Empowering the ASEAN Community through Digitalization of Agriculture for Rural Tourism Development: An NVIVO Analysis

The ASEAN region is well known as an agrarian-based country that produces staple foods such as rice for the ASEAN community. With the advancement of technology, agriculture has started to transition from traditional-based practices to modernized practices by incorporating technology into the agriculture industry. The need for literature regarding the role of digital technologies in promoting and enhancing rural tourism was the primary motivation for this paper. Integrating digital platforms into the agritourism industry by implementing an online booking and payment system and providing an avenue for marketing is currently the new wave of technology development. The proponents employed secondary data analysis in this study. A thematic analysis using NVivo software analyzed fifty-three (53) literature materials to achieve the study's results. This material comprises journal articles from reputable outlets such as Scopus and Web of Science (WoS articles comprised Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Philippines, and Thailand) and non-reputable outlets, book chapters, newspaper excerpts, and government and independent reports from some ASEAN countries (i.e. Myanmar, ASEAN). The result showed that the six themes based on word cloud analysis include agriculture/agriculture, technology, information, development, farmers, digital, and government. These themes equate to factors that lead to what agriculture needs and how digital technologies promote and enhance rural tourism and community empowerment in ASEAN.