Development Guidelines for Khlong Dan Riverside Market and Community in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla Province Based on Target Consumer Behaviors and Needs for Cultural Products and Services

Abstract

These objectives of this research were to: 1) examine target consumer behaviors and their needs for cultural products and services and; 2) propose development guidelines for Khlong Dan Riverside Market and community in accordance with the contemporary social context. This study employed a mixed-methods research design, consisting of semi - structured interviews with 20 tourists and an online questionnaire survey administered to 400 tourists. Additionally, observational field notes were collected during site visits. For qualitative data analysis, content and coding analyses were performed by decoding and categorizing interview and non-participant observation data according to a predetermined coding framework. For quantitative data analysis, statistical software was utilized to compute frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The research findings revealed that: 1) most tourists visited with their families for leisure and relaxation, having obtained information from social media, and spent approximately 500 baht per visit at Khlong Dan Riverside Market. The sampled tourists expressed a high level of satisfaction across all aspects, except for performances and public relations media, which were ratedat a moderate level. Regarding their specific  demands, tourists indicated the highest level of interest in all aspects, except for souvenirs, which were demanded at a high level and; 2) the development guidelines for Khlong Dan Riverside Market and Community, in line with the current social context, include promoting local cuisine and community – based tourism activities,  improving bridge infrastructure, surrounding facilities, and transportation routes, as well as enhancing public relations strategies to effectively reach target tourists.