82 Thammasat Review

Thammasat Review2015,18(1):82-98

The Use of Thai Food Knowledge as Marketing Strategies for Tourism Promotion

TermsakSingsomboonSchool of Tourism Management

National Institute of Development Administrationtermsak@singsomboon.com

Abstract

ThaicookingschoolsforforeigntouristsareakindoftourismbusinessthatallowsentrepreneurstoapplyThaifoodknowledgetotheirbusinessoperations,byproviding cooking activities for foreign visitors.According to the study conductedthroughanin-depthinterviewof20Thaicookingschools’entrepreneursfromthreemajor tourist provinces - Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, and Phuket - similarities anddifferences are equally found in the use of Thai food knowledge as marketingstrategies and activities to promote tourism, following Lovelock and Wirtz’s 8Psmarketingmix factors.Thesustainabilityand thesuccessofThaicookingschoolsdepend on these key success factors: (1) being an entrepreneur with vision andability; (2) having a strong knowledge of Thai food, for example, having uniqueThai foodrecipes thathavebeenpasseddown fromgeneration togeneration; (3)possessing strong and adequate operating resources, such as human resources,location, teaching style and process, and capital; (4) participation from thecommunity/local; (5) continuity of operations; (6) innovation and new creativeactivities;and(7)formalandcontinuoussupportfromthegovernmentandaffiliatedorganizationsintermsofpolicy,humanresources,budgetaswellasregulations.

Keywords: marketingstrategy,marketingmix,Thaifoodknowledge,Thaicooking schoolsforforeigntourists

Thammasat Review 83

Introduction

Thai food isa localwisdomandaculturalheritage thathasbeenpasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration.Withitsuniqueappearanceandflavor,aswellasitshealthbenefits,Thaifoodisconsideredhealthyandhasbecomepopularamongconsumers around theworld.Well-knowndishes includeTomYumKung,GreenCurry,PadThai,PadKaprao,andPanangCurry.ThepopularityofThaifoodamongforeignersattractsa largenumberof foreigntouriststovisitThailandto learnThaicooking in culinary institutes inBangkokand important tourist provinces suchasChiangMai,Phuket,andChonBuri.Numerous factors influence tourists’decisiontolearnThaicooking.GlobalcommunityawarenessofhealthyeatingandThaifoodareknownforcontainingherbalelementsthatbuildupthebody’simmunesystem.Moreover,thegovernment’s“ThaiFoodtotheWorld”(Sookpum,2004)campaign,whichstartedseveralyearsago,integratesThaifoodandThaicookingintheirtourismpromotionstrategies.Inaddition,thereisachangeintouristbehaviorthatleadstowhatisknownas“specialinteresttourism”,whichinvolvestouristsinsearchofnewexperiences.Thesenovelformsofspecialtourismcanbeconnected,amongothers,tohealth,adventure,sport,religionandeducation. With the current trend in tourists taking cookery classes inThailand andtourismbeing prioritized by the government as a service industry that generatesover100billionbahtofannualrevenue(MinistryofTourismandSports,2011),thetourismdevelopmentplanhasbeenincludedinthe11thNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentPlan(2012-2016).Thisplanfocusesondevelopingtheservicesectortocreateaddedvalueandtoupgradethequalityoftouristsitestomeetmarketandcommunityneeds,enablingthemtogeneratethemainsourceofincomeforthecountry.Theincomegeneratedfromtheseactivitiesisdistributedtothelocalcommunityasawayofsharingthebenefitsgainedfromthedevelopment,inanequitablemanner,whiledevelopingproductsandservicesundertheconceptofcreativeeconomy.Thisisanotheralternativetocreatingeconomicvalue-added,withthepotentialtogeneratejobsandrevenue,andisasourceofpridefortheThaipeople.Accordingly,theThaicookeryschoolbusinesstendstoattractnewinvestors.StatisticspublishedbytheKasikornResearchCenter(2011)statethattheThaicookingschoolbusinessamountedto250millionbahtin2011.Thecompetitionisasintensefornewbusinessesasforexistingentrepreneurs.Undoubtedly,foreigntouristswhowanttotakeThaicookingclasseswillchooseaccordingtotheirpreferences.Thaicookingschoolentrepreneurs,therefore,needtoadjusttheirbusinessstrategiesinordertostaycompetitiveinthemarket.Theyshould,forexample,makethecurriculummorefavorabletothestudents,adjustteachingmethodstocomplywithstudents’interest,improveteachingstandardsandquality,andincreasepublicrelationschannels.

