Profiling Asian and Western family independent travelers (FITS): An exploratory study

This study explored perceptual and behavioral differences in service quality, satisfaction, and intention to revisit between Asian and Western family independent travelers (FITs) and to profile each group by its demographic and vacation characteristics as well as its family vacation decision‐making modes. Qualified FITs (n = 183) from seven major source markets were interviewed in the departure lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport. Results indicated that, compared to Asian FITs, Western respondents were more likely to favorably evaluate service quality, be first time visitors, and be younger. However, they were less likely to return to Hong Kong for leisure. Most Western travelers shared all decisions together between spouses, whereas their Asian counterparts were more likely to report individual dominant decisions, especially for those trip specific decisions. Marketing implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Determinants of destination choice by Japanese overseas travelers

Using the data from the Japanese Pleasure Travel Survey, this study developed a logistic regression model to analyze destination choices of Japanese outbound pleasure travelers. The analysis revealed the effects of a number of variables on the Japanese destination choices. These variables are demographic characteristics including age, marital status, education level, and income, as well as types and purposes of trip. Various motivational factors were also found to be significant in classifying the Japanese market by their destination choices. The findings of this study provide useful information for destination marketers in their efforts to segment and target the Japanese outbound pleasure travel market. They will have a better understanding of the characteristics of the Japanese market relative to the strengths and weaknesses of their respective destinations, thus allowing them to be more effective in their packaging and promotion.     

Mature vs. youth travelers: The Korean market

An important consideration in understanding and predicting tourist behavior concerns the underlying motivation governing the choice of tourist destinations, and the tourists” evaluation and level of satisfaction with the actual experiences (Pearce, 1991). Motivation is a fundamental element in helping to explain tourist behavior. Unfortunately, the research on motivation has only received moderate attention, both conceptually and empirically. A new theoretical framework employed in sociology and social psychology has recently been proposed by Pearce to explain tourism motivation. It is known as the “Travel Career Ladder” (TCL). This paper attempts to reveal comprehensive information on the travel motivations of Korean tourists with regards to overseas trips by employing the concepts predicated in the TCL model. The implications of this research are discussed in terms of the potential of the TCL model, and to what end it can be used to predict tourist behavior and improve the level of cross‐cultural understanding of international tourists.     

Understanding leisure travel motivations of travelers with acquired mobility impairments

The purpose of the study was to understand what motivated people with mobility impairments to travel frequently. Two focus groups were conducted and results were analyzed in light of Crompton’s (1979) push/pull conceptual framework exploring pleasure travel motivation. Results showed that although travelers with acquired mobility impairments shared many similar motives with travelers not identified as having mobility impairments, they also had unique motivations including “Independence”, “The Desire of Being in a Natural Environment”, “Adventure/Risk”, “Do It Today”, and “Accessibility.” Findings and limitations of the study are discussed and implications of the results are suggested.     

The impact of CSR satisfaction on destination loyalty: a study of MICE travelers in Thailand

The objectives of this research are firstly, to study the characteristics of CSR activities conducted for international business groups. Secondly, to analyze the factors that impact business travelers’ satisfaction with CSR activities, and thirdly, to analyze the influence of satisfaction with CSR activities on destination attachment and destination loyalty. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 127 business participants from three corporate meetings and one convention group. The results reveal the characteristics of CSR activities of corporate meetings and conventions in Thailand. Business travelers’ satisfaction with CSR activities is influenced by their personal altruistic attitudes and the efficacy of local service providers. Satisfaction with CSR activities has a direct impact on destination attachment and an indirect impact on destination loyalty. CSR activities could be used as tools to influence the revisit intention of corporate meeting and convention participants. A CSR activity during a business trip is a novel concept that can be utilized by destination management companies as well as national tourism organizations to develop satisfying tourism products.     

