An evaluation of satisfaction levels among Chinese tourists in Vietnam

This paper examines the extent to which Vietnam satisfies the various destination attributes sought by Chinese tourists. The research investigates a number of variables, including socio‐demographics and travel characteristics, and compares the importance that travellers attach to various destination attributes with their associated satisfaction with Vietnam's various tourism products. By investigating the relationship between importance and satisfaction from the perspective of Chinese tourists, the paper makes a contribution to the literature. The findings should provide Vietnamese service providers with insights into the perceptions and satisfaction levels of Chinese tourists. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing mainland Chinese tourists' satisfaction with Hong Kong using tourist satisfaction index

The purpose of this study is to test a two‐step tourist satisfaction index framework empirically. The first step estimates sectoral‐level satisfaction indexes based on a structural equation model, and the second obtains an overall tourist satisfaction index by conducting second‐order confirmatory factor analysis. This study is a pilot test of the theoretical framework based on three tourism‐related service sectors in Hong Kong. The results indicate that mainland Chinese tourists are most satisfied with the hotel sector in Hong Kong, followed by the retail sector, and least satisfied with local tour operators. The aggregate tourist satisfaction index is 74.04 out of 100. The results of this study have important practical implications for long‐term destination management. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Up in Smoke? The Impact of Smog on Risk Perception and Satisfaction of International Tourists in Beijing

This research explored the perceptions of on‐site international tourists towards the smog in Beijing. A scale measuring the degree of tourists' concern about smog conditions was developed. The links among smog concern, risk perception, trip satisfaction and destination loyalty were tested with a structural equation model. Direct relationships were found for the hypothesized effects of smog concern on risk perception and satisfaction. Further, the influence of risk perception on reducing satisfaction as well as the role of satisfaction in forming revisit intention (loyalty) was identified. The broad concerns of this study are applicable across all key Chinese tourism cities visited by international tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Symbolic,Experiential and Functional Consumptions of Heritage Tourism Destinations: The Case of Angkor World Heritage Site,Cambodia

This study empirically investigates the effects of three destination consumptions (namely symbolic, experiential and functional) on tourists' destination attachment and satisfaction, and further on destination loyalty at a heritage tourism destinations. Using a sample of 512 international tourists visiting Angkor, Cambodia, results reveal that all three types of consumptions have significantly positive effects on destination attachment and satisfaction, which in turn positively affect destination loyalty. However, the effects of symbolic consumption and experiential consumption are greater than that of functional consumption. The results also support the importance of the role of destination attachment in the quality–satisfaction–loyalty relationship. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

International tourists' perceptions of Myanmar as a tourist destination in the crisis: A comparative study among three continents

Myanmar has emerged as a popular tourist destination following its recent political transformation, with the Travel and Tourism sector contributing significantly to the country's GDP. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges for the global tourism industry and Myanmar, including travel restrictions, border closures, and health concerns. This study examines the levels of satisfaction and inconvenience experienced by tourists from Asia, Europe, and America who visited Myanmar during the early stages of the pandemic. A sample of 202 tourists was collected from Yangon and Myeik, two prominent tourist destinations in Myanmar. Various statistical tests were employed to analyze international tourists' perceptions of Myanmar tourism. The findings revealed that tourists from all three regions expressed satisfaction with the natural scenery, historical sites and architectural design, and traditional costumes offered by Myanmar. The implications of the study are discussed.     

Segmenting mainland Chinese residents based on experience,intention and desire to visit Hong Kong

The general consensus among marketers is that the People's Republic of China will have an enormous impact on the world's economy. However, much of this discussion is centred on China's strength as a centre of manufacturing and exports. The increase in affluence in pockets of China's 1.3 billion residents has also been the focus of firms interested in this large and virtually untapped consumer market. However, relatively little attention has been given to this market as potential sources of tourists. The purpose of this study was to profile the important visitor segments from mainland China who had previously visited, had the intention to visit or desired to visit Hong Kong—a destination traditionally priced and positioned for Western markets. Based on a sample of 470 Chinese from three cities in the mainland, the distinctive characteristics of tourists who had previously visited Hong Kong and who had strong intentions or interest to visit in the future were identified. It is hoped that this information will help tourism marketing professionals not only gain insights as to the potential of China as a source of visitors, but also highlight a useful approach to the market segmentation process. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cultural comparison of tourists' safety perception in relation to trip satisfaction