84 Thammasat Review

Fortheaforementionedreasons, it isnecessarytoconductastudyontheuseofThai food knowledgeasmarketing strategies for tourismpromotion, sincecompetitionintheThaicookingschoolsforforeigntouristsisquiteintense.Ifbusinessstrategiesdonotcomplywiththetourists’needsandbehaviors,entrepreneursandaffiliatedpartiesarelikelytobeaffected.ThisstudyfocusesontheuseofThaifoodknowledgeasamarketingstrategyfortourismpromotion.Entrepreneursandaffiliatedorganizationscanuserecommendationsfromthisstudyasaguidelinetoimplementtheirshort-termandlong-termstrategiesforThaiculinarytourism.

Objective of the Study

ThisstudyisconductedwiththemainobjectivetostudytheuseofThaifoodknowledgeasamarketingstrategyforThaitourismpromotion.

Related Theories And Concepts

Marketing Strategy Concepts Althoughtherearemanydefinitionsofmarketingstrategy,mostofthemsharesomesimilaritiesbutthismaydependonhowthestrategyisemployed.Forexample,marketingstrategyisasetoftoolsusedasaguidelineorapolicyformarketing(4Ps)thatisappropriatewiththeopportunitiesinthetargetmarketandfulfillstheorganiza-tion’sobjectives(Jaturonkakul,2000).Itisalsoaguidelinethebusinesscanimplementtoachieveitsmarketinggoals(Sangsuwanet al., 2004).Itcouldalsobetheappropriateuseofmarketingmixwiththetargetmarket,byanalyzingthetargetmarketandthemarketenvironmentandimplementingthetargetmarketplantoachievethedesiredobjectives(Guiltinan,1989).Inaddition,itisabasicmethodemployedbyorganiza-tionstoachievetheirmarketinggoals,consistingofconceptssuchastargetmarketselection,productpositioning,marketingmix,andmarketingexpense(Kotler,1997).

Kotler(1997)placesmarketingstrategyunderninecategories:

(1)Marketingstrategyforanewbusiness:Entrepreneursneedtoknowwhotheirtargetmarketis,whatpositiontheyarein,andwhotheircompetitorsare.

Thammasat Review 85

(2)Marketing strategy formarket leaders, challengers, followers, andnichers:1Entrepreneursneedtoknowwhethertheyarethemarketleaders,challengers,followers,ornichers. (3)Marketing strategy for different stages of the product life cycle:Thecyclecomprises:(a)introduction;(b)growth;(c)maturity;and(d)decline.Eachstagerequiresdifferentstrategicplanningandentrepreneursneedtoknowwhatstagetheirproductsareinandformulatestrategiesaccordingly. (4)Productdevelopmentstrategy:Focusingonwhattoproduceandwhichtargetmarket’sneedistobemet. (5)Productmix, product line, product item, brand, packaging, and labelstrategy:A planning of expanding, decreasing, product positioning, andmarketexpansiontotheupperandlowerproductlineincludinglogoandpackagedesignthatareeasytorememberandnotice,allowingcustomerstocalltheproductnamecorrectly;(6)Marketingstrategyforservicesfirms:Asuccessfulbusinessadministrationrequiresfourelements;administration,external imagemanagement, internalmanagement,andthemomentoftruth. (7)Pricingstrategy:Productpricingaccordingtothefirm’sobjective,toobtainthemaximumprofitsorearnthehighestmarketshare. (8)Marketingchannelandphysicaldistributionstrategy:Underthisstrategy,distributionchannels,productcategories,numbersofmiddlemeninthechannelordensityofmiddlemen,andthesupportanddistributionofproductstothemarketmustbeconsidered. (9)Promotionmixstrategy:Awaytocommunicatethestore’smarketingwithcustomers throughadvertising,personalsellingstrategy,salespromotionstrategy,publicityandpublicrelationstrategy.

The Marketing Mix Concepts

Theconceptof“marketingmix”wasintroducedforthefirsttimebyBorden(1964).Itwasreferredtoas4Ps,comprisingfourfactorsofmarketingmix:product,price,place,andpromotion.However,LovelockandWirtz(2004)enhancedthemar-ketingmixfactorsfrom4Psto8Pstobetterreflectnewservices,comprising:

