FACTORS AFFECTING THE DECISION ON FARM STAY OF TOURISTS VISITING NAN PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study farm stay and related agro-tourism activities in Nan Province and to study factors affecting the decision on farm stay of tourists visiting Nan Province. It was found that most farm stays are family business and grow rice (40 percent), are located in the area surrounding with nature (65 percent), and they provide agricultural and rural learning activities to tourists (35 percent). The most popular time for tourists is from the rainy season to the winter season. The discriminant analysis found that all independent variables significantly correlated to tourists’ decision to choose farm stay (canonical correlation = 0.497; p < 0.05), with 72% of overall correctly group classification. The top 3 of most influential variables on tourists' decision to choose accommodation based on standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients were motivation in new experiences and visiting reviewed attractions (0.57), service quality (0.51) and attraction (0.50), respectively. This research provided recommendations that could be used as guidelines for developing farm stay tourism programs and surrounding communities to respond to the needs of tourists in order to generate sustainable income from agro-tourism in form farm stays.