Factors Contributing to English Communication Barriers Among Tourism Service Providers in Thailand’s Eastern Coastal Region: The Influence of Specific Communicative Purposes
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Abstract
This mixed-methods study aims to investigate the factors contributiong to English communication barriers among tourism service providers in Thailand’s eastern coastal region and to examine how specific purposes of using English influence these barriers. Quantitative data were collected from 400 questionnaire respondents, including tour guides, exhibition and souvenir shop staff, tourism police officers, restaurant staff, and massage and spa therapists across Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat provinces. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were employed to analyze the quantitative data. In addition, qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with selected participants and analyzed by thematic analysis in order to gain deeper insights into their communication challenges and real-world language use.
The findings indicated that speaking presented the most significant obstacles, followed by listening, reading, and writing skills. The primary purposes for using English were to understand customer needs, increase income and benefits, and promote tourism. Overall, English communication difficulty was reported at a high level. Further analysis revealed that understanding customer needs and personal development were associated with listening obstacles, while speaking obstacles were influenced by all four main purposes: understanding customer needs, increasing income, promoting tourism, and personal development. Reading obstacles were affected solely by personal development, whereas writing obstacles were linked to higher income earning and tourism promotion. Based on these results, the study proposes targeted guidelines aimed at enhancing English communication skills among tourism service providers. These recommendations are intended to improve communication effectiveness and overall service quality in the tourism sector, thereby strengthening Thailand’s competitiveness in the global tourism market.
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เนื้อหาและข้อมูลในบทความที่ลงตีพิมพ์ในวารสารบริหารธุรกิจและสังคมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง ถือเป็นข้อคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียนบทความโดยตรง ซึ่งกองบรรณาธิการไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นด้วย หรือร่วมรับผิดชอบใดๆ
บทความ ข้อมูล เนื้อหา รูปภาพ ฯลฯ ที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ในวารสารบริหารธุรกิจและสังคมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง ถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของวารสารบริหารธุรกิจและสังคมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง หากบุคคลหรือหน่วยงานใดต้องการนำบทความทั้งหมดหรือส่วนหนึ่งส่วนใดไปเผยแพร่ต่อ หรือเพื่อกระทำการใดๆ จะต้องได้รับอนุญาตเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษรจากวารสารบริหารธุรกิจและสังคมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง ก่อนเท่านั้น
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