International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc.net Volume 7, Issue 1, 2019 Tourist Perceptions, Behavioral Characteristics and Demands of Agro-Safety Tourism as an Economic Value Add for the Ing River Basin Route, Thailand Suriya Somchana, Sirikhuan Panyarienb, aSchool of Management and Information Sciences, University of Phayao, Thailand, bRajamangala University of Technology Lanna Lampang, Thailand, E-mail:
[email protected],
[email protected] The objectives of this study were to study 1) the current perceptions of tourists about agro-safety tourism as a value add to economy along the Ing River Basin route, 2) their behavioral characteristics, and 3) demands. This study used a mixed methods research approach with quantitative research employing a questionnaire that received an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) score between 0.60 - 1.00 and a confidence level equal to 0.93. The Taro Yamane formula was used to calculate the size of the sample group at 400 people. Data analysis with the SPSS statistics software included descriptive statistic, t-test and one- way ANOVA. The qualitative research was conducted with a focus group of 21 stakeholders and the data was analysed for content and summarised. All data was verified using triangulation technique. It was found that the overall perception of Thai tourists is that the following aspects are most important: 1) accessibility, 2) tourism amenities, 3) administration and 4) attractions. Further, Thai tourists demands were found to focus on the following aspects: 1) administration, 2) tourism amenities, 3) attractions and 4) accessibility. This research was conducted to provide beneficial data for use in agro-safety tourism management and to continually add value to the economy.