An Adaptation Model for Creative Tourism Businesses A Case Study of Khao Yai Economic Roads and Foreign Tourists

Abstract

The objectives of this study are: 1) to investigate creative tourism activities affecting the adaptation of creative tourism businesses; 2) to study the opinions of foreign tourists towards creative tourism activities and the adaptation of creative tourism businesses; and 3) to propose an adaptation model for creative tourism businesses: a case study along economic roads near Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, involving foreign tourists. The main approach used in this research study was a quantitative one. Data collected from 390 foreign tourist respondents was analyzed to determine percentages, means, standard deviations, and using multiple regression. Qualitative research was supplemented by interviewing 13 key entrepreneurs who operate creative tourism businesses on economic roads near Khao Yai National Park. The proposed model was reviewed and critiqued by experts during a seminar organized by all parties involved in the project. The interview outcome indicates that the 5 most important factors of tourists’ adaptation activities are learning, participation, networking, cooperation, and guidance. The tourists’ opinions regarding activities and adaptation of tourism businesses were very favorable. The study reveals that foreign tourists’ personal factors and activities that affected the 6 aspects of adapting creative tourism businesses were: 1) sightseeing, 2) contemplating, 3) souvenir purchases, 4) learning, 5) participation, and 6) co-creation. The result was 71.40 percent (R2 = 0.714) of the variation of the adaptation at a statistically significant level of 0.05.