Analysis of Blogs and Microblogs: A Case Study of Chinese Bloggers Sharing Their Hong Kong Travel Experiences

Blogs and microblogs became popular in recent years among people who would like to share their travel experiences online. This is a phenomenon which marketers are interested in but know very little about. This exploratory study analyzes blog and microblog contents created by mainland Chinese visitors sharing their Hong Kong experiences, with the objective of gaining insights into how bloggers communicate their travel experiences and how this could help market a destination. Three hundred blog posts and 300 microblog posts are analyzed. Research results indicate a generally positive image of Hong Kong as a destination among the mainland Chinese bloggers. The study also profiles the bloggers by their usage pattern and identifies opportunities for using the social media for destination marketing purpose. While the case study is about Hong Kong, the research method and blogging patterns identified would also apply in other destination situations.     

Effect of cultural distance on tourism: A study of pleasure visitors in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the effect of cultural distance on pleasure visitors, mainly vacation overnight visitors, in Hong Kong. Secondary data on 10 source markets are extracted from the annual report of visitor profile 2014 published by Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). The data are compared to recognize the influence cultural distance can have on visitor profiles and trip characteristics, including travel patterns, expenditure, and satisfaction levels. Deteriorating effects ascribed to cultural distance are clearly observed in the following three important aspects: repeated visit, length of stay, and expenditure; however, these effects do not extend to all aspects. Therefore, cultural distance may be used to complement physical distance in order to explain the tourist flow, and it should be further studied.     

Causality between business travel and trade volumes: Empirical evidence from Hong Kong

The study employed the Engle‒Granger vector autoregressive model to investigate the causality relationship between business travel and trade volumes among Hong Kong and Mainland China, Taiwan, and the United States (US) from 2002Q1 to 2012Q4. This study presented evidence that a long-run equilibrium relationship (cointegration) between Hong Kong and the US. Additionally, the US showed bidirectional causality between the two time series variables; however, business travel does Granger-cause trade volumes for the case of Mainland China and Taiwan. The concept of the linkage between business travel and trade volumes was demonstrated in this study. Significantly, this study is expected to benefit Hong Kong policy makers by enabling better planning to attract and understand the fluctuations in international business visitors from its three key trading partners.     

Evaluating museum websites using a combination of decision-making theories

ABSTRACT

The role of museums is very important in cultural and heritage tourism, and a museum website plays an important role in attracting visitors, both physically and online. Therefore, these websites must be evaluated to ensure that their goals are met. However, the evaluation of a website is complex and is often omitted during the website’s life cycle, despite its importance. To simplify this process, this paper presents a framework for evaluating museum websites. The framework, based on an inspection method, is called the inspection evaluation method (IEM). This method uses criteria proposed by several researchers in a review of the different evaluation experiments for museum websites that have previously used an inspection method. IEM, different from all other methods reviewed, uses a combination of an analytic hierarchy process with a technique for the order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution for combining these criteria. The framework was applied to evaluate and rank the websites of five museums known worldwide. This combination uses the advantages of two multi-criteria decision-making theories and reduces their disadvantages.     

The Effect of Distance on Tourism in Hong Kong: A Comparison of Short Haul and Long Haul Visitors

This study reports on a pilot project examining the effect of distance on the profile and trip characteristics of vacation visitors to Hong Kong. Secondary data are used. The study reveals a clear long haul/short haul dichotomy in visitor profile and resultant behaviors in Hong Kong. Long haul tourists tend to be older, more affluent and view Hong Kong as a stop-over destination, whereas short haul visitors are younger, less affluent and see it as their main and only destination. The resultant socio-demographic and destination role differences translate into substantially different in-destination behavior patterns. The authors argue that these differences are, at least in part, a function of the discriminating effect that distance has on the ability of some people to travel to long haul destinations.     

Lifestyle Segmentation of Spa Users: A Study of Inbound Travelers to Hong Kong

Based on the increasing popularity of the wellness/spa trend and the growing numbers of inbound tourists to Hong Kong, it is crucial for spa industry experts to understand the ever-changing desires of consumers. The study aims to identify the lifestyle dimensions of international spa visitors to Hong Kong and to profile each segment based on their sociodemographic and travel characteristics. The study adopts a quantitative approach to segmenting international spa visitors in Hong Kong by lifestyle. The results of the lifestyle segmentation revealed five clusters of spa visitors. The segments are “health conscious and intellectual”, “average”, “family focused”, “pleasure oriented”, and “carefree”. It is found that the majority of travelers who visit spas in Hong Kong are health conscious and intellectual. In general, visitors prefer day spas, to visit with their partner or friends, and to enjoy body massage treatments.     

