Adarsh Batra
Abstract:
Tourism authorities that understand issues that influence visitor experiences of island destinations can propose effective strategies that maximize visitor satisfaction. A case study was carried out in December 2011, aimed at ascertaining the opinion of international tourists about beach landscape, their beach experiences, views on setting, facilities and activities on Thailand’s Koh Larn beach. The island mainly attracts short-stay visitors from Europe, China and Russia as well as domestic visitors. Results based on observation and analyses of interviews of tourists reveal that recent visitors were satisfied with their visit to Koh Larn. Most of the visitors’ beach satisfaction that involved the sun, sand and sea are consistent with those identified in other beach studies, except for the presence of a large number of people on the beach, being seen as positive for females but negative for males. As a result of this study, the researcher suggests that the local authorities keep vigil against uncontrolled tourism activity which will damage the quality of visitors’ experiences along with the island’s natural environment.
Keywords: Beach, international tourists, island tourism, sustainable tourism