Taiwan's international tourism: a time series analysis with calendar effects and joint outlier adjustments

In this paper, we examine monthly tourist arrivals from Japan, Hong Kong and the USA between January 1971 and December 2008. Our purpose is to find events or variables that affect Taiwan's international tourism. We find that the Chinese New Year has a positive effect on tourist arrivals from Hong Kong, but negative effects for other countries. Through outlier detection, we obtain a better understanding of the effects of non‐recurring events that have impacted Taiwan's international tourism. Using transfer function model with automatic outlier detection and adjustment, we find that the exchange rate influences tourist arrivals from Japan and Hong Kong. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Islamic tourism: an empirical examination of travel motivation and satisfaction in Malaysia

The objectives of this study are to test the relationship between tourism motivations and tourist satisfaction, and to test how ‘Religion’ moderates the relationship. The variable ‘Religion’ is represented by the availability of Islamic norms and practices relevant to tourism at the destination. The results of the partial least square indicate that tourism motivations are significantly and positively related to tourist satisfaction. The results also showed that Religion significantly moderates the relationship between pull motivation and tourist satisfaction. However, the moderating effect of Religion on the relationship between push motivation and tourist satisfaction was not supported.     

Tourist satisfaction and beyond: tourist migrants in Mallorca

This exploratory study analyses the role of tourist experience, especially tourist satisfaction, in subsequent migration from the UK to the municipality of Calviá, Mallorca, Spain. An overview and commentary is provided of theory relating to both tourist satisfaction and migration. Through a series of elite interviews, in‐depth micro‐studies and a questionnaire, which provides a small quantitative component, it is established that the motivation given by tourist satisfaction can be recognised as a key catalyst for migration. Classic migration motivations cannot be entirely discounted, and the migration decisions are multi‐stage through time. But tourist satisfaction—and particularly the two satisfaction components of performance and emotion—is especially relevant in the micro‐perspective of migration decision‐making. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourist behavioural intentions in relation to service quality and customer satisfaction in Kinmen National Park,Taiwan

This study assesses tourist satisfaction and its links with service quality using a hierarchical model that combines four primary determinants and eight corresponding sub‐dimensions. A sample of 616 tourists departing from Kinmen Airport was surveyed with a structured questionnaire after they had just visited Kinmen National Park. A series of analyses was performed to explore tourist satisfaction with the four main service quality attributes as well as their willingness of repeat visits and recommendation. As a result, it was consistently found that service quality has positive significant relationship with tourist satisfaction. It is thus suggested that national park managers have to satisfy tourists with a high level of service quality, based on the concept that service quality may have a significant influence on long‐term behavioural intentions through high levels of customer satisfaction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hong Kong's aviation and tourism growth - An empirical investigation

This study investigates the critical link between aviation and tourism growth in Hong Kong, with a focus on the identification of causal relationships between scheduled airline seat capacity and visitor arrivals. This is achieved through the cointegration analysis and Granger-causality test, using monthly data collected from Hong Kong's top 17 tourist source markets during 2008–2018. Our analysis finds clear evidence of an overall two-way causal relationship between airline scheduled capacity and tourist arrivals. The positive externalities between the two crucial sectors to the Hong Kong economy call for coordinated planning and policy design in the tourism and aviation sectors, and justify continued government support. On the other hand, market-specific features are evident in selected markets. Such heterogeneity is likely due to airline network effect and regulation in the international market. Therefore, direct subsidy is not always an efficient support measure. A combination of liberalization policy and industry supports are preferred in views of the benefits to be achieved for the two sectors and the Hong Kong economy.     

Tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping: evidence from Indonesian domestic tourists

This study proposes new insight into theoretical concepts and evaluates the empirical evidence of tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience and its relationship to tourist post-purchase behaviour. This study applies variance-based structural equation modelling by means of partial least squares with a sample of 192 domestic tourists in Bandung, Indonesia. The results suggest that tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience is an important determinant of tourist perception on destination image and tourist loyalty toward a destination. Further, this study discloses that tourist satisfaction with store and collectability attributes are crucial factors in determining tourists’ satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience. These findings provide a better understanding for both scholars and managers of retail businesses in a tourist destination of tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience and with the visit.     

