Travel and Tourism in Society 3
Introduction 3
The Trip Itself 3
Literature Review 5
What it means 6
Conclusion 7
Appendix: Field Journal 8
References 10
Travel and Tourism in Society
Introduction
I had a trip to Thailand (Hua Hin), from July 8, 2015 to July 12, 2015 that was almost five days and four nights. For this trip I departed from Singapore on July 8, and left for Thailand (Hua Hin) and come back to Singapore again on July 12, 2015. The flight was long, and I realized that it is better to fly during the day, time goes faster. Airlines service was awesome, and it was the only airline which I really liked. The fact that the seatback monitors can view movies, clips, documentaries movies and there were other facilities such as, issue glasses, socks and individual headphones.
I Arrived in Bangkok at 08-07, all filled quickly, I went and sat in the bus to get the Hua Hin. The guide told me some very interesting things, such as that Hua Hin is a beautiful place situated on the Gulf of Thailand and before the 1920s, it was a simple fishing village, but in the era of King Rama VI, it was converted into a fashionable escape. Many temples, beaches, palaces and other beautiful attractions are present in Hua Hin. Weather at Hua Hin is also one of the attractive points that attract customers in the months of summer. This paper is about a trip to Hua Hin, Thailand. The trip was amazing and provided a great experience of observing nature and natural aspects of Hua Hin. This paper includes a brief account of the trip including visited sites, experiences and observations. A wide selection of literature is also reviewed in this regard, which shades light upon the factors that influence tourists to revisit the site. Further, the paper includes an analysis of the meaning of literature review by describing their essence in a wider definition.
The Trip Itself
Hua Hin is a rapidly growing oldest beach town resort in Thailand. Every year millions of tourists come here to explore its beauty and enjoy its weather. The trip to Hua Hin was very amusing and interesting, because of pleasant weather and many things to do. Finally, I got to the Hua Hin, scorching air hit in the face after a cool; I can say the cold bus. I was taken to the reception of Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa where I was supposed to say for this trip to Hua Hin. I was very surprised, even a little suitcase is not dropped when I saw the same reception. He looked like a lobby bar Egipetskih, Turkish and others hotels, one to one. When I was taken to our bungalow, only then I realized how much fun is here to see prices! There were two peacock hand, to the bungalows you walk past the fish in the pond, brook, and they face and looking at you, so cool, and what sort of pretty lizards, quite harmless, only at night were talking. In the evening, I realized that the whole hotel is a purely Singaporeans, not a single foreigner, how it pleased me. In the evening, the silence, tranquility I was so glad that I chose this hotel.
On the day one, it was quite a new experience to stay in a hotel at Hua Hin and feel the beauty of loneliness in a beautiful beach town. Hua Hin Fishing Pier is one of the beautiful attractions; it is a recreational spot, where tourists come to have a view of an ocean sunrise and catching fishes. Like its past, it is a centre of trade of fishing; however, nowadays to a lesser extent. Walking on the narrow strip right upon the sea provides a great experience of enjoying the moment. It was also a very memorable moment to sit on a boat and catch fishes in a blue sea with a pleasant, warm weather. Exploring the beauty of nature and taking photos to capture those unforgettable moments was also a fun itself. People who want to have a break from daily routine and fresh their minds come at the fishing pier and fill their lives with excitement.
Brochure 1: Time for a sea change KOH LANTA
(http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thai_52pp_1516_web)
After fishing all the afternoon, it evening it was the time to eat something. There are a number of high-end restaurants, which offer a wide range of fresh seafood. It was awesome to eat fresh seafood and feel the taste of Hua Hin fishes. The restaurants are also famous for their customer service; employees at the restaurant treat customers as a boss, no matter who has come, he or she is respectable for them. Eating in the restaurant and having a sunset view at beside the beach provide a quite new experience as if it filled life in the trip. At the night, having a view of night lift at Hua Hin from the balcony of the hotel was also a beautiful feeling. The nightlife was so attractive; people were looking very happy as if they have won a prize bond or they are enjoying it after many years.
Brochure 2: Hua Hin
(http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thai_56pp_1415_web/17)
On day two, waking up early in the morning and taking breakfast was all to go out in the lawn and feel the fresh air. Personally experiencing nature provides a new view to know about the purity and beauty of nature, especially early in the morning. The Wat Huay Mongkol Temple is famous for a high statue of Luang Phor Thuad, who was a prominent figure among the monks of Thailand. The statue is ten meters wide and twelve meters high; it is sitting on a large mound. The visit to Wat Huay Mongkol Temple provided great information about the temple and its surroundings. The weather was even more pleasant because of rain shower and bus took a route where a number of beautiful buildings were giving a beautiful look. Around the temple, people and places show the culture and belief of Thailand’s nation. After this, the visit to Amphawa Floating market added more life to the trip. The market seemed to float on water as it is named and provides a different view of Hua Hin town. Various things were available at the market including delicious cultural food, apparel and gifts.
Brochure 3: New HORIZONS HOLIDAYS
(http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thailand-2012
)
Day 3, passing through stunning countryside and hills a group of tourists reached the Pala U waterfall. If one wants to feel the real adventure, he must once visit the waterfall. With a 16 steps height, its top delivers remarkable views of Thailand. Performing various recreational activities filled a new life in the trip. In addition, the last day was to have a final trip of all attractions that come in Hua Hin to Bangkok route.
