5,645 Baht (TAT
Newsroom, 2016), which is 45,160 Baht per person per time.
2.8 Blog from The Beginner’s Guide to Destination Weddings
The preferred destination wedding has become popular in recent years, and it
is estimated that about 15% of all weddings are now destination weddings. In this
source, destination wedding is defined as an event where the bride and groom plan
away from home wedding, invite their closest family members and friends to an ideal
location and make the event a semi-vacation. Advantages of destination wedding are
great location, relaxed place and relatively less expensive for the couple, because
accommodations, travel costs and the venue charges have to be set within budget.
And the average cost is about THB 750,000, which a bit lower than their traditional
wedding at THB 880,000 (Bridgebox wedding albums, 2014).
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2.9 Report from World Travel & Tourism Council
Hospitality trend, both business event; Meeting, Incentive, Convention &
Exhibition – MICE and private events; wedding and honeymoon events, anniversary
events, in Thailand were increasing significantly among foreign consumers, especially
Indian consumers were emerging few years ago and there were few private companies
in Thailand that can serve to their sophisticated requirements (World travel & tourism
council, 2017). Because of the booming demand from aboard; Indian, Japanese,
Koreans, and Europeans, government come into play in the industry as facilitators of
pulling and supporting private sector to enhance its visibility and efficiency to fulfil
the demand (Roxas, 2016)
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CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Methodology
The objective of this study is to investigate wedding tourism influence on
selecting Thailand as a destination wedding. To answer these questions, qualitative
research was conducted to describe the relative influences behind decision making,
while quantitative research was used to collect limited information after collecting
information from qualitative to generalize research result.
3.1.1 Exploratory Research
3.1.1.1 Secondary Data
Secondary data is the method that is used to obtain already published
information and relevant statistical data from reliable sources. Presently, gathering
information from several secondary sources is used frequently, whereby the main
informative sources are from The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), The
Thailand Conference and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thailand International
Corporation Agency (TICA), Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) and other related
sources, which all of these are reliable and can be used as a representative of the
overall industry and the importance to Thailand. More insightful information have
been done by doing literature review from related academic researches and industrial
articles and also other related website such as tripadvisor.com that collect consumers
review about wedding venue experienced, which all sources can be used as a
guideline establishing in-depth interview questions and questionnaire (collecting
factors that influencing/motivating consumer to select destination wedding).
3.1.1.2 In-depth interviews
The in-depth interviews will be conducted semi-structured interviews
with wedding event organizers and couples that already and/or intended to married to
gain insights about individual cognitive, affection and attitudes towards their decision
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on selecting destination wedding. And objectives of gathering information from in-
depth interview will be as follow:
(1) Wedding Event Organizers;
● To gather knowledge about wedding tourism importance
and its company efforts among their other competitors
● To understand relation between how marketing package
offering and destination selected by consumers
(2) Marriage Couple;
● To understand basic influences (both internal and
external influences) that affected to their decision when
they considered to choose destination wedding
● To gathering elements or expectation (intended to
married)/perception (already married) of their ideal
destination wedding
3.1.2 Descriptive research
3.1.2.1 Questionnaire
The questionnaire will comprise of 1) Information related to decision
making on wedding and internal/ external motivations of selecting destination
wedding with its important level of each motivation 2) wedding characteristics and
perception of respondents toward Thailand as destination wedding and 3)
respondents’ demographic information. All data will be collected and used to
investigate correlation between demographic and other influences.
The target population of this study was both international and
domestic consumers, who already married and/or intended to married in Thailand or
other city (outside their hometown) in Thailand. The questionnaire will be conducted
using an online platform with convenience sampling of a total of 100 eligible
respondents at the 95% confidence level. This method will help answering the
following objectives:
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(1) To understand consumers decision making process of
selecting destination wedding and other element for their
wedding
(2) To investigate related influences/ motivations that affect to
their selection on destination wedding
(3) To determine Thailand’s point of difference, to create
competitive edge to compete with other destination
weddings
3.2 Data Analysis
This study contains both internal and external variables that related to
consumers’ intention in terms of selecting destination wedding. An independent
variable (IVs) has the important role that is changed or controlled in an experiment to
test the effects on the dependent variable (DVs). And a major concern is the way to
measuring actual level of internal motivations (IVs) such as consumer preference and
consumer attitude when selecting destination wedding. Because the complexity that
these variables are difficult to measure since methods of collecting this type of data
should carefully design to determine the real value of these variables.
3.2.1 Qualitative data
The analysis of qualitative research involves aiming to uncover and/or
understand the big picture - by using the data to describe the phenomenon in the
business. Responses from an unstructured qualitative interview can be used to be
coded, counted and analyzed. Content analysis will be used for categorizing of verbal
or text data, for purposes of classification and summarization of information. The
content can be analyzed on basic level, which descriptive account of the data and later
used as guideline for creating questionnaire.
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3.2.2 Quantitative data
The analysis method in this part involved with summarizing mass data
that has been collected some exploratory data from qualitative approach. The analysis
of quantitative research involves the analysis of any of the following:
(1) Frequencies of variables
(2) Bivariate statistics: Means, Correlation (bivariate)
(3) Prediction for numerical outcomes: Linear regression
(4) Statistical tests will be used to estimate the significance of each
independent variable
(5) Custom table, to summarize Statistics data, and help learning
tendency each variables and respondent character.
