Structural Equation Model of Causal Factors Influencing with The Decision Making Towards Traveling to The Secondary Cities in Central Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to investigate the relationship between tourism public relations, travel motivation, tourism image and perception of public policy and the decision making towards traveling to secondary cities in the central region of Thailand; 2) to examine the role of travel motivation, tourism image and perception of public policy as mediating roles among tourism public relations and the decision making towards traveling to secondary cities in the central region of Thailand; and 3) to test the relationship model between variables influencing with the decision making towards traveling to secondary cities in central region of Thailand by comparing them with empirical data. The sample group used in this research was tourists traveling in 7 secondary cities in the central region of Thailand, totaling 419 samples from August to October 2021. In this analysis, the researcher tested the route coefficient of the target group using t-values in excess of 1.96. Model testing showed consistency with the empirical data (χ2=181.14, df = 131, P-value = 0.00246, χ2/df = 1.38, CFI = 0.99, GFI = 0.90, AGFI = 0.89, RMSEA = 0.050, SRMR = 0.043). Therefore, testing variables such as tourism public relations, travel motivation, tourism image, and perception of public policy significantly influenced the decision making towards traveling to secondary cities in the central region of Thailand. Finally, it was concluded that these variables could explain the variance in secondary city tourism decisions in central region of Thailand at 58 percent. © 2022, Association Res Militaris. All rights reserved.