香港赴澳门游客特征研究——与内地游客比较

本研究通过在澳门返回香港的轮船上以随机抽样调查的方式调查了香港到澳门旅游的游客348人.通过SPSS软件分析,揭示了香港赴澳游客的基本特征、行为模式和对澳门旅游设施的满意度.通过对比到澳门旅游的内地自由行游客和团客,本研究发现,香港游客同内地自由行游客的消费模式比较接近,同团客差距较大.本研究对预测内地游客未来的消费模式有较大的意义.     

User preferences for web site attributes: A study of the Hong Kong Disneyland

The Hong Kong Disneyland will be open in 2005 and the theme park is very likely to have an official web site. In order to determine the nature of a model/ideal official web site that would serve the promotional purpose, this study is conducted with two objectives. First, the study makes an attempt to understand the information types that the target markets, namely local Hong Kong residents, Western visitors and Chinese visitors, would like to have on the future Hong Kong Disney web site. Secondly, this research examines whether e‐ticketing is feasible for the web site. Using a questionnaire and a convenience sampling method, 198 responses were received. Empirical results indicate that the respondents all agreed that the suggested attributes should be listed in the web site. In addition, no significant difference was found among different groups of respondents on homepage information. However, significant differences were found among the interviewees’ views regarding products/services information, and ticketing information. To communicate effectively, the adoption of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is recommended in a value‐chain system for achieving successful e‐commerce.     

Free Time in an Art Museum: Pausing,Gazing and Interacting

Art museums are popular places where people choose to spend free time. Leisure in art museums may be characterized by silence, contemplation, reaction to art, and interaction with other visitors. The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to understand more about the nature of the art museum experience, using as a setting the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna, Austria. Between 2006 and 2008, a total of 100 adults who visited this museum engaged in conversational interviews with the researcher. Conversations showed that visits to art museums during free time stimulate complex interactions between visitors and art. Patrons consider art museums to be spaces for visual contemplation and playful leisure behavior, and sites of continued education that can inform our understanding of serious leisure.     

Where are the enslaved?: TripAdvisor and the narrative landscapes of southern plantation museums

ABSTRACT

This study examines two southern Louisiana plantation museums: Laura and Oak Alley, using a framework that stresses the narrative power and politics of these heritage sites. Located a mile from each other along the Mississippi River, they present two similar yet different narratives of the antebellum American South. Laura places more emphasis on the enslaved who inhabited the plantation than does Oak Alley, whose narrative centers upon the opulence of the plantation home – that is, ‘the big house'. This study explores what visitors take away from their plantation tours. Specifically, it examines their thoughts about how the enslaved are represented at these two museums. The study's data come from visitors’ comments posted on the travel website TripAdvisor. The object of the study is to gain a greater understanding of what visitors learn about the history of the enslaved on these tours and how they participate, along with site managers, in the narrative construction of the plantation and negotiating the divide between tourism as amusement and tourism as memorial.     

The Effect of Cultural Distance on Tourism: A Study of International Visitors to Hong Kong

This study focuses on the impact of cultural distance on the behavior of international pleasure tourists who visited Hong Kong. It analyzes data drawn from the Hong Kong Tourism Board's Visitor Profile Report, and tests whether cultural distance has a similar impact on behavior as noted in previous studies examining physical distance. The study concludes that cultural distance exerts a modest impact on such attributes as demand, travel party composition, trip profile, behaviors, expenditure and satisfaction.     

A study of experience expectations of museum visitors

Visitor studies including studies of experience and expectations of visitors are important for museums in terms of management and development, however few studies have been designed to explore the components of experience expectations for museum visitors. This research tried to analyze the experience expectations of museum visitors. Using content analysis of diaries written by museum visitors, a questionnaire of experience expectations of museum visitors was developed. After a survey with 425 valid returns, factor analysis was used to extract 5 types of experience expectations, which included: easiness and fun, cultural entertainment, personal identification, historical reminiscences, and escapism. Moreover, this research analyzed visitors’ preferences for visiting museums and their demographic factors among different types of experience expectations. Finally, some related discussion and suggestions were proposed.     

Air Quality in Hong Kong: A Study of the Perception of International Visitors

This paper reports on a study of the views of 1304 international travellers about their perception of air quality in Hong Kong. Findings indicated that the respondents generally did not perceive the air quality in Hong Kong as a concern when they chose to travel; they had a neutral view of this issue. However, after their visit they considered Hong Kong's air quality in both indoor and outdoor environments as worse than in their home countries. Many visitors were willing to pay an additional departure tax to fund improvements. The findings of this study have implications for decision-makers in formulating more sustainable planning policies to deal with this important environmental issue.     

