Thailand’s Image from the Perspectives of Chinese Non-Visitors and Visitors

Abstract

This study examined Chinese non-visitors’ and visitors’ perceptions of Thailand as an outbound destination. It employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. Data were gathered from 24 Chinese respondents, of which 12 had visited Thailand and 12 had not. Thematic analysis was undertaken. The findings showed that the perceptions of non-visitors and visitors were quite different, mainly due to the types of information sources these people used in their destination image formation process. The non-visitors tended to have positive images, whereas the visitors had more mixed perceptions of Thailand.

Keywords

• Thailand
• destination image
• Chinese
• visitors
• non-visitors
• perceptions

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