Determinants of self-drive attributes supporting destination advocacy: Case of Thai domestic tourists

Abstract

This case study aims to provide additional insights into the domestic self-drive market segment. The purpose of this research is threefold. First, the study validates the multidimensional attributes of the car-self-drive experience. Second, this study investigates the effects of self-drive attributes on tourist delight and memorable experience as well as their influence on destination advocacy. Finally, by focusing on different age segments, this study examines the priority of self-drive attributes in relation to importance and performance. An online survey (n = 1260) was conducted via convenience and snowball sampling. Findings indicate four destination attributes and two driving attributes that affect tourist delight as well as two destination attributes and one driving attribute that affect tourists’ memorable experience. The results vary on the basis of age segments. The importance–performance map analysis was further conducted to identify the importance–performance levels of the self-drive attributes. This study provides several contributions to the self-drive tourism industry by complementing previous studies, assembling multidimensional attributes and introducing a new outcome variable. The practical implications of this study also benefit tourism and destination authorities in promoting self-drive tourism to different age groups, particularly in Thailand and in the ASEAN region.