Literature Review
Mat, Marzuki, Yousefi & AbuKhalifeh (2012) describe their views that most of the tourism departments focus on the revisit of tourists; they particularly set a high image of the destination the mind of tourists (p3. 9). Dwayne A. Baker and John L. Crompton (2000) explain that revisitation of tourists is the primary motivation for the tourism providers, and it motivates them to investing more effort and improve their performance (repeatedly (pp.785–804). The same situation was observed in Hua Hin, people including employees at hotel or restaurant as well as locals, respected and obliged the tourists. It creates a good image of the site in the mind of tourists, and they would surely like to visit the site again. Dwayne A. Baker and John L. Crompton (2000) further assert that the service process includes tourists as its integral part, and it is the main characteristic, which differentiates between products and services (repeatedly. No matter, how are they involved in the process, but their presence affects the process. In the same way, employees at a restaurant near Hua Hin Fishing Pier understood the value of tourists and behaved in such a way that attracted all tourists (repeatedly) (Baker & Crompton, 2000, 785–804).
Sites that are associated with history, culture, heritage and other attractive attributes are visited at a big number. These sites have a high brand image, and it is the result of a long struggle and constant marketing of the brand image (Hankinson, 2004, pp.6–14). Hua Hin also has a high brand image that attracts people and provides them a variety of experiences. History of the fishing trade, Wat Huay Mongkol Temple and many other things are there, which contribute to making this brand image. It is achieved very hardly but when one has a brand image will earn without making more efforts. The quality of the service provides satisfaction to customers, and it is the main thing that was mainly focused by service providers in Hua Hin.
What it means
The literature above is all focused on significance and uniqueness of sites that are repeatedly visited. The literature explains the reason of revisitation and their popularity among tourists. A tourist always wants to explore new things that have any of the unique characteristics such as beauty, history, culture and adventure. Beautiful sites provide relaxation to mind and soul, and these become a source of refreshment. Historical sites offer bundles of knowledge and help exploring new things about history. These sites recall the image of a historical view, which many people like to imagine by seeing the site. Cultural sites enable tourists to know about the diversity of cultures and values, beliefs and norms of different cultures; these sites attract most of the tourists because of their unique culture. Adventurous sites are always for active people who want to bring thrill in the life. Those tourists who want to do always new in their lives prefer to visit adventurous sites.
Many authors talk about the brand image of the sites that is built through a gradual process and with great efforts. Tourism departments and service providers always work for building a better brand image that attracts tourists. They use different marketing techniques to promote the brand image of a tourism site. It is because of promotion that whenever anyone wants to go anywhere some countries such as and sites automatically come in mind such as Switzerland, Mauritius and Thailand. Tourism service providers intend to increase revisitation of tourists to their sites and service points. All these things are observed during the visit to Hua Hin. Most of the people were obliging tourists and offering their services at even a lower price just to attract them. If revisitation of tourists is increased, their revenue will automatically increase, and this is the main reason why service providers focus on customer satisfaction. If a customer is satisfied, he will prefer to choose their services and will most probably visit the site again. These all things not only increase the revenue of individual service provider but also contribute to the growth of the economy of the nation. Therefore, governments also encourage tourism services and service providers.
Conclusion
Hua Hin is a beautiful beach town in Thailand that was firstly a fish trade center. The town was established over time and has now become one of the leading tourism sites. The trip to Hua Hin remained a great experience to explore nature, beauty, culture and attractions of the beach town. Fishing at Hua Hin Fishing Pier and dining at high-end restaurant contributed to the addition of experiences. Wat Huay Mongkol Temple was also a great site to visit specifically to see the high statue of Luang Phor Thuad monk. Adventure at Pala U waterfall provided a new experience of recreation and enthusiasm. All enjoyments were doubled when rain contributed to the adventures and visits. Different authors say that service providers intend to provide good quality to satisfy customers; this will increase the probability of tourists’ revisitation. Others focus on improving and promoting the image brand of the site in order to gain the attention of tourists. Many of the service providers use culture, heritage, history and other unique points to promote the tourism at the site. These all things were experienced during the trip, and it is a fact that tourism department and service providers want tourists to visit the sites and their service points repeatedly.
References
Baker, D. A., & Crompton, J. L. (2000). Quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Annals of Tourism Research, 27(3), 785–804. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(99)00108-5
Hankinson, Graham. (2004). the brand images of tourism destinations: a study of the saliency of organic images. Journal of Product & Brand Management. pp.6–14 http://doi.org/10.1108/10610420410523803
Hua Hin News Videos Images WebSites Wiki - 10news.org. (2015). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.10news.org/cities/Hua+Hin
ISSUU - 2012/13 Thailand travel brochure from New Horizons Holidays by New Horizons. (2012). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thailand-2012
ISSUU - Thailand Holiday Brochure 2014/15 by New Horizons. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thai_56pp_1415_web/17
ISSUU - Thailand Holiday Brochure 2015-16 by New Horizons. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://issuu.com/newhorizonsholidays/docs/thai_52pp_1516_web
Mat Som, A. P., Marzuki, A., Yousefi, M., & AbuKhalifeh, A. N. (2012). Factors Influencing Visitors’ Revisit Behavioral Intentions: A Case Study of Sabah, Malaysia. International Journal of Marketing Studies., p39 http://doi.org/10.5539/ijms.v4n4p39
Appendix
Field Journal