(6) The factor analysis, this tool used to analyze and reduce high
correlated factors
(7) Cluster analysis will be used to identify structures within the
data, to segment respondents into groups. To be able to be more
specifically set strategy to the right group
3.3 Sample Size and Qualifications
Totally collected of 133 questionnaires from respondents who have marriage
intention or married couples, which consisted of eligible 91 respondents that
applicable to this study. Due to scarcity of eligible 91 data sets, researcher have to
weight on by 3, in order to adjust a sample's composition to be reflective of the
population's composition from a certain group. From now on all analysis presented in
this report will be informed in terms of weighted number, which totally accounted 273
respondents. The questionnaires will be distributed online through wedding planners
in Thailand that have foreigner couples in their customer list, and also distributed
online directly from researcher and using Facebook advertisement which targeted
through interest of wedding. Lead time of distribution through channel was as
follows:
Table 3.1: Questionnaires Distribution Timeline
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3.4 Limitation
Because this research is only given 3 months after proposal, I chose not to do
observation research and that might cause information inadequacy. Because of
collecting 100 questionnaires from both Thai (celebrated outside hometown) and
foreigners (celebrated outside country), the questionnaires have to be collected via
online platform, which the main concern might be low response rate.
Data availability in qualitative data collection, conducting interviews will be
concentrated only those who live in Bangkok area only (from secondary data shown
that Thailand popular destination wedding located on various areas; Pattaya, Hua Hin,
Rayong, Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak and Chiang Mai.), while collected data result have
to be used to represents the view-point of interviewees in several cities/countries.
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CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
According to three research objectives, key findings had been separated into
four parts including 1) Factor analysis – to understand various motivations associated
towards selecting a destination wedding and determine the key drivers of consumer
decision-making as it pertains to destination wedding, 2) Cluster analysis - to segment
consumers in wedding events industry through motivations, 3) Analysis between
clusters towards their behavior along decision-making process and 4) Analysis
between clusters and respondent demographic by using various statistical tools.
4.1 Result of Analysis Using Factor Analysis
In this study, researcher used 22 variables to test respondents’ consideration
towards their decision-making on selecting destination wedding. Paired sample tests
were used to compare between respondents’ perception (couples who selected
Thailand as destination wedding) and expectations (factors for consideration when
they prepare to arrange wedding). Gaps between these comparisons identified
improvement gap for Thailand as destination wedding and these were further
described below.
Three pairs with significant value differences between perception and
expectation were cultural events/festivals, high number of tourist attractions and high
popularity in weddings variable which these variables supported by Thailand identity
- attractions of natural beauty, amazing unseen Thailand. These three variables have
the highest points (perception score higher than expectation score) among 22
variables, which showed positive perspective of Thailand in these aspects. While
Short distance and Easy to access variables went up to second place, turning positive,
because majority of the respondents were Thai which led to the increase of these two
variables.
Good infrastructure/ facilities and Good Wedding Coordination/ organization
had the least score difference. Thus, improvements in macro infrastructure should be
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encouraged by Thai government to enhance stakeholders’ performance, which can
attract more couples to consider Thailand as the destination wedding.
Table 4.1: Regression analysis between factors to be considered and
satisfaction
Model
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 4.528 22 .206 3.515 .000b
Residual 6.381 109 .059
Total 10.909 131
Table 4.2: Paired Samples analysis between expectation and satisfaction
Paired Differences
t df
Sig. (2-
tailed) Mean
Std.
Deviation
Std.
Error
Mean
95% CI of the
Difference
Lower Upper
Pair 1 Easy access to
the area .66667 1.68819 .18758 .29338 1.03996 3.554 80 .001
Pair 2 Short distance
from country of
origin
.88889 1.50831 .16759 .55537 1.22240 5.304 80 .000
Pair 3 Good
scenery/natural
wonders
.22222 1.96214 .21802 -.21164 .65609 1.019 80 .311
Pair 4 Good weather .29630 1.44434 .16048 -.02307 .61567 1.846 80 .069
Pair 5 Clean/unspoiled
environmentมี .25926 1.27257 .14140 -.02213 .54065 1.834 80 .070
Pair 6 Wide variety of
outdoor activities .29630 1.39144 .15460 -.01138 .60397 1.916 80 .059
Pair 7 Lots of tourist
attractions 1.00000 1.50000 .16667 .66832 1.33168 6.000 80 .000
Pair 8 High popularity
in weddings .92593 1.54740 .17193 .58377 1.26808 5.385 80 .000
Pair 9 Friendly local
people .48148 1.26601 .14067 .20154 .76142 3.423 80 .001
Pair 10 Local cuisine .59259 1.40337 .15593 .28228 .90290 3.800 80 .000
Pair 11 Cultural
events/festivals 1.11111 1.40535 .15615 .80036 1.42186 7.116 80 .000
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Pair 12 Special Wedding
Offers/Packages .37037 1.10050 .12228 .12703 .61371 3.029 80 .003
Pair 13 Good Wedding
Coordination/
organization
.07407 1.25277 .13920 -.20294 .35109 .532 80 .596
Pair 14 The reasonable
cost associated
with wedding
.18519 1.16309 .12923 -.07200 .44237 1.433 80 .156
Pair 15 Availability of
associated
services
.18519 1.28560 .14284 -.09909 .46946 1.296 80 .199
Pair 16 Good
infrastructure/
facilities
.25926 1.11555 .12395 .01259 .50593 2.092 80 .040
Pair 17 Availability of
travel
information
.44444 1.14018 .12669 .19233 .69656 3.508 80 .001
Pair 18 Ease of paper
work from local
office
.55556 1.26491 .14055 .27586 .83525 3.953 80 .000
Pair 19 Safe and secure
environment .48148 1.17379 .13042 .22194 .74103 3.692 80 .000
Pair 20 Personal
preference 0.00000 1.31339 .14593 -.29041 .29041 0.000 80 1.000
Pair 21 Good self-image .29630 1.12299 .12478 .04798 .54461 2.375 80 .020
Pair 22 Sense of
belonging .51852 1.10805 .12312 .27351 .76353 4.212 80 .000
Based on 22 variables that couples consider when making a decision on
selecting destination wedding, Factor analysis classified them into 7 factors to explain