Although safety and security are seen as a priori for a prosperous tourism industry in any destination, safety and security perception and its influence on tourist behaviour have received limited empirical attention from researchers. This study investigated tourists' perception of the safety and security of a destination in relation to the level of satisfaction with their trip, using Turkey and its visitors as a case in point. The stepwise regression analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between trip satisfaction, safety and security‐related variables, existence of product or service failure, and selected demographic variables. Results showed that positive perception of Turkey's hygiene and health, and safety and security helped visitors to have greater trip satisfaction, especially if they stayed longer and enjoyed their trip without any product or service failure; however, German tourists and tourists with a secondary school degree are more likely to have less trip satisfaction. Practical implications and future research suggestions are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Destination environment quality and tourists' spatial behaviour in Nigeria: a case study of third world tropical Africa

In order to ascertain important features of tourist behaviour and destination environments that could form the basis for destination quality improvement in Nigeria, 376 tourists were randomly sampled from seven tourism destinations, using a simple rating scheme in a questionnaire survey. Results obtained showed that activities involving leisure/recreation, cultural appreciation and appreciation of nature, history and cultural artifacts were dominant experiences, values and motivation for destination visit. Results also showed variations in quality of environmental features between tourists in various destinations and between foreign and domestic tourists in their spatial behaviour, values and motivations. The study provides unique implications for tourism planning management and marketing, and a context for cross‐cultural comparison with similar western studies. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.     

Destination image,on-site experience and behavioural intentions: path analytic validation of a marketing model on domestic tourists

Despite its contribution to the national economy, domestic tourism is one of the most neglected and under-researched forms of tourism in the literature. This study tested an integrated path model examining the interrelationships between destination image, perceived quality, satisfaction and behavioural intentions, using domestic tourists who visited Eilat, Israel. The findings support the hierarchical relationships between image, quality, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. In addition, the affective image component was found to exert a far greater impact on the overall destination image than the cognitive component. The study establishes a better understanding of domestic tourists’ destination image and behavioural intention formulation. It also provides a number of implications for destination managers targeting the voluminous domestic segment.     

Tourists' perception of health tourism before and after COVID-19

Health tourism has received increasing attention from academic researchers from a global perspective. Although mainland China (hereafter referred to as “China”) has long been recognized as a health tourism destination, its health tourism development is still in its infancy stage. Hence, to minimize the aforementioned gap, the present study explored the perception of health tourism and effective health tourism promotion methods from the perspective of tourists before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The major findings of this study showed that tourists perceived wellness tourism and medical tourism as critical activities/components after the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Investigating the effects of a shared bike for tourism use on the tourist experience and its consequences

ABSTRACT

As public bike-sharing systems have been widely set up in cities around the world, a shared bike for tourism use can enhance tourists’ experience at destinations and lead to tourists’ post-visit evaluations. Thus, this research explores the attributional effects of the value of using shared bikes (namely, instrumental value and affective value) on tourists’ emotional experience (namely, hedonics and perceived uniqueness) as well as on satisfaction and destination loyalty. We obtain a sample of 302 tourists using shared bikes as transport modes during their visits to examine the proposed relationship model. Results show that both instrumental and affective values of shared bike use positively relate to hedonics and perceived uniqueness experiences. While both hedonics and perceived uniqueness have positive effects on satisfaction, only perceived uniqueness shows a positive effect on destination loyalty. The findings of multi-group analyses indicate that the direct effects of the tourism experience on destination loyalty are significantly positive for the low-motivation group but not for the high-motivation group. Empirical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed herein.     

The effect of service quality and satisfaction on destination attractiveness of sub-Saharan African countries: the case of Ghana

This paper examines the functional forms of service quality (SQ) and satisfaction in relation to destination attractiveness. It focuses on the varying influence of destination characteristics, customer economics, and demographic variables to explore how SQ might be used to improve value positioning and, therefore, potential attractiveness of Ghana as a destination choice for tourists. Using methods triangulation data collection protocol, the paper finds causal links between SQ and selected composites of destination attractiveness (destination attributes, support services, facilities, and people-related factors) in the degree to which they influence customer satisfaction and return-visit intentions. The paper contributes refreshing insights useful for segmentation marketing, tour planning, and product/service development. The implications are far-reaching when considered alongside the fact that Ghana is relatively a new entrant into the organised tourism marketing arena and has the consequent imperative to scale-up structural and human capabilities to compete effectively with the more established global competitors.     