1 In‘niche’marketing,alleffortsarefocusedonasmallsegment(niche)ofthemarket.Itisalsoknownasmicromarketing.

86 Thammasat Review

(1)Product:Goodsandservicesdevelopedandproducedtomeettheneedsofcustomersinordertocreatethehighestsatisfaction.Thisincludesbrand,packaging,guarantee,andproductandqualitydevelopment. (2)Price:Whatcustomersspendtogetdesiredgoodsorservices.Thegoalofpricesettingistocreatecompetitiveadvantagestotheextentthatacompanygainsprofitandcustomerscanaffordgoodsandservices. (3)Place:Thesellingprocessandthesupportofproductdistributionthatmakegoodsandservicesreadyforsale. (4)Promotion:Settingupcommunicationguidelineswith target customersabouttheproduct,service,price,andotherinformation,toencouragetheirdecisionstobuyproductsandservicesbyusingpromotionalmixsuchasadvertising,publicrelations,salespromotion,directmarketing,andpersonalselling. (5)People:Everyoneisinvolvedintheproductandservicesellingprocess,includingemployeesandcustomerswhomakeapurchaseorareserviceusers. (6)Process:Stepsorprocessesinvolvedintheprovisionofservices,aswellasregulationsandhowthejobisdonetocreateandpromotegoodsandservicestocustomers.Forexample,decisionsonpolicymatters relating tocustomersandpersonneloftheorganization. (7)Physicalevidence:Anenvironmentassociatedwithserviceprovision,aplacewherecustomersandbusinessprovidersinteract,andanytangiblecomponentthatfacilitatesorcommunicatesthatservice. (8)Productivityandqualityofservice:Factorsaffectingtheproductivityandqualityofserviceindustrysuchasservicequality,customersatisfaction,abilitytomeetcustomers’needs,abilitytoresolvecustomers’problems,moderntoolsandequipment,andservicequalityassurance.

The Use of Thai Food Knowledge for Tourism Promotion Concepts

FromthestudyconductedbySirisoontorn(2012:10-14), itwasfoundthatThai foodhasundergoneconstantdevelopmentandhasbeenpasseddown fromgenerationtogeneration.Itisnowembodiedinthecountry’sidentityandhasbeenwidelyacceptedthroughouttheworld.TobecategorizedasThaifood,thefoodmusthaveoneofthesecharacteristics;

(1)Ingredients:ThefoodmustuseingredientsthatarefirstlyfoundbyThaipeople,inthelandofSiamorThailand.

Thammasat Review 87

(2)Cookingmethods:ThefoodmustbecookedandpreparedwithuniqueThaimethodsandmusthavebeencreatedbyThaipeople. (3)Geography:ThefoodmusthaveoriginatedormusthaveappearedfirstinthelandofSiamorThailand. (4)Race:ThefoodmusthavebeeninventedbyanyoneoftheThaiethnicgroupsandmusthavebecomeapartofthatethniccultureortradition,andthatfoodmustappearbeforeanyothersimilarfoodinventedbyotherethnicgroups. (5)Popularity:Thefoodmustbeavailablethroughoutthecountry. (6)Entry:ThedetailsofthatfoodmusthavebeenrecordedbytheThaiethnicgroupbeforeanyotherethnicgroupormustberecordedinstoneorotherdocumentform,beforeanyotherethnicgroups. (7)Tradition,culture,andcustom:ThefoodmustbewidelyknownaroundtheworldasThai food,withhistoricalevidence thatshow theconnectionwith thetraditions,culturesandcustomsoftheThaiethnicgroupinthelandofSiamorThailand. (8)Thaikingdom:ThefoodmustcontainoruselocalingredientsfoundsincetheoldkingdomofSukothai,Ayutthaya,ThonburiandRatanakosin. (9)Beinginternationallyaccepted:ThefoodmustbeinternationallyacceptedasThaifood. Regardingguidelines forusingThai foodknowledge in tourismpromotion,scholarsandThaifoodexpertshavedifferentviews,whichcanbesummarizedasfollows. KanitMuntaporn(quotedinSirisoontorn,2012:68-79)believesthattoplacethepotential ofThai foodonto the international level, it is necessary to verify theinformationandreferencestofindthestrengthsanddistinctionofThaifoodfromotherglobalcuisinestoachieveThaiuniqueness.Importantpointsinthisregardare:(1)cleanliness;(2)healthissue;and(3)Thaitraditionandculture,whicharethemostimportantpoints. Inthefirst instance,brandingrequiresastory.TheproblemwithThaifoodis thatexcessiveemphasis isplacedon thequantityof restaurantsrather thanonthecreationofthe“Thaibrand”.ThestrengthofThaifoodremainsunclearandthecollectionofThaifoodreferencesislacking.Themorereferenceswecanfindaboutanimportantdish,thehigherthepotentialforthatdishtobecomeoutstanding.Ifothernationsarguewithitsorigin,wecanclaimthatitwasdevelopedbyThais,providedwecanproducesufficientevidenceanddocumentation(Sirisoontorn,2012). SomsriCharoenkietkul (quoted inSirisoontorn, 2012: 79-80) states thattherearemoreThaidishesthatcanbedevelopedandpresentedtotheworld.Weshouldnotjustfocusonseveraldishesandpresentsomethingnewbesidesthoseten