82.19% of original statements. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin score is 0.874 and it is
significantly different using Bartlett’s test. The table below showed groups of
variables, and described main variables of each factor as follows:
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Table 4.3: Results of Factor Analysis of factors to be considered COMPONENT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EASY ACCESS TO THE AREA
.133 .284 .177 .116 .827 .043 -.040
SHORT DISTANCE FROM COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
.036 .096 .047 .093 .918 .070 .112
GOOD SCENERY/NATURAL WONDERS
.316 .062 .398 .703 .255 .170 -.090
GOOD WEATHER .218 .335 .159 .816 .093 .064 .052 CLEAN/UNSPOILED ENVIRONMENT
.130 .733 .031 .554 .121 -.075 -.014
WIDE VARIETY OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
.524 .192 .153 .455 .085 .343 .317
LOTS OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
.813 .063 .146 .296 -.023 .191 -.036
HIGH POPULARITY IN WEDDINGS
.767 .114 .374 -.240 .165 -.009 -.118
FRIENDLY LOCAL PEOPLE
.748 .266 .061 .282 .051 .006 .328
LOCAL CUISINE .622 .167 .025 .332 .073 .418 .292
CULTURAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS
.861 .145 .146 .117 .118 -.003 .058
SPECIAL WEDDING OFFERS/PACKAGES
.211 .427 .222 .097 .129 .726 .023
GOOD WEDDING COORDINATION/ ORGANIZATION
.199 .667 .418 .146 .221 .302 .026
THE REASONABLE COST ASSOCIATED WITH WEDDING
.159 .837 .231 .064 .117 .221 -.024
AVAILABILITY OF ASSOCIATED SERVICES
.220 .305 .725 .221 .143 .214 .014
GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE/ FACILITIES
.070 .664 .447 .180 .200 .307 .147
AVAILABILITY OF TRAVEL INFORMATION
.589 .053 .264 .368 -.032 .327 .361
EASE OF PAPER WORK FROM LOCAL OFFICE
.380 .265 .446 -.093 .166 .071 .611
SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT
.161 .847 .244 .110 .140 .000 .240
PERSONAL .087 .494 .677 .100 .109 .123 .141
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PREFERENCE
GOOD SELF-IMAGE .229 .474 .637 .119 .073 .238 .073
SENSE OF BELONGING .363 .140 .636 .312 .036 -.214 .238
Factor 1 named “Location attraction”, which consists of 1) Wide variety of
outdoor activities 2) Lots of tourist attractions 3) High popularity in weddings 4)
Friendly local people 5) Local cuisine and 6) Cultural events/festivals. As described
in literature review, in order to differentiate destination wedding from competitors,
Points of Difference (POD) helped consumers positively evaluated and perceived
towards Thailand. This factor demonstrated the importance of heritage and
endowment of destination, which can be used to distinguish itself from elsewhere as
well as the difficulty to be copied by other places.
Factor 2 named “Readiness of relevant parties in host (host country/
city)”, which consists of 1) Good wedding Coordination/ organization 2) The
reasonable cost associated with wedding 4) Good infrastructure/ facilities and 5) Safe
and secure environment. Based on qualitative research, readiness of involved
organizations with wedding in host country was the key driver after location
attractiveness, due to its once in a lifetime event, the best organized and relevant
parties were necessary.
Factor 3 named “Internal motivation”, which contains 1) Personal
preference –means couples like/ love destination due to their past experience 2) Good
self-image – destination wedding enhanced couple’s image in the eyes of their guests
and 3) Sense of belonging – couples had some relationship/ attachment/ bonding with
that destination.
Factor 4 named “Location scenery”, which consists of 1) Good
scenery/natural wonders and 2) Good weather. This factor is quite similar to the first
factor in which both discourage copycats from other places.
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Factor 5 named “Convenience of transportation”, which contains 1) Easy
access to the area and 2) Short distance from country of origin.
Factor 6 named “Marketing”, which means that related parties in host
country offered Special Wedding Packages to couples. Marketing ranked third place
of importance among seven factors as this factor is more related to price of relevant
wedding package, demonstrated in terms of value of money spent to arrange wedding.
Factor 7 named “Legal paperwork”, some couples chose to arrange
wedding outside of their own country because legal procedure were easier.
4.2 Result of Analysis Using Cluster analysis
Based on seven factors from Factor analysis, total respondents were divided
by Two-Step Cluster method using Schwarz’s Bayesian Criterion (BIC) into four
homogenous groups. Each segment has significant difference in terms of considering
factors. Location attraction, Readiness of relevant parties and Marketing factors had
the most impact to decision making of couples. Either Internal motivation or Location
scenery is inferior to the first three factors mentioned. However, these five factors
drive distinction among four clusters as explained below, since these five factors have
p-value less than 0.05 which was significantly different with 95% confidential
interval.
Cluster 1: Marketing-oriented segment, accounted for 23.1% (N=63)
This segment is concerned the most about marketing related factors.
Marketing factor dominated this segment and readiness of relevant parties were also
concerned. Since majority of this segment are Thai couples, location related factors
did not have much impact on this segment. In order to capture this segment, tempting
wedding package with value for money is necessary.
Cluster 2: Convenience-oriented, accounted for 15.4% (N=42)
This segment unusually arranged wedding on their own and wedding
planners/assistants were essential. Location attraction and scenery for wedding event
were not perceived as main factors but convenience of transportation for their guests
are critical. Moreover, convenience of wedding arrangement is also important. Thus,
capturing this group can be achieved by providing easy to access destination and
service with reasonable price.
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Cluster 3: Self-reliance, accounted for 13.2% (N=36)
This segment had low consideration in every factor, especially readiness of
relevant parties and internal motivation so these groups were classified as self-
reliance segment. Most couples in this segment arranged “wedding with no guest”
since they have low consideration on self-image. All respondents in this segment are
Thai and arrangement all things for wedding are possible for them. Therefore, the
budget range of this segment is quite low, compared with other segments. However,
some couples who were married in their hometown have concerns on their family-
image so they still need professional assistant to manage their wedding.