Mix between Satisfaction and Attributes Destination Choice: A Segmentation Criterion to Understand the Ski Resorts Consumers

This study examined the attributes prioritized by tourists when choosing a winter sports destination and their degree of satisfaction with the services provided by Portugal's only ski resort. Two hundred tourists completed a questionnaire with factor analysis then deployed to extract the data that served as the basis for cluster analysis. Our results report discrepancies between the attributes valued by tourists when choosing winter sports destinations and their degree of satisfaction with the ski resort's services. Moreover, the combination between attributes/motivations prevailing in destination selection and the subsequent satisfaction with the services provided may generate information of relevance to evaluating organizational competitiveness. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The moderating role of past experience in the formation of a tourist destination's image and in tourists’ behavioural intentions

The aim of this work is to understand the moderating effects of tourists’ prior experiences of a given destination on the process of image formation (in both its cognitive and affective dimensions) for that destination and on the influence that the image – together with the tourist's satisfaction – has on their loyalty-driven behaviours as expressed in the intention to recommend. To achieve this aim, a sample of 512 tourists was used and a multi-group analysis performed, distinguishing between first-time and repeat visitors. The findings reveal that experience has a moderating effect on the formation of the cognitive image and on the influence of the tourist's satisfaction on the overall image of the tourist destination. These findings have significant management implications in the context of helping to create and appropriately manage the image of a tourist destination.     

Groomed spaces on Jeju Island: A typology of photographic representations for tourism

Jeju Island is a major domestic tourism destination in South Korea and is an increasingly significant international tourism destination, especially for the Japanese and Chinese markets. The Jeju provincial government strongly supports the tourism industry and has, along with the Korean central government, invested heavily in the construction of tourism infrastructure and tourism promotion. There is an abundance of printed literature available to tourists, in the form of brochures and guidebooks, during their stay in Jeju Island. In this study, the types of photographic representations found in that media is identified using a previously developed typology of four ‘spaces’ and four ‘subjects’. Content analysis of a proportional sample of 4115 pages in 225 tourist guidebooks and brochures determined the frequencies of certain ‘types’ of photographs. Further interpretive analysis probes the intentions behind the imagery, if any exist, towards the representational construction of this island's destination image as it appears to the tourist reader. Theoretical issues related to destination image and its representations are explored in light of the findings and implications for tourism policy and management are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Guided Tour Influence on Cruise Tourist Experience in a Port of Call: An eWOM and Questionnaire‐Based Approach

The study aims at exploring the importance of guided tours in cruise tourists experience while visiting a port of call and analyzing qualitative (electronic word of mouth from Tripadvisor) and quantitative (personal interviews with tourists) data. The results obtained from the electronic word of mouth analysis suggest that taking a guided tour is a highly satisfactory and sentimentally positive experience for the cruise tourist. Moreover, the empirical findings revealed that taking a guided tour has a moderating effect on (1) the interaction between destination image–satisfaction, (2) the satisfaction–loyalty causal relationship and (3) the destination image formation process regarding the infrastructure and atmosphere, and tourism resources image dimensions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non‐participation of Domestic Tourism: Analyzing the Influence of Discouraging Factors

This study analyzes the factors that discourage non‐tourists' participation in domestic tourism. Data were collected in 15 cities in China and analyzed using a comparative analysis and non‐parametric ridit analysis. The findings indicate that (i) non‐tourists have low internal travel motivation and attitude and are more likely to be under 25 or above 55 years old, less educated, less healthy, with small child(ren) and lower income; (ii) non‐tourists consider less on destination environment and attraction, but focus on price and travel expenses when making a travel decision and destination choice; and (iii) economic and leisure time are their main situational travel constrains. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Image Difference Between Culture and Nature Destination Visitors in Tropical Africa: Case Study of Nigeria

The study evaluates images of tourism destinations in diverse cultures and nature destinations in Nigeria amongst 880 domestic and foreign tourists surveyed by systematic random sampling. Colour photographs and structure questionnaires were employed to evaluate the destination preferences and images considered very important to various tourist groups, and comparison was also undertaken through chi-square test. The results revealed nature destinations, especially ecotourism/wildlife and landform areas, as desired most by tourists. Natural attraction, landform features, facilities/ amenities and historic/archeological features represented most important images underlying destination perception and selection. Safety/security and prompt services/ personal quality were least appreciated destination features. Significant differences emerged between domestic and foreign tourists and tourist groups in various destinations, in types of destinations preferred and in environmental images held of tourism destinations. Implications of the study for destination planning, management and marketing are highlighted.     

Creative tourism and visitor motivation

Creative tourism has been explained as a new genre of tourism that offers the visitor an opportunity to develop their creative potential through an engaged experience in the destination visited. Despite a growing literature on the topic, little attention has been given to examining what motivates creative tourists to visit particular places and events. This paper aims to address this research gap by applying the push-pull framework to investigate the travel motivations of creative tourists. To do so, the responsive interviewing model was employed to survey 20 of such tourists who had visited creative spaces and spectacles in three of China's UNESCO-designated creative cities. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews, a new push-pull framework is introduced to conceptualise the travel motivations of creative tourists. Our paper concludes with practical considerations for destination managers seeking to design and market creative tourism experiences.     

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.