Youth travelers and waste reduction behaviors while traveling to tourist destinations

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to develop a robust conceptual framework incorporating volitional and non-volitional dimensions within the theory of planned behavior and cognitive (green image and environmental awareness) and affective (anticipated pride and guilt) dimensions to explicate youth tourists’ waste reduction behaviors while traveling to destinations. A quantitative approach was used. Structural equation modeling was utilized for data analysis. This study proved the usefulness and sufficiency of the proposed framework. Volitional factors were significant determinants of intentions. Our findings also showed that the inclusion of green image, environmental awareness, and anticipated feelings increased the prediction power of the theory. Results also supported the significant role of these integrated variables in increasing waste reduction intentions. Attitude had a mediating role and included the relative importance in determining intentions. This study extended destination researchers’ and practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of visitors’ waste reduction behaviors in the youth tourism context.     

Destination Visual Image and Expectation of Experiences

A unique experience is the essence of tourism sought by tourists. The most effective way to communicate the notion of a tourism experience at a destination is to provide visual cues that stimulate the imagination and connect with potential tourists in a personal way. This study aims at understanding how a visual image is relevant to the expectation of experiences by deconstructing images of a destination and interpreting visitors' perceptions of these images and the experiences associated with them. The results suggest that tourists with different understandings of desirable experiences found different contents and notions of images inspired them to visit a destination. Several managerial implications are discussed.     

对中国旅行社业的经济分析与再定位

我国的旅行社业发育于当时特殊经济、政治环境和要求下，经历了计划经济到市场经济的转型。在这个过程中，旅行社行业出现了不少现实问题，如核心能力流失、产品单一、组织安排缺乏经济效率、规模过小、集团化虚设等问题。结合旅游经济学的理论和实践，从我国现在和今后的宏观经济走势出发，笔者探索和分析了未来我国旅行社业发展的各种趋势，主要表现在企业向产业纵深发展和产品向消费差异发展。     

中国出境旅游目的地的市场定位研究

本文探讨了中国出境旅游目的地的市场竞争以及市场定位，研究表明，中国公民出境旅游目的地的特征属性中，“安全性”与“优美的景色”是中国出境旅游者认为的最重要特征属性；KYST研究结果表明，在中国现已开放的出境旅游目的地中，新加坡与泰国、日本与韩国、埃及与德国是两两相似的出境旅游目的地形象；ALSCAL研究结果表明，中国出境旅游目的地的特征属性之间既具有联系，又具有差异；中国出境旅游目的地国家相互之间具有市场竞争性。为吸引更多的中国大陆旅游者出境旅游，中国出境旅游目的地国家应制定相应的旅游市场营销策略。     

Destination diversification as an indicator of activity compatibility: An exploratory analysis

Abstract

The concept of activity packages has long been recognized as an important basis for planning outdoor recreation activities. Recent studies suggest, however, that because of definitional and methodological problems, little has been accomplished in helping park planners assess the degree to which activities can be planned together. In this study, we explore the relationship between participation in recreation activities and the number of facilities at which activity takes place. The results suggest that this relationship can be used as a reliable indicator of the degree to which recreation activities are perceived to be compatible. The analyses also suggest that households generally tend to perceive compatibility among recreation activities in the same way regardless of their socioeconomic status. The implications of these findings are considered and shown to be important within the context of park planning.     

家庭生命周期与旅游态度的关联研究——以长沙市居民为例

家庭是旅游态度形成的最重要环境背景,也一直是旅游活动的重要组织单元,探究家庭生命周期与旅游态度的关系意义重大.文章依据已有研究成果,建立家庭生命周期模型,制定旅游态度量表,以问卷工具面向长沙市居民进行调查,获得基础数据,运用因子分析得到了追求享受、强调卫生、看重设施、向往体验、关注身心健康等5个方面的旅游态度主成分,通过验证性因子分析后,再用相关分析、多元回归分析探究家庭生命周期与旅游态度5个主成分的关系.结果表明,随着家庭生命周期的演进,人们愈发追求享受、看重设施、关注身心健康.无巢期人群看重设施和关注身心健康的表现低于其他阶段人群,空巢期人群追求享受的表现高于其他阶段人群,空巢期、鳏寡期人群关注身心健康的表现高于其他阶段人群,满巢期人群向往体验的表现高于其他阶段人群.     