Cluster 4: Location-oriented, accounted for 48.4% (N=132)
This segment was the biggest group among four, they considered the most in
“location factors” – location attraction and location scenery, which dominated all
seven factors. One-third of this segment is foreign couples, which was statistically the
biggest pool of foreigner couples among four segments who selected/ considered
Thailand as their consideration set. Uniqueness of Thailand location comes into play
as the main factor that have the most impact on their decision making.
Figure 4.1: Results of Cluster Analysis Based on Factors to be considered
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4.3 Result of Analysis between Clusters towards their Behavior
4.3.1 Pre - purchase stage
Table 4.4: Results of Source that Used the Most to Search for Related
Information by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Total
Marketing-
oriented
Convenien
ce-oriented
Self-
reliance
Location-
oriented
Source you
used the most
to search
Website 27 6 6 39 78
Blog 9 6 3 3 21
Social media 15 12 18 66 111
Asking from friends 12 18 9 24 63
Total 63 42 36 132 273
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 38.829a 9 .000
Likelihood Ratio 39.357 9 .000
Linear-by-Linear Association 1.664 1 .197
N of Valid Cases 273
Cross-tabulation was used to see different searching behavior among four
groups. Self-reliance segment and Location-oriented segment have similar behavior
for searching related information to wedding, which most couples used social media
platform to search. As self-reliance segment preferred direct contact with several
parties on their own, easy access and high interactive communication channel would
fit in their lifestyle. While Location-oriented segment took advantage of UGC; User-
Generated Content, this segment focused on sincerity of the content e.g. real scenario
of location, other opinion about that location. Convenience-oriented segment
preferred easiness and convenience, hence asking their friends (WOM) is critical to
their decision making, since they did not want to waste their time on searching
information. Normally, this group would ask their friends about reliable wedding
planners, because their convenience lifestyle encouraged them to find credible sources
from their internal network e.g. their friends or relatives. For the last segment,
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Marketing-oriented, related wedding company websites were used the most since they
love to search for attractive offers and most wedding companies promote their sales
package on their own website.
Table 4.5: Results of First Hear Source about wedding destination by
Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Total
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience
-oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
How did you
first hear
about
wedding
destination
you
selected?
Wedding fair 12 3 9 9 33
Tourism Organization
office in your country 3 0 12 3 18
Travel agent or tour
operator catalogues 0 0 3 0 3
Advertisements 12 3 6 51 72
Personal experienced 18 12 6 33 69
Word of mouth 18 24 0 36 78
Total 63 42 36 132 273
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance
(2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 116.848a 15 .000
Likelihood Ratio 102.586 15 .000
Linear-by-Linear Association .064 1 .800
N of Valid Cases 273
Most of Marketing-oriented segment first heard about wedding destination
from Wedding fair, where many providers offer attractive wedding packages, so this
group was lured by tempting wedding packages. Location-oriented segment were
attracted to advertisements from companies, as we accounted for their search behavior
and the high usage of social media. Therefore, advertising through their most used
social media would have the most benefits.
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Table 4.6: Results of Method of Booking Wedding Event by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Total
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience
-oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
Method of
booking
wedding
event
Through a travel
agent 0 0 0 6 6
Through a tour
operator 0 0 12 6 18
Through a wedding
planner based in
host country
33 18 12 84 147
Directly through
the municipality in
host country
30 24 12 36 102
Total 63 42 36 132 273
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance
(2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 69.267a 9 .000
Likelihood Ratio 59.211 9 .000
Linear-by-Linear
Association 16.491 1 .000
N of Valid Cases 273
Location-oriented segment dominantly booked their wedding through wedding
planner in the host country. As one-third of this segment were foreign couples,
dealing directly with municipality is difficult for them due to language differences and
unfamiliar context in host country.
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4.3.2 Purchase stage
Table 4.7: Results of ANOVA Analysis, Factors to be considered and
Clusters
N Mean Std. Dev.
Std.
Error
95% CI for Mean
Min Max
Lower
Bound
Upper
Bound
Location
attraction
Marketing-
oriented 63 14.4762 4.64153 .5847 13.3072 15.6451 8.00 23.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 14.5000 5.1855 .80015 12.8841 16.1159 8.00 25.00
Self-
reliance 36 13.5833 6.3262 1.05437 11.4428 15.7238 7.00 27.00
Location-
oriented 132 27.0227 4.4506 .38738 26.2564 27.7891 18.00 35.00
Total 273 20.4286 8.0368 .48641 19.4710 21.3862 7.00 35.00
Readiness of
relevant parties
Marketing-
oriented 63 21.7619 3.6265 .45691 20.8486 22.6752 10.00 25.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 21.6429 3.0509 .47077 20.6921 22.5936 16.00 25.00
Self-
reliance 36 9.4167 3.8050 .63418 8.1292 10.7041 5.00 16.00
Location-
oriented 132 22.9773 2.2495 .19580 22.5899 23.3646 17.00 25.00
Total 273 20.7033 5.3354 .32291 20.0676 21.3390 5.00 25.00
Internal
motivation
Marketing-
oriented 63 15.0952 3.2013 .40334 14.2890 15.9015 8.00 20.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 14.7857 3.8669 .59668 13.5807 15.9907 4.00 20.00
