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Abstract
This survey study examined the consumption behaviors of Thai fruits among the foreign tourists,
who came from Europe, America and Oceania. By applying the Multi-stage Random and Accidental
Sampling Methods, the data were collected from 400 tourists in Phuket Province in 2007. , percentage,
Chi-square, Cramer’s Contigency Coefficient and F-test were employed to test the hypotheses. The
results indicated that most of the tourists have known and eaten Thai fruits before visiting Thailand.
Mango, banana and pineapple were voted as their most favorite fruits. Though most of the respondents
bought Thai fruits from supermarket, they stated that the prices were too expensive and it was not
easy to find Thai fruits in their home countries. Regarding the consumption behaviors of the samples
when they were in Thailand, most of them bought Thai fruits from the fresh-food market. The taste,
freshness and nutrients of the fruits were regarded as the main factors when making a decision to buy
Thai fruits. Most of the consumers faced with the difficulties to communicate with the fruit-sellers
and the deficiency of eating instruction. Finally, it was found that fruit consumption behaviors of
the tourists varied according to their nationalities and the period of stay in Thailand. Finally, the
consumers’ attitude towards Thai fruits was 3.41 which could be interpreted as an average level.
Keywords :
Thai fruit, Fruit consumption behaviors, Foreign tourists