‘How's the Service?’ A Study of Service Quality Perceptions across Sectors and Source Markets

This study assessed the performance of the hotel, retail and travel agency sectors in Hong Kong. The importance–performance analysis (IPA) model and various statistical techniques were employed to examine visitors’ cognition of the importance and performance of pertinent service quality attributes and to better understand the factors that may influence their overall satisfaction across different sectors and source markets. Whereas the multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance tests suggest no significant differences in service quality perceptions across the three sectors, the IPA revealed that these sectors differ qualitatively in terms of which service quality attributes are most critical. The findings further suggest a negative relationship between cultural distance and satisfaction with Asian tourists being less satisfied than their non‐Asian counterparts. The results hold important managerial implications for resource allocation and service quality improvement in specific areas. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

To Gamble or Not? Perceptions of Macau Among Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong Visitors

Macau's casino sector has been expanding rapidly, particularly targeting mainland Chinese gamblers. The novelty and under‐researched nature of this market is a challenge for Macau's casino and destination marketers. This study explores the characteristics of the mainland market and compares this with the second placed and more mature Hong Kong market. The profiling of visitors from Macau's main source markets including demographic, region of origin, trip behaviour and motivation characteristics provides insights into the future success of the destination. Adaption theory is used to explain the implications of differences between Gambling and Non‐Gambling visitors from the two source markets. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The perceived destination image of Hong Kong on Ctrip.com

This study examines the perceived destination image of Hong Kong among visitors from mainland China, as revealed on the travel blog of Ctrip.com. Textual analysis and the overall evaluation scores of 2247 blog entries indicate that this image is positive in all aspects among these visitors. They are particularly impressed by the shopping experience, as both product quality and prices are considered competitive in Hong Kong. These visitors also evaluate overall food quality highly, although the high price of food and accommodation leads to the perception that Hong Kong is an expensive tourist destination. Managerial implications are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shopping value,tourist satisfaction and positive word of mouth: the mediating role of souvenir shopping satisfaction

We propose new insights into key satisfaction outcomes for souvenir retailers, such as positive word-of-mouth recommendations, seeking deeper comprehension of overall tourist satisfaction determinants, by analysing the mediating role of tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction. We apply variance-based structural equation modelling by means of partial least squares to a sample of 408 tourists all of whom had purchased souvenirs. The results suggest that tourist shopping satisfaction partially mediates the relation between shopping value and positive word of mouth, while tourist shopping satisfaction completely mediates the relation between shopping value and overall tourist satisfaction. The results and their implications are then discussed to arrive at pertinent conclusions on tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction.     

Perception and attitude of Hong Kong hotel guest‐contact employees towards tourists from Mainland China

In recent years, the majority of arrivals to Hong Kong, which were once dominated by the Western and Japanese markets, were replaced by arrivals from Mainland China. The number of tourists from Mainland China has overtaken others to become the largest single market for the territory. With its increasing significance, providing quality service to these visitors becomes crucial to the success of the tourism industry and of the hotel industry in particular. Unfortunately, the satisfaction rating of the Mainland visitors on hotel services in Hong Kong is reported to be relatively low when compared to those given by other major markets. It is suspected that the perception and attitudes of the service staff may influence their behaviour in serving customers. As such, this study conducted a survey questionnaire with 228 guest‐contact employees of hotels in Hong Kong. Results indicate that most respondents have a fairly positive perception towards the Mainland tourists in relation to the economic and financial benefits that they bring to Hong Kong. However, a majority of the respondents express negative perception and attitudes towards these tourists in respect to their appearance, personalities and behaviour. Despite some respondents indicating that they exhibit different service behaviour towards visitors from Mainland China and other countries, no major significant differences in their perception and attitudes were found in this study. It is recommended that various types of cross‐cultural training, such as sensitivity training and role playing, would be helpful to guest‐contact employees in enhancing their ability to be more objective and more tolerant of other people's behaviour. This study concludes that hotel employees, especially those who work as front‐line staff, must remain aware of their subjective judgments when dealing with guests and be more accepting of others. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attributes affecting the level of tourist satisfaction with and loyalty towards theatrical performance in China: Evidence from a qualitative study

This study seeks to explore attributes affecting the level of tourist satisfaction with and loyalty towards theatrical performance in China. Based on four focus group discussions with 31 participants, the study identifies 34 attributes that affect the level of tourist satisfaction with theatrical performance, and groups them into five categories: stage, performance, venue, service and tourist‐related attributes. The findings on tourist loyalty reveal that 21 of the 31 respondents would not watch the same theatrical performance alone in the future; however, they would recommend it to others. The study concludes with a discussion of the rich and insightful findings and their implications for tourism industry practitioners. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Maintaining competitiveness of aviation hub: Empirical evidence of visitors to China via Hong Kong by air transport

Prior studies have not extensively researched and explored the key determinants (aviation and tourism attributes) that could affect Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a transit hub for international visitors using Hong Kong as a stopover to Chinese cities when travelling by air. This study adds to that knowledge to empirically investigate Hong Kong’s eight major tourist source markets (Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK, and the US), and also provides an insight to policy-makers in Hong Kong to help them understand the factors that influence Hong Kong’s aviation hub competitiveness and tourism development. The findings of the study suggest that increased air transport capacity from foreign countries and Hong Kong to China, trade volumes between China and its trading partners, air transport costs, and the global financial crisis are the key factors affecting the number of visitors to China by air passing through Hong Kong as their preferred stopover. The policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