Self-
reliance 36 8.0000 3.5375 .58959 6.8031 9.1969 4.00 12.00
Location-
oriented 132 17.2045 2.4173 .21040 16.7883 17.6208 12.00 20.00
Total 273 15.1319 4.2249 .25571 14.6285 15.6353 4.00 20.00
Location
scenery
Marketing-
oriented 63 6.9048 2.3050 .29041 6.3242 7.4853 2.00 10.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 6.4286 2.6146 .40344 5.6138 7.2433 2.00 10.00
Ref. code: 25605902040509ZWT
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Self-
reliance 36 4.4167 2.5000 .41667 3.5708 5.2625 2.00 10.00
Location-
oriented 132 9.1591 1.1904 .10362 8.9541 9.3641 5.00 10.00
Total 273 7.5934 2.563 .15517 7.2879 7.8989 2.00 10.00
Convenience of
transportation
Marketing-
oriented 63 6.3810 2.4192 .30479 5.7717 6.9902 2.00 10.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 7.6429 2.9534 .45573 6.7225 8.5632 2.00 10.00
Self-
reliance 36 3.8333 2.1044 .35074 3.1213 4.5454 2.00 10.00
Location-
oriented 132 7.3636 2.1303 .18543 6.9968 7.7305 2.00 10.00
Total 273 6.7143 2.6204 .15859 6.4021 7.0265 2.00 10.00
Marketing Marketing-
oriented 63 4.0952 .8174 .10299 3.8894 4.3011 3.00 5.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 2.4286 1.2521 .19321 2.0384 2.8188 1.00 5.00
Self-
reliance 36 2.1667 1.2305 .20509 1.7503 2.5830 1.00 5.00
Location-
oriented 132 4.1136 .9134 .07950 3.9564 4.2709 2.00 5.00
Total 273 3.5934 1.2860 .07784 3.4402 3.7466 1.00 5.00
Legal
paperwork
Marketing-
oriented 63 3.0476 1.5701 .19782 2.6522 3.4431 1.00 5.00
Convenien
ce-oriented 42 3.5714 1.4166 .21860 3.1300 4.0129 1.00 5.00
Self-
reliance 36 2.2500 1.4417 .24029 1.7622 2.7378 1.00 5.00
Location-
oriented 132 4.0227 .9202 .08010 3.8643 4.1812 2.00 5.00
Total 273 3.4945 1.3882 .08402 3.3291 3.6599 1.00 5.00
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ANOVA
Sum of
Squares df
Mean
Square F Sig.
Location attraction Between Groups 155.045 3 51.682 118.870 .000
Within Groups 116.955 269 .435
Total 272.000 272
Readiness of
relevant parties
Between Groups 148.272 3 49.424 107.454 .000
Within Groups 123.728 269 .460
Total 272.000 272
Internal motivation Between Groups 29.137 3 9.712 10.757 .000
Within Groups 242.863 269 .903
Total 272.000 272
Location scenery Between Groups 36.152 3 12.051 13.745 .000
Within Groups 235.848 269 .877
Total 272.000 272
Convenience of
transportation
Between Groups 21.769 3 7.256 7.801 .000
Within Groups 250.231 269 .930
Total 272.000 272
Marketing Between Groups 124.828 3 41.609 76.053 .000
Within Groups 147.172 269 .547
Total 272.000 272
Legal paperwork Between Groups 6.159 3 2.053 2.077 .104
Within Groups 265.841 269 .988
Total 272.000 272
From ANOVA analysis, Location attraction and Location scenery factors were
statistically most considered by Location-oriented segment among all segments.
Readiness of relevant party and internal motivation factors were the least important
for Self-reliance segment. Convenience of transportation factor was the main driven
of decision making for Convenience-oriented segment. Marketing-oriented segment
had the least consideration on location, but most considered attractive wedding
offering.
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4.3.3 Post-purchase stage
Table 4.8: Satisfaction towards host country by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Marketing-
oriented
Convenienc
e-oriented
Self-
reliance
Location-
oriented
Satisfaction towards host
country 4.86 4.60 3.00 4.54
Comparisons of Column Means
TwoStep Cluster Number
Outlier
Cluster
Marketing-
oriented
Convenienc
e-oriented
Self-
reliance
Location-
oriented
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
Satisfaction towards
host country . D D D
Table 4.9: Frequency of Recommend Behavior by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience-
oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
Recommend that host
country to friends for their
wedding
Yes 68 23 23 104
No 0 32 0 23
Pearson Chi-Square Tests
TwoStep Cluster
Number
Recommend that host country
to friends for their wedding
Chi-square 23.496
df 3
Sig. .000*,b
Table 4.10: Frequency of Re-purchase Behavior by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience-
oriented
Self-
reliance
Location-
oriented
Re-purchase that host
country for anniversary
Yes 50 32 23 113
No 22 21 0 12
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Pearson Chi-Square Tests
TwoStep Cluster
Number
Re-purchase that host
country for anniversary
Chi-square 10.387
df 3
Sig. .016*,b
Comparing with other segments, Self-reliance segment had the least
satisfaction score towards Thailand as destination wedding. However, linear
regression analysis was run to see the relationship between satisfaction and behavior
(recommendation and re-purchase), result was not statistically significant on these
two variables. Thus, even if Self-reliance segment had lower satisfaction among four
segments, recommendation to friends and purchase behavior still happened.
4.4 Result of Analysis between Clusters and Nationality towards their wedding
type Table 4.11: Frequency of wedding venue type selected by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience-
oriented
Self-
reliance
Location-
oriented
Type of wedding
venue
Other 0 0 0 0
Town hall 15 3 3 3
Hotel 15 9 3 30
Gardens 12 6 12 21
Beach 9 3 0 21
Villa 3 6 0 33
Pearson Chi-Square Tests
TwoStep Cluster
Number
Type of wedding
venue
Chi-square 54.431
df 12
Sig. .000*,b
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Marketing-oriented, Convenience-oriented and Location-oriented segments
favor selecting hotel as their wedding place. Marketing-oriented were especially
inclined to choose hotel and town hall, due to their huge guest list invitation to their
wedding. On the other hand, Location-oriented segment’s preference distinguished
itself from others, by selecting villa as destination since the majority are foreigners
who aspire for more privacy and personal touch feeling in wedding event. While Self-
reliance segment prefer informal ceremony, selected garden as destination was
outstanding.