88 Thammasat Review

alreadywell-knowndishesrankedbypopularity(forexample,TomYumKung,TomKhaKai,PanangCurry,GreenCurry,PadThai,PadKaprao,RoastedDuckCurry,SpicyRoastedBeefSalad,PorkSatay,andStirFriedChickenandCashewNuts).Inaddition,Thaieatingcultureshouldbepresented.Japanesepeoplepublicize theireatingcultureverywell.PeoplelearnJapaneseeatingculturefromthefoodpresentedinaformofsetmenusinrestaurants,sotheyunderstandthatJapanesepeopleeatricewithmisosouptogetherwithaprotein-baseddishmadeoffish,pork,orchicken.Sidedishesofpickledvegetableorsaladarealsoserved,dependingonthetypeofmeatinthatmeal.MostoftheThairestaurants,ontheotherhand,donotpresenthowThaipeopleeatricewithassorteddishes.Foreigners,therefore,maylackthenecessaryinformationontheintricaciesoftheThaieatingculture,includinghowtopairdishesfromthevastThaiculinaryrepertoire.EachThaimealconsistsofseveraldishesthataremeanttobeeatenwithrice.Forexample,riceisbesteatenwithassorteddishesandisnotmeanttobeeatentogetherwithnoodledisheslikePadThai,whichshouldbeeatenasastand-alonedish(Sirisoontorn,2012). Ontheotherhand,KraisitTantisririn(quotedinSirisoontorn,2012:81-82)statethattheThaieatingcultureshouldbeconserved.Moreover,theyarguethattheThaiwayofeatingcanbepromotedeffectivelybyprovidingtwooptions:oneistheThaiwayandtheotherissingle-eating,aseriesofdishesforoneperson,notaone-dishmeal,butacombinationofassorteddishes.Nonetheless,aone-dishmealshouldalsobedeveloped,sincemanyrestaurantsnowprovideexpressThai-foodoptions.Thisisagoodconcept,becausethesocialtrendismovingtowardsthispattern.Inaddition,researchshouldbeconductedonThaifood,tofindanyoutstandingelementsthatcanstrengthentheargumentforThaifoodtobewidelyacceptedinThailandandaroundtheworld.

Creative Economy Concepts

Creative economy is anelement of theeconomy-drive concept basedonknowledge,education,creativity,andintellectualproperty,whichconnectwithculturalbase,accumulatedknowledgeofthesociety,technology,andinnovation.Therearevariousdefinitionsofcreativeeconomyandasingledefinitionofcreativeeconomyhasnotbeenagreedupon.Forexample,theUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment(UNCTAD)definescreativeeconomyasthedevelopmentandtheeconomicgrowththroughtheuseofpropertiesgeneratedbycreativity.Likewise,TheWorld IntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO)(2003)explains that the industrialcomponentofthecreativeeconomyfocusesonthecontextofintellectualpropertyrights

Thammasat Review 89

thatcomprisesculturalindustryplusallculturalorartisticproduction,whetherliveorproducedasanindividualunit.TheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO)(2007)holdsontothedefinitionofcreativeeconomydefinedbytheUKDepartmentofCulture,MediaandSport(UKDCMS),whichstatesthatthecreativeeconomydrawsitsorigininindividualcreativity,skill,andtalent,andwhichhasapotentialforwealthandjob-creationthroughthegenerationandexploitationofintellectualproperty.Inaddition,asimpledefinitionofcreativeeconomybyHowkins(2001)isthevaluederivedfromthehumanthought. Accordingly,thecomponentsofthecreativeeconomycoverdifferentindustrialsectors,whichwerecategorizedonthebasisoftwodifferentconcepts;byproduct/servicetypeandbyproductionactivitiesandsupplychain.Nowadays,therearesixcommonlyknowncategories,whichare:

(1)UKDCMSModel:Comprising13sectorscategorizedbyproductsandservices;advertising,architecture,artsandantiquesmarket,crafts,fashion,design,filmandvideo,music,performingarts,publishing,software,televisionandradio,andvideoandcomputergames(UKDepartmentofCulture,MediaandSport,2001). (2)SymbolicTextsModel:Comprising11sectors;advertising,films,internet,music,publishing,televisionandvideo,creativearts,consumerelectronics,fashion,software,andsport(Hesmondhalgh,2002). (3)Concentric CircleModel: Comprising 14 sectors; literature,music,performingarts,visualarts,films,museumsandlibraries,heritageservices,publishing,soundrecording,videoandcomputergames,advertising,architecture,design,andfashion(Throsby,2007). (4)WIPO Copyright Model: Copyright-based, comprising 20 sectors;advertising,collectiblesocieties,filmandvideo,music,performingarts,publishing,software, television and radio, visual and graphic art, blank recordingmaterial,consumer electronics,musical instruments, paper, photocopiersandphotographicequipment,architecture, clothingand footwear,design, fashion,householdgoods,andtoys(WIPO,2003). (5)UNCTADModel:Comprisingfoursectors;heritageorculturalheritage,arts,media,andfunctionalcreation(OfficeoftheNationalEconomicandSocialDevelop-mentBoard,2009:21). (6)UNESCOModel:There are five core cultural domains in thismodel,comprisingculturalandnaturalheritage,performanceandcelebration,visualarts,craftsanddesign,booksandpress,andaudiovisualanddigitalmedia.Additionally,otherrelateddomainswereaddedtoprovidegroupingalternativesappropriatetothecultureofeachcountry(UNESCO,2007).

90 Thammasat Review

AsforThailand,theOfficeoftheNationalEconomicsandSocialDevelopmentBoard(2009)hascategorizedtheThaicreativeeconomybasedontheUNCTADmodelwithsomeadjustmentsbasedonUNESCOmodel,resultinginfourmajorsectorsand15sub-sectorscomprising; (1)Heritage or cultural/bio diversity-Based Heritage: Comprising foursub-sectors; crafts and handicrafts, cultural tourism/biodiversity,Thai traditionalmedicine,andThaifood. (2)Arts:Comprisingtwosub-sectors;performingartsandvisualarts. (3)Media:Comprisingfoursub-sectors;filmsandvideo,publishing,broadcast,andmusic. (4)Functional Creation: Comprising five sub-sectors; design, fashion,architecture,advertising,andsoftware.

Research Methodology

This studyusesqualitative researchmethodsby collectingdata from twosources: (1) secondarydata, collected fromdocuments suchas researchpapers,documents,textbooks,informationfrommedia(newspapers,journals,andelectronicmedia);and (2)primarydata,collected fromsurveysonopinionsandexperience,exchangedopinionsfromparticipantsinThaiculinarytourism,aswellasthestudyofstrategiesandmarketingactivitiesthatusetheknowledgeofThaifoodtopromoteThaitourism.Dataarecollectedfromin-depthinterviewsof20keyparticipants,whoareentrepreneursinThaicookingschoolsfromthreemajortouristprovinces:ChonBuri,ChiangMai,andPhuket. As for the sample ofThai cooking school entrepreneurs, this study usespurposive sampling2 with the following criterion: The key participantsmust bestakeholdersinthebusiness,whoareexperiencedandabletoexpresstheiropinionsregardingthestrategiesandmarketingactivitiesthatusetheirknowledgeofThaifoodtopromoteThaitourism. Thestructuredinterviewisusedasatoolwiththeinterviewingtopic,regardingtheuseofThaifoodknowledgeasmarketingstrategiesforThaitourismpromotion,following theconceptofLovelockandWirtz’s (2004)8Psofmarketingmix,whichcomprisesproduct,price,place,promotion,people,physicalevidence,processandproductivity,inadditiontoqualityofservice.

2Purposive sampling is a popular method of sampling which focuses on particular individuals in apopulationsample,becauseoftheirfeatures,whichmakethemidealfortheresearchinhand.

Thammasat Review 91

Toanalyzethedatafromtheliteraturereviewandin-depthinterviews,logicalanalysis,grouping,classification,causality,andqualitativedataanalysisareemployed.

Findings

Basedonthe in-depth interviewsof20Thaicookingschoolentrepreneursin the threemajor touristprovincesofChonBuri,ChiangMai,andPhuket, itwasfoundthatthemajorityoftheentrepreneurshadinheritedtheirThaifoodknowledgefromcloserelativessuchasgrandmother,grandfather,parents,aunts,anduncles.Someoftheentrepreneurshadreceivedformaltrainingfromcoursesrunbyculinaryschools. Accordingly,mostThai foodknowledgeemployed in informingforeignersconcernspopulardishessuchasTomYumKung,GreenCurry,PadThai,MassamanCurry,PanangCurry,KhaoSoiandSomTum.Nonetheless,someentrepreneurshaveemployedamarketingmixwhichcomprisesproduct,price,place,promotion,people,physical evidence, process and productivity, and quality of service, to determinetheirstrategiesandmarketingactivitiestoattractforeigntouriststolearnThaicookingattheirschools.BothsimilaritiesanddifferencesarefoundintheuseofThaifoodknowledgetoformulatestrategiesandmarketingactivitiesfortourismpromotion.Themostdifferenceswere found in theproductandproductivityandqualityofserviceattributes,whiletheleastdifferenceswerefoundinthepromotionandpeopleattributes(asshowninTable1).

