The influence of Thai boy love series on intention to travel to Thailand: A case study of Thai boy love series in the eyes of Vietnamese audience

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Thai Boy Love Series and travel intentions to Thailand among individuals who identify as BL to varying degrees. Specifically focusing on the Vietnamese audience, it explores the connections between Boy Love (BL) Acceptance, Satisfaction, and Addiction to BL actors with the intention of traveling to Thailand within the context of Thai Boy Love Series. This study aims to investigate the influence of Thai Boy Love Series, including “2gether The Series” and “I Told Sunset about You,” on the intentions of young Vietnamese travellers to visit Thailand. The research identified “BL Acceptance,” “Satisfaction towards BL actors,” and “Addiction to BL actors” as three key factors affecting an individual’s intention to visit Thailand. Data were collected from 300 young Vietnamese individuals who had viewed the two Thai TV series through an online survey conducted via Google Forms. Prior to conducting regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and Cronbach’s alpha tests were conducted to analyze the data. The results revealed a significant positive influence of the three aforementioned factors on the intention to travel to Thailand among the Vietnamese audience. The positive regression coefficient emphasizes the favorable impact of these characteristics on the intention to visit Thailand. This study contributes to the existing literature by emphasizing the role of BL media representation in shaping travel intentions, particularly within the context of cross-cultural audience reception. It offers valuable insights for both academic research and tourism industry practitioners seeking to understand the dynamics between media representation, BL acceptance, and travel behavior.