Analysis and comparison of creative tourism behavior among tourists in Amphawa based on demographic characteristics

Abstract

This study investigates creative tourism behavior among Thai domestic tourists visiting Amphawa, Samut Songkhram Province. Three objectives guide the research: (1) to examine patterns of creative tourism behavior across four key attraction types—floating markets, religious sites, local lifestyle destinations, and art and history sites; (2) to compare these behavioral patterns according to tourists' demographic characteristics; and (3) to propose evidence-based guidelines for developing creative tourism experiences tailored to different visitor segments. A quantitative survey design was employed, with data collected from 400 Thai tourists using a validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.864) and analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Fisher's LSD post hoc tests. The findings reveal that floating markets and religious sites attracted the highest demand, reflecting strong pull factors rooted in riverside cultural familiarity and accessibility, whereas local lifestyles and art-history attractions—which require deeper cocreative engagement—attracted comparatively less interest. The results of the demographic analysis indicate that monthly income and region of residence are the most significant predictors of differentiated demand across attraction types. Age and marital status additionally shape interest in religious site visitation, reflecting life-cycle motivations. Notably, tourists from regions outside the central riverine cultural zone demonstrated greater preference for immersive creative experiences, suggesting that cultural familiarity mediates the depth of creative participation. These findings are interpreted through the push-pull motivation framework, the theory of planned behavior, and the experience economy model. This study contributes a riverine cultural lens to the creative tourism literature in Southeast Asia and offers practical implications for segmented experience design and sustainable destination management in community-based tourism settings.