An examination of the differences in retail service evaluation between domestic and tourist shoppers in Hong Kong

In recent years, the concept of customer perceived value has attracted increasing attention among practitioners and academics. Despite a growing body of literature, calls remain for more sophisticated measures of the construct. This paper investigates an expanded scale of customer perceived value among two shopper groups and its resulting impact on retail performance. Findings reveal distinct differences in the drivers of customer perceived value between local and tourist shoppers in Hong Kong. Results offer significant implications for retailers and future research in this strategically important area.     

An Investigation of Gen-Y's Online Hotel Information Search: The Case of Hong Kong

The Internet has made searching for hotel room information and making online reservations common practices among hotel guests. Despite constantly changing consumer behavior and widespread application of online hotel information sources, limited studies have been conducted to examine the online sources used frequently by customers and the related attributes of such sources. As such, drawing from an online questionnaire survey with 205 respondents, findings in this study indicate that there are no socio-demographic effects on future purchase intention of Generation (Gen) Y travelers. Moreover, websites of suppliers (e.g. official websites of hotels), travel intermediaries (e.g. Hotels.com), and social media (e.g. TripAdvisor) are the three major types of websites used by Gen Y hotel guests. Travel intermediary websites are often used to search for hotel information, whereas social media websites are used to make reservations. Based on these findings, implications for hotel managers are discussed.     

A Structural Model to Examine How Destination Image,Attitude, and Motivation Affect the Future Behavior of Tourists

This study examines a behavioral model of wetlands tourism using variables of destination image, attitude, motivation, satisfaction and future behavior for tourists at Cigu, Sihcao and Haomeiliao in southwestern Taiwan. Empirical results indicate that destination image directly affects satisfaction and indirectly affects future behavior. Tourist attitude directly affects satisfaction and indirectly affects future behavior, while tourist motivation directly affects satisfaction and indirectly affects future behavior. Tourist satisfaction had a significant influence on future behavior, and satisfaction proved a significant mediating variable within this behavioral model.     

我国自驾车旅游者行为研究——以华北地区为例

自驾车旅游以自由、自主、自助的突出特点被旅游者广泛接受和喜爱,是我国近几年快速发展的专项旅游.本文以华北地区自驾车旅游者为主要研究对象,用历时一年多的时间对大量自驾车旅游者进行了旅游行为问卷调查和访谈记录,获得千余份有效问卷,在此基础上开展了自驾车旅游者的行为研究,对自驾车旅游者的旅游动机、决策影响因素、消费行为等作了深入分析,并对自驾车旅游者的行为特征进行了总结.     

感知购物环境对旅游者购物行为的影响机制研究——旅游者购物情绪的媒介作用

在相关研究的基础上,本文运用结构方程建模方法建立了感知购物环境对旅游者购物行为的全影响和间接影响模型,通过对两个模型的对比分析,发现了感知购物环境影响旅游者购物行为的路径机制,即感知购物环境对旅游者购物行为的影响是通过改变旅游者的购物情绪而实现的,旅游者购物情绪在环境→情绪→行为这一路径中起到非常重要的媒介作用。最后,本文提出了管理建议。     

Travel-Related Behavior of Japanese Leisure Tourists: A Review and Discussion

Summary

Japan has emerged as a leading generator of international tourism in the past decade. Given the importance of Japanese tourists to the global tourism industry, understanding of their travel-related behavior has become an essential item in the tourism research agenda. A review of literature revealed that a number of studies related to various aspects of Japanese tourists' behavior was reported. However, these studies did not follow any systematic themes of research and the information generated by these studies has not been well conceptualized. Therefore, this paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the literature which pertains to the travel-related behavior of Japanese leisure tourists and to conceptualize the major behavioral attributes and findings of reported research.     

Outlying Islands as a Tourist Destination for Local Residents: The Case of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong

Cheung Chau is an outlying island in Hong Kong, which is relatively untouched by the region's rapid economic development. The island provides a dramatic contrast to the cosmopolitan city center, one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia and a major business hub. This makes Cheung Chau a special attraction for local residents seeking to get away from their routine lives. However, no published studies have examined the opinions of residents on sustainable tourism development on Hong Kong's outlying islands and the motivating factors that drive residents to visit those islands. Hence, an exploratory qualitative study was undertaken to develop an understanding of the public's motivation for visiting Cheung Chau. The results of in-depth interviews with 15 residents who had visited the island are presented, along with an examination of the future direction of tourism development in Cheung Chau.     

Examining the Effect of Tour Guide Performance,Tourist Trust,Tourist Satisfaction,and Flow Experience on Tourists' Shopping Behavior

This study contributes to a model describing the effect of tour guide performance on tourist shopping behavior by examining the mediating effects of perceived credibility trust, perceived benevolence trust, and tourist satisfaction as well as the moderating effect of flow experience. Our analysis confirms that tour guide performance has positive effects on perceived credibility trust, perceived benevolence trust, and tourist satisfaction. However, only perceived benevolence trust and tourist satisfaction mediate the relationships between tour guide performance and tourist shopping behavior. Nevertheless, tour guide performance, as evaluated through perceived credibility trust and tourist satisfaction, has the strongest effect on tourist shopping behavior when compared to other routes in the model. In addition, the moderating effect of flow experience is confirmed in the perceived benevolence trust and tourist shopping behavior relationship, but it does not have any effects on other links. In light of our findings, managerial implications are discussed as well.     