Similarities in the Strategies and Marketing Activities

Thesimilaritiesinthestrategiesandmarketingactivitiesareasfollows: (1)Product:NumerousThaicookingschoolsfocusonteachinggeneraldisheslikeTomYumKung,GreenCurry,PadThai,andMassamanCurry.Variouscurriculaareprovidedforforeigntouriststochoosefrom,rangingbetweenshortcourse,longcourse,Thaidessertcourse,andvegetableandfruitcarvingcourse.BesidesteachingThaicooking,studentsalsolearnaboutThaiherbsandcultureandaretakentovisitlocalmarketsandorganicvegetablefarms. (2)Price:MostThai cooking schools set various prices for their cookingcourses. (3)Promotion:Topublicizetheirschools,themajorityofThaicookingschoolsusewebsitesandsocialnetworks,andarrangecookingdemonstrations in tourismexhibitionsastheirpublic-relationchannels.

92 Thammasat Review

(4)Place:MostThai cooking schools usewebsites andFacebook for thecourseregistration.Theyalsocreatetourismalliancewithtravelagencies,hotels,andcarhireagenciesandintroducecustomersamongthistourismalliance. (5)People:MostThaicookingschoolsareconsciousof the importanceofgoodservices.ThaiteachersareselectedonthebasisoftheirhospitalityandEnglishproficiency. (6)Physicalevidence:MostThaicookingschoolssetupthekitchenusinginternational kitchen layout, focusing on the cleanliness and the readiness ofclassrooms.Classroomsarecleanedweekly.Classsize, thenumberof toolsandequipmentmustbeappropriatewiththenumberofstudents. (7)Process:MostThaicookingschoolsprovideprivateandgroupclasses.Theorywill be taught before students begin their practical sessions. In addition,websitesandsocialnetworksareusedascommunicationchannelsbetweenstudentsandteachersforQuestionandAnswer(Q&A)sessions.Extraservices,suchasofferingherbaldrinks,drinkingwater,andshuttlebusservice,arealsoprovided. (8)Productivity andquality of service:MostThai cooking schools providea certificate of completion to students and use restaurant standards tomanagetheschools.Theyalsoparticipateinthe“CleanFoodGoodTaste”campaigntogetcertifiedbytheMinistryofPublicHealth.

Differences in the Strategies and Marketing Activities

Thedifferencesinthestrategiesandmarketingactivitiesareasfollows:

(1)Product:SomecookingschoolsinChiangMaiteachKaoSoi,atraditionallocaldish,andThaivegetariandishes,tointerestedstudents.Theconceptofsufficiencyeconomyisalsotaught.SomecookingschoolsinPhuketmaketheirownhousebrandsofchemical-freeseasoningsandsauceswithoutmonosodiumglutamate(MSG)andpreservatives.BooksregardingThaifood,suchasWork the World and Pum’s Lazy Cuisine,arepublishedforregisteredstudentsandarealsoavailableforsaletoforeigntourists. (2)Price:SomecookingschoolsinChiangMaisetthefeeaslowas1,000baht(approx.20USdollars)perperson.ThispriceisforbothThaiandforeigners.Thereisflexibilityinaccommodatingthenumberofdaysinacourse,providedthatthestudentshaveinformedtheorganizersinadvance. (3)Place:SomeThaicookingschools inPhuketexpand theirbranches tomajortouristprovincesinThailandlikeKrabi,ChiangMai,andBangkok,aswellas

Thammasat Review 93

outside thecountry, forexample,Bahrain,Brussels,Copenhagen,Dubai, Jakarta,London,Lyon,Malta,andParis. (4)Physicalevidence:SomeThaicookingschoolsinChiangMaidecoratetheplaceusingearth-tonecolortocreateaclose-to-natureatmosphereandreflecttheLanNastyle.SomeThaicookingschoolsinPhuketuseclear-glasswallsfortheirclassrooms,toattractpassersby. (5)Process:StudentsofsomeThaicookingschoolsinChonBurimustsubmitreportstocompletethecourses.Somecookingschools inChiangMaiuse“listen-speak-ask-write”astheirteachingconcept.Studentswillbetoldwhichrecipestheyneedtowritedown,toensurethattheyrememberthetheoreticalpartofacoursebutalsotoenablethemtoaskquestionsafterwards.SomecookingschoolsinPhuketareopenallyear-round.Vegetable-cuttingmachinesareusedintheir internationalbranches. (6)Productivityandqualityofservice:SomecookingschoolsinChonBuriandChiangMaiarelegallyestablishedandarecertifiedbytheMinistryofEducation.Also,somecookingschoolsinChiangMaiandPhuketusehome-grownorganicvegetablesastheircookingingredients,suchassweetbasilandholybasil.Theyalsomaketheirowncurrypasteandsauces,touseasingredientsintheirclasses.Moreover,somecookingschools inPhuketusestudents’ commentsonFacebookandTripAdvisortoimprovetheirservicesandteachingprocesses,aswellasincluderesearchanddevelopmentintheirbusinessdevelopment.

