Thailand’s innovative agritourism in the post COVID-19 new normal: A new paradigm to achieve sustainable development goals

Abstract

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Thailand’s tourism industry, which is critical to the economy, relied on global tourists. The Thai government initiated a policy reform to stimulate domestic focus on the agricultural sector as the key occupation for income distribution, which involved changing tourist behavior from urban to local tourism. This study integrates quantitative and qualitative multiphase approaches to obtain reliable research results from six regions of Thailand. The travel behaviors of Thai tourists engaged in agritourism did not show a statistically significant difference. The paradigm was intercorrelated with variables of the entry mode, comprising internal and external factors that influence the decision to enter the agritourism business. An agritourism entrepreneur must perceive risks and benefits, and adjust and return to the homecoming of offspring. Thailand’s agritourism can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), resulting in economic growth based on sustainable domestic dependency.

Keywords

• Innovation
• Tourism
• Agritourism
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Sustainable development goals