The influence of push and pull motivations on tourist behavior at the full moon party in Thailand

Abstract

This study was designed to study the push and pull motivational factors affecting the foreign backpackers travel behavior towards Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan District, Surat Thani Province. In the sample 300 foreign backpackers aged 18 or older were included, who came to attend the Full Moon Party solely for vacation purposes and not for any work or income generating activities. The study was executed using a structured questionnaire. The statistical tools for the analysis of the data included, but were not limited to, frequency counts, computed percentages, means, standard deviations, chi-square analysis, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation at the 0.05 level of significance. The research demonstrated that with respect to the first-time foreign visitors in Thailand to attend the Full Moon Party, then, they have habitually stayed at the resorts and the bungalows. It was a general observation that such visitors preferred to seek out information on the Internet, social websites as well as tourism websites. Their activities included horse riding, general activities, seeing natural sights including waterfalls and mountains, going for mountain hikes, participating in physically hard and risky outdoors activities, and nighttime activities. Tourists are sufficiently motivated to visit Thailand for its various appealing attributes, as revealed by the analysis. Furthermore, 10 motivational components were identified with 24 variables; Push Motivation Components: (1) Escape and Novelty Seeking, (2) Feel Free, (3) Open the World, and (4) Social Need. Pull Motivation Components: (1) Party, (2) Unique, (3) Only for Myself, (4) Sea Lover, (5) Diversity, and (6) Loner. Demographic characteristics for example gender, age, marital status, education level, occupation, and place of residence were also studied. The push factors, as well as the pull factors of travel, were found to co-relate with the behavior of female foreign backpackers on the other hand where both were significant.