The 7th Asia-Pacific CHRIE Conference

Despite the increase in use of user-generated electronic content as an information source by tourists, its influence in destination image formation is not yet fully understood. This research aimed to explore the communicated destination image held by tourists to Zanzibar Island (Tanzania) by utilizing communications in Lonely Planet. Content analysis of 214 posts using TextSTAT yielded 13 destination attributes. Comparatively, functional attributes were dominant in potential tourists whereas post-travel image perception was dominated by psychological attributes. Those who have visited tended to have a positive image of the island compared with those who are planning to visit the island. The results necessitate the differential use of the functional- and psychological-based information in communicating with tourists at different information-search stages. Studies to capture communications in another language are recommended as well as the employment of methodologies that might reveal hidden images held by tourists.     

社会网络视角下旅游线路研究——以新疆为例

多目的地旅游已成为当前一种重要的出行方式,因此,合理设置和安排旅游线路是旅游市场供需双方共同关注的焦点。但以往的研究仍停留在线路的描述上,未能对其成因进行系统阐释。在梳理和评述相关文献的基础上,文章以新疆目的地网络为例,进行问卷调查,并利用社会网络视角及分析方法,通过整体网和个体网两个层面探寻旅游线路形成的内在机理。网络分析结果表明,新疆已初步形成以喀纳斯为中心的目的地网络,而以中心度和结构洞为代表的目的地网络结构特征是多样化旅游线路形成的关键所在。研究结论对现有旅游线路研究在理论、研究方法和实践方面有重要启示和指导意义。     

基于出游动机的游客目的地选择的离散选择模型研究

旅游目的地选择是游客选择行为研究中研究较为广泛的领域之一.现有文献利用了社会、经济、地理等诸多模型和理论对目的地选择进行了研究和探讨.基于随机效用最大化的离散选择模型在游客目的地选择研究中有广泛的应用,但是缺乏属性交互项对于目的地选择的抑制或者激励作用的研究.本文利用2002年江苏省国内游客抽样调查原始资料数据这一选择完成式类型的数据构建了两个二项Logistic回归模型,讨论了寻求闲适安静环境、探亲访友、公务出游3种出游动机对于出游距离以及旅行花费的影响.研究发现寻求闲适安静环境出游动机的游客倾向于选择远距离的目的地,且这类游客也愿意增加旅行花费;出于探亲访友这一动机出游的游客则更愿意选择靠近自己居所的旅游目的地,且不倾向于增加自身的旅行花费;公务出游的游客倾向于选择远距离目的地,也倾向于增加他们的旅行花费.     

Perceptions of Taipei as Revealed in Travel Blogs: A Tale from Two Sides

This paper analyzed 200 travel blog entries posted by 100 Mainland Chinese visitors and 100 local Taiwanese visitors to Taipei, the capital city of The Republic of China. The paper is unique in three ways. First, it provides external and internal perceptions toward a destination; secondly, it combines a Chinese coding system to segment texts and computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software to count keywords frequency; and finally, it visually presents the differences between two groups of bloggers in terms of the importance and affections visitors attached to Taipei in six image dimensions. Managerial implication is further enhanced when visitors' perception is compared with those messages promoted by destination marketing organizations. Overall, both groups of bloggers expressed more positive perceptions toward frequently mentioned image dimensions such as meals, sightseeing, and transportation. Mainland Chinese bloggers mainly saw Taipei through certain frames of reference that were manifested in promotional messages, thus creating a “circle” of representation in blogosphere.     