Virtual MICE Promotion

ABSTRACT

Hong Kong and Singapore have been the leading cities for hosting MICE in Asia. Every year, thousands of events are held, both by local and international organizers, in Singapore and Hong Kong. Despite the significant economic contributions of MICE to a local economy, hospitality and tourism literature seldom analyzes Hong Kong and Singapore in terms of MICE promotion. The absence of published articles is particularly true in the context of virtual promotion. This paper reports on a study examining events promotion in the Web sites of the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Singapore Tourism Board. The paper also analyzes the performance of the official Web sites in providing useful site selection information to event organizers and meeting planners. Empirical results of a content-based analysis indicate that the information provided by the Singaporean Web site is more comprehensive than its Hong Kong counterpart.     

“The only place where people don't judge other people's body”: Obese people's museum experience

This exploratory study was designed to examine obese people's perception of factors affecting their museum-visiting experience. To best capture the experiential aspect, a qualitative research approach was adopted, and 24 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings yielded that the museum experience was hardly affected by the physical appearance and the presence of other patrons, this is contrast to previous studies in tourism related arenas. This is partly due to the realization that museum visitors tend to concentrate on the exhibits, and pay less attention to fellow visitors. Participants related to the “code of behavior” in museums that discourages gazing or explicitly staring at people. However, participants noted constraints and difficulties arising from the interaction between their body size and the physical environment. The study concludes that museums provide obese people with a safescape – a protective zone.     

One museum,two stories: Place identity at the Hong Kong Museum of History

Tourism academia has attempted to individually explore the concepts of visiting experience, place identity, narratives, and history museums, but it has rarely delved into the deep and sometimes murky waters of the intimate connection among these notions. Focusing on the Museum of History in present-day identity torn Hong Kong, the current study sheds light on the identitarian and ideological implications visiting this museum has for Hong Kong born-and-raised Millennials. The findings challenge the current understanding of place identity at heritage sites of contested identity by revealing the subtle, sensitive, and fluid connections between individual and official narratives, and also among the investigated concepts. They also raise important critical assumptions about the politics of museography.     

Perceptual content analysis for city image: a case study of Hong Kong

This paper presents a case study investigating the most salient impressions and unique attractions of Hong Kong, perceived by government officials, inbound visitors and local residents. The study utilizes neural network analytical content analysis as a tool to understand the shared and disparate images and perceptions of the uniqueness of Hong Kong by quantifying the occurrence of open-ended self-reported textual answers by the respondents. The clustering of the answers and perceptual mapping confirms that the stakeholder groups think of Hong Kong as a conventional tourist destination and as a cosmopolitan metropolis. This strong stereotype, which displays an obvious knowledge gap between visitors and residents, as well as inter-group discrepancies, has created obstacles to innovating Hong Kong's image and branding.     

People with disabilities visit art museums: an exploratory study of obstacles and difficulties

Visits to art museums are a major component of culture and heritage tourism. This study focuses on the obstacles that Israelis with disabilities – 30 people who use wheelchairs or crutches and 15 visually impaired people – face while visiting art museums. The in-depth interviews revealed that people with disabilities are not able to experience the museum as they wish, despite museum efforts toward becoming accessible to all. Participants emphasize the non-physical elements of the museum environment (e.g. staff attitudes and interaction with other visitors), as being major difficulties in achieving a full museum experience. The study shows that visitors often turn the barriers they confront into a difficulty, nevertheless the struggle itself has a negative effect on the visit experience.     

How a green city brand determines the willingness to stay in a city: the case of Hong Kong

This paper studies how biophysical green resources can become brand dimensions that affect the willingness of non-local people to stay in Hong Kong. Based on the Green (Resource) Brand Hexagon (GBH), the green brand attributes of Hong Kong were tested with two samples: inbound visitors (n = 396) and outsiders, most of whom had not visited Hong Kong (n = 235). The results show that visitors have more diversified determinants than outsiders, with safety, accessibility, and the aesthetic value of parks and landscapes in particular increasing respondents’ willingness to stay in Hong Kong. Outsiders perceive that a pleasant experience in physical spaces is primarily relevant to their willingness to stay in Hong Kong for seeking employment and education. However, green brand attributes play only a small part in the views of both respondent groups, indicating the presence of non-environmental factors in the decision to stay in a city.     

Skills and Competencies Needed for the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT

The tourism industry is one of the main sources of income to Hong Kong. If qualified employees provide better service, Hong Kong can potentially attract even more visitors. The training of new recruits and existing staff is therefore vital, but views on the value and the type of training vary amongst the stakeholders. This study of the views of hotel human resources managers revealed that they considered that people who were interested in developing their career in the hospitality industry must be prepared to start at the bottom. The hotel human resources managers strongly believe that employees must have a positive service-mind and commitment to the industry with a certain degree of working experience. Employers perceived these were important components to success for every member of staff, rather than having a good educational background. Such qualifications will raise the status of the hotel industry in general and enhance the status of the service providers as professionals.