Table 4.12: Frequency of guest invitation by Clusters
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience-
oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
Number of
guests in event
No guest 9 15 18 24
Less than 50 guests 0 3 0 30
50-100 guests 12 6 0 30
100-300 guests 24 12 12 48
Over 300 guests 18 6 6 0
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 152.780a 69 .000
Likelihood Ratio 178.575 69 .000
N of Valid Cases 273
Marketing-oriented segment have big number of guests, so they prioritized and
considered attractive wedding offer that is worth for their money, while Self-reliance
segment arranged wedding with no guests, thus some couples in this segment
managed their own wedding.
Table 4.13: Frequency of Budget Spending For Wedding by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Total
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience-
oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
Approximate
destination
Less than $6,400 9 6 12 39 66
$6,401 - $15,000 9 9 0 15 33
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wedding
budget
$15,001 - $25,000 15 3 3 18 39
$25,001 - $40,000 12 3 3 9 27
$40,001 - $50,000 6 3 0 15 24
$50,001 - $65,000 0 3 0 6 9
$65,001 - $100,000 3 0 0 3 6
$100,001- $130,000 0 0 0 3 3
Total 54 27 18 108 207
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 43.790a 21 .002
Likelihood Ratio 50.680 21 .000
Linear-by-Linear
Association .652 1 .419
N of Valid Cases 207
Location-oriented segment consists of Thai and foreign couples, whereby
different types of wedding and sizes of guest varies which led to a wide range of
wedding budget. Their willingness to pay was higher if the wedding location can
fulfill their requirement. Self-reliance segment had the smallest budget spending,
because their wedding had smaller number of guests or some couples arranged
wedding with no guests. Even if Marketing-oriented segment had big amount of
guest, their budget was not that high, since they always searched for good deals.
Table 4.14: Frequency of Budget Spending For Wedding by Nationality
Country of residence
Total
Other
country Thailand
Approximate
destination wedding
budget
Less than $6,400 0 66 66
$6,401 - $15,000 0 33 33
$15,001 - $25,000 9 30 39
$25,001 - $40,000 6 21 27
$40,001 - $50,000 9 15 24
$50,001 - $65,000 3 6 9
$65,001 - $100,000 3 3 6
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$100,001 - $130,000 3 0 3
Total 33 174 207
Chi-Square Tests
Value df
Asymptotic
Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 52.419a 7 .000
Likelihood Ratio 59.355 7 .000
Linear-by-Linear
Association 45.207 1 .000
N of Valid Cases 207
Comparing between nationalities, the money which Thai couples spent on
their wedding has a wider range than foreign couples while the minimum spending of
foreign couples has a higher amount. The lowest amount spent by foreigner was about
15,000 USD, and the highest spending was over 100,000 USD. One-third of Thai
couples spent on their wedding with a budget of less than 6,400 USD. Results
between the two groups were statistically significant, which can conclude that foreign
couples have a tendency to have higher spending than Thai couples.
Table 4.15: Result of ANOVA Analysis of Night Spent by Clusters
N Mean
Std.
Deviation
Std.
Error
95% CI for Mean
Min Max
Lower
Bound
Upper
Bound
Number
of nights
for the
couple
Marketing-
oriented 54 2.2778 3.06173 .41665 1.4421 3.1135 1.00 14.00
Convenience
-oriented 27 1.5556 1.28103 .24653 1.0488 2.0623 1.00 5.00
Self-reliance 18 1.1667 .38348 .09039 .9760 1.3574 1.00 2.00
Location-
oriented 108 5.1111 7.97699 .76759 3.5895 6.6328 1.00 40.00
Total 207 3.5652 6.19696 .43072 2.7160 4.4144 1.00 40.00
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ANOVA
Sum of
Squares df
Mean
Square F Sig.
Number of nights
for the couple
Between Groups 560.203 3 186.734 5.157 .002
Within Groups 7350.667 203 36.210
Total 7910.870 206
Location-oriented segment spent the longest time on their wedding of about
five days, while other segments spent a few days for their wedding ceremony. In
Location-oriented segment consisting of Thai and foreigners, its mean value was
lessen by Thai couples - spent time about four days, while foreigner couples spent
their time in Thailand for almost ten days. Due to this reason, spending time together
in a beautiful location is the most important factor for this segment.
Table 4.16: Compare Means of Number of Guests by Clusters
TwoStep Cluster Number
Marketing-
oriented
Convenience
-oriented Self-reliance
Location-
oriented
Number of guests that traveled to
your wedding 256 230 283 101
Comparisons of Column Meansa
TwoStep Cluster Number
Outlier
Cluster
Marketing
-oriented
Convenience
-oriented
Self-
reliance
Location
-oriented
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
Number of guests that traveled to
your wedding . E E E
Comparing number of guests between clusters, Location-oriented segment
have significantly smaller number of guests. Because the forth cluster has the largest
pool of foreigners, the size of the guests was the smallest.
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Table 4.17: Compare Means of Number of Guests by Nationality
Country of residence
Other country Thailand
Number of guests that traveled to your
wedding 63 195
Comparisons of Column Meansa
Country of residence
Other country Thailand
(A) (B)
Number of guests that traveled to your
wedding A
The number of guests invited to Thai weddings was larger than foreign
couples wedding due to shorter travel distance and cheaper transportation cost, which
is correlated to number of wedding guests.
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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter recommends methods to acquire and convert customers and it
facilitates readers to see how customers might go through the purchasing funnel.
5.1 Factors that predict satisfaction of target sample
Figure 5.1: Study’s framework of factors that predict customers’ satisfaction
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From 22 variables, Regression analysis was run and can be described factors,
which compel to couples’ satisfaction towards destination wedding in figure above.
Some variables can use to predict couples’ satisfaction, which are Good
scenery/natural wonders, Clean/unspoiled environment, Lots of tourist attractions,
Local cuisine, Cultural events/festivals, Good Wedding Coordination/ organization,
Availability of associated services, Availability of travel information, Sense of
belonging, while some variables cannot use to predict level of satisfaction. However,
remaining variables that have not mentioned also be considered when deciding on
selecting destination wedding anyway.