Exploring the relationship between educational mismatch,earnings and job satisfaction in the tourism industry

This article analyses the interrelationship between educational mismatch, wages and job satisfaction in the Spanish tourism sector in the first years of the global economic crisis. It is shown that there is a much higher incidence of over-education among workers in the Spanish tourism sector than in the rest of the economy despite this sector recording lower educational levels. This study estimates two models to analyse the influence of the educational mismatch on wages and job satisfaction for workers in the tourism industry and for the Spanish economy as a whole. The first model shows that in the tourism sector, the wage penalty associated with over-education is approximately 10%. The second reveals that in the tourism sector the levels of satisfaction of over-educated workers are considerably lower than those corresponding to workers well assigned. With respect to the differences between tourism and the overall economy in both aspects, the wage penalty is substantially lower in the case of tourism industries and the effect of over-education on job satisfaction is very similar to that of the economy as a whole in a context where both wages and the private returns to education are considerably lower in the tourism sector.     

A Structural Model for Examining how Destination Image,Perceived Value,and Service Quality Affect Destination Loyalty: a Case Study of Orlando

The primary objectives of this study were to investigate and develop a theoretical relationship among destination image, service quality and perceived value and to empirically test the constructs that are likely to affect tourist satisfaction, which in turn influence revisit intentions and word‐of‐mouth referrals. The results of empirical study indicated that destination image influences service quality and perceived value. In addition, the findings revealed that perceived value has a significant effect on satisfaction and loyalty. These research findings contribute to an extant knowledge in this domain, specifically focused on a family‐oriented destination where it was not studied yet with these relationships. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are tourists satisfied with the map at hand?

Tourist maps of a given destination offer information to tourists on its geographical environment and tourist sites of interest. This sort of information service is important for tourists unless they are very familiar with their destinations. This study mainly concerns with tourists' satisfaction with this geographical and touristic information service which has been neglected in the existing literature. The study, using Macau as a case, was designed to explore tourists' evaluation of tourist maps and the determining factors of the overall satisfaction, which were mainly involved in the content and design of tourist maps. The control variables including demographics and trip features were also examined. It was found that respondents were, in general, satisfied with the tourist map they used for sightseeing; however, their attitudes towards various elements of map content and design differed. These attitudes reflected by the data have implications for tourist map design and distribution in the future.     

Experience value: antecedents and consequences

This article outlines and tests a holistic model of tourist experience that includes the effects of the antecedents and consequences of the perceived value of an on-site trip experience. Based on the literature and the results from the present research, this article develops a framework of perceived value experience and its antecedents, such as tourist motivation, involvement, and knowledge, and consequences, such as satisfaction and future intention, in terms of recommendations and repeat purchase. Structural equation modelling is applied to test the model. The results strongly support the notion that the constructs of motivation, involvement (to a lesser extent), and tourist knowledge serve as antecedents to the perceived value of a holiday experience, which influences the consequences of behaviour, such as satisfaction and loyalty.     

Analysing passenger network changes: The case of Hong Kong

Passenger throughput at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has shown steady growth since its opening. Various aspects relating to HKIA have been studied in prior literature. This paper investigated changes in HKIA's passenger network for the period of 2001–2012 and used the gravity model to examine the key factors explaining its passenger traffic flows. The findings suggested that HKIA's passenger network has changed significantly and expanded to many new different destinations. Two regions (East Asia and Southeast Asia) were the most important markets for HKIA, and most key destinations connected by Hong Kong showed healthy growth. Nine factors could explain passenger traffic flows between Hong Kong and its key destinations: Hong Kong GDP per capita, GDP per capita of destinations connected by HKIA, distance, airport hub status of the destination airport, tourist destinations connected by HKIA, numbers of passenger airlines in service, bilateral trade flows, speaking a common language and having strong cultural/colonial links with Hong Kong, and the route presence of Cathay Pacific.     

Preferred shopping destination: Hong Kong versus Singapore

Visitor shopping is an important contributor to the economy of Hong Kong as it accounts for more than half the total visitors' expenditure. Owing to its significance, and strong competition from Singapore, Hong Kong must re‐examine the city's attraction to shoppers. The tourism and retail industries of Hong Kong must formulate effective strategies to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the shopping environment in both cities. This study surveys 309 international visitors about their shopping expectations and perceptions of Hong Kong and Singapore in 15 attributes. Results were analysed by SPSS software (Statistical Package for Social Science) using the techniques of frequencies and paired t‐tests. Singapore outperforms Hong Kong notably in many areas, such as language ability, attitude and efficiency of service staff. The findings indicate an urgency for Hong Kong to strive harder. In conclusion, the article provides some recommendations for the city to re‐establish its reputation as the ‘shopping paradise’ of the Asia Pacific region and to meet the challenge of Singapore as the preferred shopping destination. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.