An Analysis of Cultural Tourism Types and Speech Acts for Cultural Tourism Promotion in Secondary Cities on the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Facebook Pages

Abstract

This research aims to examine the types of cultural tourism and speech acts used in cultural tourism promotion for secondary cities appearing on the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Facebook pages. Data were collected from five Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) regional offices’ Facebook pages: Suphan Buri Office, Chiang Rai Office, Samut Songkhram Office, Ubon Ratchathani Office, and Udon Thani Office. The sample comprised five secondary provinces with the highest tourist arrivals in 2025, with data collected between September 2025 and February 2026. A total of 128 published posts were selected for analysis focusing exclusively on those containing cultural tourism promotional content. The findings reveal four types of cultural tourism: 1) historical tourism, 2) cultural and traditional festival tourism, 3) rural lifestyle tourism, and 4) cultural wellness tourism. Four main categories of speech acts were identified in secondary city tourism promotion: 1) assertives, comprising four subtypes: stating, affirming, describing, and reporting; 2) directives, comprising three subtypes: ordering, requesting, and recommending; 3) commissives, comprising one subtype: promising; and 4) expressives, comprising two subtypes: welcoming and complimenting. The speech act of declaration was not found, as promotional media content does not typically contain performative acts that bring about changes in the status of objects, persons, or phenomena.