The antecedents of hashtag and geotag use in smart tourism: case study in Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This study aims to determine what factors that motivate users to use the hashtag and geotag features on Instagram while traveling. It also seeks to determine the relationship between using Instagram features, traveling experience, expectation, confirmation, and satisfaction on traveling journeys. This study collected data from 606 Indonesian travelers. Then, the data analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling. Results show that the use of hashtags and geotags during traveling improve their satisfaction. Additionally, information seeking, chronicling, and etiquette are found to be influencing hashtag use. Meanwhile, geotag use are influenced by geotag enjoyment and anticipated rewards.     

中国国际级旅游目的地建设的重新审视——基于国外旅行商视角

全国各地旅游资源评价中被评为国际级的旅游资源数不胜数,以国际级旅游目的地或旅游城市建设为目标的地方也数量甚众.而真正在国外,特别是西方民众心目中有印象和影响的中国知名旅游品牌则非常有限.本研究通过分析境外5家大型旅游经营商所涉及的中国旅游线路来重新审视中国国际级旅游目的地问题.分析发现,现有旅游资源评价体系并不能全面衡量目的地吸引力.在国内一般人看来很有名的地方,在国外旅行商的营销系统中却没有涉及.因此,以国际视角来看待并开发我国的旅游资源,并从营销方法上适当结合国际已有的认知,提高针对性和方略性可能会是一个有效的途径.     

A Missing Link in Understanding Revisit Intention—The Role of Motivation and Image

This study addresses two gaps in the research on tourist revisit intention: the impact of the pre-visit psychological factor of travel motivation and its relationship with destination image. Path analysis is adopted to examine the relationships among destination image, travel motivation, and revisit intention in a rural tourism context. A causal relationship is detected between three motivation dimensions, two image dimensions, and revisit intention. All three motivational constructs (intellectual, escape, and belonging) exert a significant influence on the cognitive dimension of image, whereas only the motivation construct of escape is significantly related to the affective dimension of image. A causal relationship is also identified between the affective dimension of image and revisit intention.     

How would the contextual features of a destination function together with individual factors to enhance tourists’ intention toward ST in Taiwan?

Abstract

Slow travel (ST), which emphasizes deeper experiences via slower transportation modes, has been promoted as an alternative to current practice and a more sustainable form of tourism. With lower GHG emissions being a national environmental goal in Taiwan, ST concepts have been garnering attention. The relationship between the environments of destinations and pro-environmental behavior of tourists has attracted relatively little academic attention. To remedy this, the current research establishes a fairly complete model for incorporating factors at the contextual level into the individual determinants useful in encouraging ST. The goal of this research is to understand how certain predictors directly and interactively influence the choices of tourists toward ST. This study collected 508 validly filled surveys addressing 13 industrial tourist destinations, and applied Hierarchical Linear and Nonlinear Modeling (HLM) analyses. In addition to the individual-level factors, including perceived benefits of tourism experiences and ages of tourists, the design of onsite tourism programs at the contextual level was one of the most influential drivers to encourage visitors’ ST intentions. Included in this research are the insights into how to promote ST and corresponding suggestions for tourism operations within the context of sustainable tourism and destination management.     

The Situational Influence of Travel Group Composition

Abstract

A substantial amount of statistics and articles in travel magazines indicated that family vacation travel is one of the major worldwide trends. However, very limited empirical research has been dedicated to this special market segment. This study examined Japanese family travelers to Taiwan by comparing and contrasting them with other travel companionship groups including traveling with friends and traveling alone. The importance of travel group composition segmentation was explained and conceptualized through the understanding of the value of social groups from sociology perspective. The results indicated that Japanese family travelers exhibited unique characteristics when traveling. Family travelers tended to be more motivated by learning oriented themes and participated enthusiastically in activities that facilitated experiential learning as well as total physical relaxation. The “traveling with friends” and “traveling solo” segments tended to be seeking more of activities that had strong entertaining and socializing undertones. The traveling solo group appeared to be the most evasive or the least understood in what their needs and preferences were. Marketing implications were discussed.