5.2 Recommendation on segments and its behavior
5.2.1 Marketing-oriented segment
Companies can acquire this segment through referral (WOM) and take
advantage of their personal experience. To retain this group, value for money wedding
packages are necessary because they have a huge guest list. To avoid over-budgeting,
they will search for good deals on company websites e.g. wedding planner website.
Marketing related factor is what was concerned the most - special
wedding package, and another factor is readiness of relevant parties – not only good
wedding service provider, but also good infrastructure of host country. Location
related factors did not impact their decision making towards selecting destination.
Since majority of this segment are Thai couples, capturing this segment by using
attractive wedding package with value for money is most beneficial.
5.2.2 Convenience-oriented segment
Word of mouth (WOM) is the main method to acquire this segment.
People rarely waste their time on searching wedding information. Acquisition cost for
this segment is not high, if you can satisfy your ex-customers to a certain-point, they
will easily be attracted as if they heard it from their personal network. After they find
good wedding service providers, activating customers by signing up customers and
remarketing to that target would be really helpful. Spending lots of money to advertise
might not work with this segment, but allocating your money to please them might be
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work better, since they have high expectations in terms of services related to entire
wedding process.
Readiness of relevant parties, Convenience of transportation and Ease of
paper works are keys success attracted this segment. Marketing factor is the least
important to them, which means that their consideration is largely based on services
provided, wedding arrangements and official legal paper work. Location attraction
and beautiful scenery are not considered by this segment, while providing easy to
access area with short distance from country/ city of origin and best preparation of
facilities in wedding place can fulfil their demand.
5.2.3 Self-reliance segment
Wedding fair and Tourism organization office commonly acquire
attention from this segment because they like to visit related event in order to search
for ideas to arrange their wedding. Self-reliance segment has the least satisfaction and
expectation, since some couples of this segment arrange their wedding themselves.
However, some couples will rather hire assistants because they need someone
specialized in handling wedding due to their family-image.
This segment had low consideration in Readiness of relevant parties,
which means that they are not concerned on availability of wedding services that
much, and Internal motivation is also lowly considered. Most couples in this segment
have low consideration on self-image, hence arranging “wedding with no guests”
usually matches their need. Therefore, the budget range of this segment is quite low as
compared to other segments. However, some couples who marry in their hometown
have to be concerned with their family-image thus they still need a professional
planner to manage their wedding.
5.2.4 Location-oriented segment
Advertising through media is most suitable to capture this segment.
Advertisements can create useful content and spread easily through paid search or
Facebook ads. This group of people has the highest buying power, as they are
concerned about beautiful and fascinating locations and spend their time on long
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vacation together. To impress their wedding guests, they are willing to pay more
money for good view and scenery.
The size of this segment is the biggest. They are considered the most in
“location factors” – location attraction including variety of activity, local culture,
local cuisine and local people. Moreover, location scenery in host country is critical.
This segment contains the largest group of foreign couples, hence the uniqueness of
Thailand heritage and popularity of Thailand as wedding destination come into play
as main factors that have the most impact on their decision- making.
In conclusion, this study focuses on identifying factors that affect to
couples’ decision making towards selecting Thailand as their destination wedding.
Moreover, segmentation was studied to classify customers in the wedding industry.
However, implication in terms of marketing is inadequate to further elaborate since
researcher wants to highlight macro view – factor identification and segmentation,
further research is needed for marketing perspective.
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REFERENCES
Bridgebox wedding albums. (2014, July 24). The Beginner's Guide To Destination
Weddings. Retrieved from http://www.bridebox.com/blog/beginners-guide-
destination-weddings-book/ Hailin Qu, L. H. (2011). A model of destination branding: Integrating the concepts of
the branding and destination image. Tourism Management, ScienceDirect,
465-476.
Pongsiri, K. (2014). Wedding in Thailand: Traditional and Business. World Academy
of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Business and
Economics Engineering.
ResearchGate. (2013). Tourism second homes market - a course of ownwers'
perspectives. Marketing places and spaces - shifting tourist flows (pp. 412-
416). Vilamoura Portugal: ATMC.
Roxas, P. (2016, October 1). Wedding Dreams – Why more and more Indian couples
are choosing Thailand for their wedding day? Retrieved from
lookeastmagazine.com: http://www.lookeastmagazine.com/2016/10/wedding-
dreams-indian-couples-choosing-thailand-wedding-day/
TAT Newsroom. (2016, December 1). Thailand once again named Best Wedding
Destination by Travel+ Leisure India. Retrieved from
https://www.tatnews.org/thailand-named-best-wedding-destination-travel-
leisure-india/
Thai destination wedding sector grows. (2017). Retrieved from The Signature
Weddings: http://www.thesignatureweddings.com/Thai-Destination-Wedding-
Sector-Grows.html
The Tourism Authority of Thailand. (2016, June 5). Thailand named as host country
for Destination Wedding Planners Congress 2017. Retrieved from Thailand
Tourism News: http://www.tatnews.org/thailand-named-as-host-country-for-
destination-wedding-planners-congress-2017/
Weddings a key niche market. (2013). Retrieved from The signature weddings:
http://www.thesignatureweddings.com/weddings-a-key-niche-market.html
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World travel and tourism council. (2017). Travel & tourism economic impact 2017
Thailand.
