A Study of Thai Massage Service Quality Effect on International Tourist Confidence

Abstract

Wellness tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries (Global Wellness Institute, 2018). Wellness tourism has developed into a very important tourism market segment around the world over the past two decades or so. This is especially so for Thailand, where wellness tourism has become one of country’s most important tourism markets. In addition to attracting high-end tourists from developed and developing countries, wellness tourism also increases the economy of small or developing countries (Jagyasi, 2022). Thai massage has a strong link to wellness tourism as it is a key service for wellness tourism. In terms of the massage business, tourist confidence is the perception of service quality that influences a purchase decision. Service quality and tourist confidence are intertwined, which then leads to income and economic development. Therefore, examining service quality within Thai massage in relation to tourist confidence is important for exploring the crucial factors influencing international tourist confidence in Thai massage. The results of this research may lead to service quality development to encourage confidence among international tourists who are a significant source of foreign revenue. This research aims to examine the effect of Thai massage service quality on international tourist confidence. A survey of 400 international tourists was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand between March and May 2019, using a structured research questionnaire to collect all necessary data, which was then used to test the research hypotheses using multiple regression analysis. The study concluded that three out of five elements of service quality affect international tourist confidence. These elements include ‘Empathy,’ ‘Tangibility,’ and ‘Responsiveness,’ while ‘Assurance’ and ‘Reliability’ did not have a significant effect on tourist confidence. The findings of this research establish an empirical relationship between empathy, tangibility and responsiveness of Thai massage businesses and international tourists’ confidence. This insight of the study may help the massage business to have a better understanding about the elements of service quality that influence international tourist confidence.