94 Thammasat Review

Table 1 ComparisonofStrategiesandMarketingActivitiesUsedbyThaiCooking SchoolEntrepreneurstoPromoteTourism

Marketing mix/strategy and marketing activity

The use of strategies and marketing activities

Chon BuriChiang

MaiPhuket

Similarity/

Difference1. Product (1)TeachinggeneralThaidishes ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)TeachinglocaldisheslikeKaoSoi ✓ Different (3)Teachingvegetariandishes ✓ Different (4)Havingvariouscurriculatochoosefrom ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (5)ProvidingknowledgeofherbsandThaiculture ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (6)Teachingnewtheoryandsufficiencyeconomy ✓ Different (7)Takingstudentstovisitlocalmarkets ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (8)Taking students to visit organic vegetable

farms

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

(9)Makinghousebrandproducts ✓ Different (10)PublishingbooksaboutThaifood ✓ Different2. Price (1)Havingdifferentpricestochoosefrom ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)OnepriceforThaiandforeigners ✓ Different3. Promotion (1)Usingwebsitesandsocialnetworks ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)ArrangingThai cooking demonstrations in

tourismexhibitions

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

4. Place (1)UsingwebsitesandFacebookforclass

registration

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

(2)Creatingtourismalliancenetworks ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (3)Expandingbranches ✓ Different5. People (1)Providinggoodservices ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)Havingteacherswithgoodhospitality ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (3)HavingteacherswithEnglishproficiency ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar6. Physicalevidence (1)Usinginternationalkitchenlayout ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)Decoratingplacestoattractstudents ✓ ✓ Different (3)Havingtheclassroomscleanedweekly ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (4)Havinganappropriateclasssizebasedonthe

numberofstudents

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

Thammasat Review 95

Marketing mix/strategy and marketing activity

The use of strategies and marketing activities

Chon BuriChiang

MaiPhuket

Similarity/

Difference7. Process (1)Havingbothprivateandgroupclasses ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (2)Teachingtheorybeforepracticalclasses ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (3)Usingthe“listen-speak-read-write”process ✓ Different (4)Having students submit reports upon class

completion

✓ Different

(5)Openingallyear-round ✓ Different (6)Usingvegetablecuttingmachines ✓ Different (7)Usingwebsitesandsocialnetworksas

communication channels between teachers

andstudents,forQ&Asessions

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

(8)Providing extra services like herbal drinks,

drinkingwater,andshuttlebusservice

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

8. Productivityandservicequality (1)Legallyestablishedandcertifiedbythe

MinistryofEducation

✓ ✓ Different

(2)Providingcertificateofcompletion ✓ ✓ ✓ Similar (3)Using restaurant standards tomanage the

schools

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

(4)Using home grown organic vegetables as

cookingingredients

✓ ✓ Different

(5)Makinghomemadecurrypastesandsauces

ascookingingredientsinclasses

✓ Different

(6)Participatinginthe“CleanFoodGoodTaste”