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APPENDICES
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APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE
Screening questions
1. Have you been married or planning for the wedding in a near future? (For all
respondents)
a. Yes, I already married or planned to married in a near future
b. No, I haven’t married nor plan to married in a near future (submit)
2. Where was/will your wedding take place?
a. Inside your hometown (submit)
b. Outside your hometown, but in home country
c. Outside your hometown and also other country
3. Where was/will your destination wedding take place? (For eligible respondents)
a. United states (skip to no.5)
b. Caribbean (skip to no.5)
c. Italy (skip to no.5)
d. Ireland (skip to no.5)
e. France (skip to no.5)
f. Australia (skip to no.5)
g. New Zealand (skip to no.5)
h. Thailand
i. Mexico (skip to no.5)
j. Vietnam (skip to no.5)
k. Others;________ (skip to no.5)
4. What city that wedding event take place (Thailand)?
a. Pattaya
b. Hua Hin
c. Rayong
d. Phuket
e. Krabi
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f. Chiang Mai
g. Others;__________
Part I: Information related to decision making on wedding (For married couple
and prospective marriage)
5. On which source you used the most to search for related information on your
wedding event?
a. Website e.g. TheKnot.com
b. Blog
c. Social media platform e.g. Pinterest, Facebook
d. Asking from friends
e. Others;__________
6. How did you first hear about wedding destination you selected?
a. Wedding fair
b. Tourism Organization office in your country
c. Travel agent or tour operator catalogues
d. Advertisements
e. Word of mouth
f. Others;_________
7. How did you book the wedding?
a. Through a travel agent
b. Through a tour operator
c. Through a wedding planner based in host country
d. Directly through the municipality in host country
e. Others;___________
8. In the following statements, select the degree of consideration of the following
factors affecting to your decision on selecting destination wedding from 1
(Strongly Non-Consider) to 5 (Strongly Consider)
Geographical location
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Easy access to the area
Short distance from country of origin
Good scenery/natural wonders
Good weather
Clean/unspoiled environment
Wide variety of outdoor activities
Lots of tourist attractions
High popularity in weddings
Local heritage
Friendly local people
Local cuisine
Cultural events/festivals
Marketing
Special Wedding Offers/Packages
Good Wedding Coordination/ organization
The reasonable cost associated with wedding
Availability of associated services
Local institution
Good infrastructure/ facilities
Availability of associated information
Ease of paper work from local office
Safe and secure environment
Internal factors
Personal preference
Good self-image
Sense of belonging
9. In which year did/do your wedding take place?
Drop down; _________
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*If Year 2018, will be classified as “prospective marriage” – skip to part 3, apart from
2018 will be classified as married couple – continue on part 2
Part II: perception of respondents toward host country as destination wedding
(For married couple only)
10. Please rate how much you agree with the following statements when you
think of selecting that host country as destination wedding, from 1 (Strongly
Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree)
Geographical location
Easy access to the area
Short distance from country of origin
Good scenery/natural wonders
Good weather
Clean/unspoiled environment
Wide variety of outdoor activities
Lots of tourist attractions
High popularity in weddings
Local heritage
Friendly local people
Local cuisine
Cultural events/festivals
Marketing
Special Wedding Offers/Packages
Good Wedding Coordination/ organization
The reasonable cost associated with wedding
Availability of associated services
Local institution
Good infrastructure/ facilities
Availability of travel information
Ease of paper work from local office
Safe and secure environment
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Internal factors
Personal preference
Good self-image
Sense of belonging
11. How likely are you satisfied with that host country as your destination
wedding?
a. Very dissatisfied
b. Somewhat dissatisfied
c. Somewhat satisfied
d. Very satisfied
12. Would you choose that host country as the destination for any of your
anniversaries?
a. Yes
b. No
13. Would you recommend that host country to friends and relatives for their
wedding and honeymoon?
a. Yes
b. No
Part III: Wedding characteristics and respondents’ socio-demographic details
(For married couple and prospective marriage)
14. What type of wedding venue where you choose?
a. Town hall
b. Hotel
c. Gardens
d. Beach
e. Villa
f. Others;___________
15. What are your Travel Interests? (multiple answer possible)
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a. Adventure
b. Beach and Ocean
c. Safari
d. Spa/Massage
e. All-Inclusive
f. Visiting Sites and Attractions
g. Art and Architecture
h. Spending Quiet Time with each other
i. Shopping
j. Others;__________
16. In which month did your wedding take place?
a. January
b. February
c. March
d. April
e. May
f. June
g. July
h. August
i. September
j. October
k. November
l. December
17. Approximate destination wedding budget for the two of you (exclude
honeymoon budget)?
a. Less than $6,400
b. $6,401 - $15,000
c. $15,001 - $25,000
d. $25,001 - $40,000
e. $40,001 - $50,000
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f. $50,001 - $65,000
g. $65,001 - $100,000
h. $100,001 - $130,000
i. $130,001 - $160,000
j. More than $160,001
18. Please specify the number of guests that traveled to your wedding.
Fill in; ____________ guests
19. Please indicate the number of nights spent in that country for the couple and
your guests.
Number of nights for the couple____________
Number of nights for the guests____________
20. Please indicate your age
a. Under 22 years old
b. 22 to 30 years old
c. 31 to 35 years old
d. 36 to 40 years old
e. 41 to 45 years old
f. Over 45 years old
21. What is your nationality?
Drop down; ___________
22. What is your country of residence?
Drop down; ___________
23. What is your religion?
a. Buddhism
b. Christianity
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c. Hinduism
d. Islam
e. Judaism
f. Others; _________
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APPENDIX B: BAR CHART REPRESENTED RESPONDENTS’
BEHAVIOR
Figure 1: Source that used the most to search for related wedding information
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Figure 2: Source that respondents first hear about wedding destination
Figure 3: Method that used to book the wedding
Figure 4: Month when respondents set up wedding
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BIOGRAPHY
Name Miss Nattaporn Suthatartrakul
Date of Birth July 23, 1993
Educational Attainment 2018-2016: Master’s Degree Program in
Marketing (MIM) Thammasat University
2015-2011: Bachelor of Business Administration
in International business, logistics and
transportation, Thammasat University
Work Experiences 2018 – present: Associated Key Account Manager,
FMCG category, aCommerce Co., Ltd.
2017-2015: Consultant, Thammasat Consulting
Networking and Coaching Center (CONC)