FACTORS INFLUENCING DOMESTIC TOURISTS' DESTINATION CHOICE INTENTION - A STUDY AT CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET, CAN THO, VIETNAM

Abstract In the context of experiential tourism associated with indigenous culture increasingly becoming a trend among domestic tourists, identifying the factors influencing destination choice intention plays a significant role in tourism management and local development. Cai Rang Floating Market, located in Can Tho, with its distinctive values in floating market culture, riverine landscapes, and trading-based experiences, represents a typical example of river-based cultural tourism in the Mekong Delta. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior, incorporating the following factors into the research model: Travel Motivation (TM), Destination Information (DI), Attitude (AT), Subjective Norm (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), which influence the dependent variable, namely “Intention to choose Cai Rang Floating Market as a tourism destination” (IC). Subjective Norm (SN) has the strongest impact on destination choice intention, with a coefficient of 0.396, followed by Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) is 0.288, and Attitude (AT) is about 0.229. Meanwhile, the factors of Travel Motivation (TM) and Destination Information (DI) are not statistically significant in explaining their influence on the dependent variable, the intention to choose Cai Rang Floating Market as a tourism destination (IC).