campaign

✓ ✓ ✓ Similar

(7)Usingstudents’commentsonFacebookand

TripAdvisortoimproveserviceandteaching

processes

✓ Different

(8)Usingresearchanddevelopmenttodevelop

thebusiness

✓ Different

96 Thammasat Review

Conclusions and Recommendations

Thai food knowledge can be used in tourism promotion in the form ofgastronomic tourism throughcookingschools for foreigners.Thai foodhasunder-goneconstantdevelopment, hasbeenpasseddown through traditionandcultureandisidentifiedwiththenation.Also,Thaifoodiswidelyacceptedaroundtheworld.Accordingly,usingThai foodknowledge isconsideredto increasetheefficiencyofthe nation’s economic drive and tourism industry through cultural heritagebasedonknowledge,education,creativity,andintellectualproperty.Thesefeaturesrelatetoculturalbackground,socialknowledge,technology,andinnovation,followingtheconceptof creativeeconomy.Accordingly,Thai cookingschoolentrepreneurs canimplement theseby: (1)Location:Creating tourismwithan identity that relates tothewayoflifeofthecommunityorlocation;(2)Management:Tourismshouldhavenoadverse impact on theenvironment.Tourists, local communities, andaffiliatedpersonscantakepartinThaifoodcultureconservationandpromotion;(3)Activityandprocess:TourismshouldfacilitateeducationbyprovidingtrainingonThaifoodandculture and theThaiway of life; and (4) Participation:Tourism should envisageparticipationfromtouristsbyallowingthemtohaverealThaifoodcookingexperienceandthepossibilitytoenhancetheirunderstandingbyaskingquestions.However,thisdependson entrepreneurs’ knowledge, ability, and experience, aswell asmarketing-mixfactorusedtodeterminestrategiesandmarketingactivitiestoattractforeigntouriststotheircookingschools.Theresultofthestudyshowedthatstrategiesandmarketingactivitiesusedbyentrepreneurs inChonBuri,ChiangMai, andPhuket provincesshared some similarities and some differences.The cooking schools that coulddifferentiatetheirstrategiesandmarketingactivitieswouldgainmoreattentionfromforeigntouristsandwerelikelytobeselectedbythetourists.Forexample,ifproductfactoristobeusedasamarketingstrategy,entrepreneursmustcreateproductsthathavevarieties,whileemphasisshouldnotsimplyfocusonregularcookingclasses.Othertypesofcookingclassesshouldalsobeoffered,forexample,classesonancientThaicooking,localThaicooking,andhealthyThaicooking.Inaddition,todrawtouristattentionfromothertypesofproducts,asellingpointisessential.ThiscouldbeabookaboutThaifoodorhowtomanufactureahousebrandofcurrypastes,seasonings,orsauces. Nonetheless,thesustainabilityandsuccessofThaicookingschoolsdependonthesekeyfactors:(1)havingvision,knowledge,ability,andgastronomictourismexperience;(2)havingastrongknowledgeofThaifood,forexample,havinguniqueThai foodrecipes thathavebeenpasseddown fromgeneration togeneration; (3)possessing strong and adequate operating resources such as human resource,

Thammasat Review 97

location,teachingstyleandprocess,andcapital;(4)participationfromthecommunity/local/location;(5)continuityofoperations/business;(6)innovationsandnewcreativeactivitiessuchasusingmachinesintheproductionofcookingingredientsforclasses,publishingbooksonThaifood,ormanufacturingentrepreneurs’ownhousebrand,andexpandingbranches;and(7)formalandcontinuoussupportfromthegovernmentandaffiliatedorganizationsintermsofpolicy,humanresources,budgetandregulations.

ReferencesBorden, N.H. (1964). The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Journal of Advertising

Research,4,2-7.Guiltinan, J. (1989). A Classification of Switching Costs with Implications for

Relationship Marketing.Chicago:AmericanMarketingAssociation.Howkins, J. (2001).About the Creative Economy: How People Make Money from

Ideas.London:PenguinBooks.Hesmondhalgh,D.(2002).The Cultural Industries.London:Sage.Jaturonkakul, A. (2000). Consumer Behavior (6th ed.). Bangkok: Thammasat

UniversityPress.KasikornResearchCenter.(2011).Thai Cooking Schools…VariousFactorsSupport

theGrowth in2011.RetrievedAugust1,2015, fromhttp://library.dip.go.th/multim6/edoc/2553/19361.pdf

Kotler,P.(1997).Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control,(9thed.).NewJersey,USA:SimonandSchusterCompany.

Lovelock, C.H, & J. Wirtz. (2004). Services Marketing: People, Technology, and Strategy(5thed.).USA:PearsonPrenticeHall.

MinistryofTourismandSports.(2011). National Tourism Development Plan(2012-2016),Thailand.

OfficeoftheNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentBoard.2009.TheCreative Economy.Bangkok.

Sangsuwan, T., Y. Fupongsiripun, Y. Thumjaroen, U. Yamniyom &A. Pongyeela.(2004). Marketing management (3rd ed.). Bangkok: Pearson EducationIndochina.

Sirisoontorn,S.2012.Thai Food Culture…from Past to Present.Bangkok:OfficeofPrintingMill.TheWarVeteransOrganizationofThailand.

Sookpum,S. (2004). “Kitchenof theWorld”–AFoodPath to InternationalLevel.Social News Journal,2(4),1-17.

98 Thammasat Review

Throsby, D. (2007). Cultural Industries Seminar Network, Modelling the Creative/Cultural Industries, inSeminaron“NewDirectioninResearch:Substance,MethodandCritique.”11-12January2007,Edinburgh,Scotland,UK.

UK Department of Culture, Media and Sports. (2001). The Creative Industries Mapping Document.London.

UNESCO.(2007).The 2009 UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics (DRAFT). Montreal.

WIPO.(2003).Guide on Surveying the Economic Contribution of the Copyright-based Industries.Geneva.