An exploratory study of an internship program: The case of Hong Kong students

This study aimed to investigate the difference between expectations and perceptions of hospitality students towards their internship program, and to assess the relationship between the difference and overall satisfaction. Altogether, a total of 307 usable questionnaires were returned. The results show that three internship factors of supervisor, team spirit and involvement, autonomy and help from supervisor led to student overall satisfaction. Based on the findings, recommendations for hospitality schools, industry practitioners, and students were provided in order to enhance the quality of internship programs.     

Examining Cultural Worldview and Experience by International Tourists: A Case of Traditional House Stay

The purpose of the study was to investigate relationships between cultural worldview (CW), cultural experiential dimensions, and satisfaction among international travelers who stayed at Hanok, a traditional house in South Korea. Findings of the study show that respondents' CW and experience were significantly different with respect to the respondents' origin of residence. Americans and Europeans shared a similar CW, whereas Japanese and Chinese expressed a similar view on CW. The strong and significant prediction on satisfaction by all experience dimensions warranted the importance of experiential qualities of tourism products and services in the cultural tourism context.     

Market Segmentation of International Tourists Based on Motivation to Travel: A Case Study of Taiwan

Tourism represents a principal sector of the economy of Taiwan. Consequently, the government is currently focusing on developing the country as a major tourist destination in Asia. Thus, the primary aims of this research were to explore factors related to tourists’ motivations to visit Taiwan as well as the demographic segmentation of these foreign tourists. Using a convenience sample, 249 surveys were collected and analyzed. The results show that five push (enlightenment and reputation; unusual and affection; freedom; interpersonal communication and sharing; and family and friends relationship) and six pull factors (attitude and quality of service; cost, shopping, and tasting; diverse attraction; culture connections; sport facilities, wildlife and events; and accessibility) play important roles in the motivations of foreign tourists. Furthermore, foreign tourists can be clustered into five groups based on motivation (scenery/knowledge seekers, accessibility/expenditure seekers, relaxation/relation seekers, novelty/experience seekers, sport/service seekers) and five demographic groups (gender, age, marital status, nationality, and income). According to these results, suggestions are made as to how Taiwan could effectively develop tourism policies and marketing strategies to attract international tourists.     

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.     

Travel Motivation,Destination Image and Visitor Satisfaction of International Tourists After the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake: A Structural Modelling Approach

This study investigates the relationships between travel motivation, destination image and overall satisfaction of international tourists visiting Sichuan province after the great Wenchuan earthquake of 2008. Did the earthquake influence tourist’ motivations for visiting Sichuan either positively or negatively, and did the earthquake affect their image of the province as desirable travel destination? Survey data collected from 346 international tourists in Chengdu, the provincial capital, revealed that respondents were primarily motivated by Sichuan's traditional attractions – its scenery and the giant pandas native to the area rather than by the earthquake. Structural equation modelling revealed a statistically significant relationship between travel motivation and overall visitor satisfaction, as well as relationships between travel motivation and types of destination image. Furthermore, both positive and negative destination images seem to have an effect on overall satisfaction. This study implies that international tourists to Sichuan tend to visit for its scenery and wildlife; the 2008 earthquake has had little effect on their travel motivations and destination images; and these visitors hold positive images of the province.     

Factors Affecting Outbound Tourists' Destination Choice: The Case of Hong Kong

Trip expenditure, length of stay during the trip, size of the travel party, monthly household income, discovering new places and/or things, and getting away from daily routine, role, obligation, stress and troubles have significant influence on Hong Kong residents' destination choice. Hong Kong residents' destination choice is highly associated with trip characteristic in comparison to socio-demographics and travel motivation factors. Destinations close to Hong Kong can focus on packaging their products with shorter trip lengths and making the packages attractive to travel companions in addition to the travelers. Destinations that are relatively far away from Hong Kong should focus on packaging their products to attract the Hong Kong outbound travelers with longer trip lengths and plan activities that cater to individual needs.     

The Perceived Destination Image of Hong Kong as Revealed in the Travel Blogs of Mainland Chinese Tourists

This study investigated travel blogs as a manifestation of the travel experience, along with the destination image of Hong Kong from the perspective of tourists from mainland China. Recently published blog entries were selected and analyzed using content analysis. Empirical results indicated that the overall perceived destination image of Hong Kong was positive, with particular strengths in transportation, the harbor, and outlying islands. The major weaknesses of Hong Kong as a travel destination were the price of meals outside hotels, rooms in five-star hotels, and the quality of cosmetics and skincare products. This article has implications for policymakers and practitioners with regard to making use of travel blogs to gather authentic visitor comments on Hong Kong.     

The Channel That Offers the Lowest Online Room Rates: A Case Study of Hotels in Hong Kong

Online distribution channels increasingly serve as platforms hotels can use to offer competitive room rates to attract price-sensitive customers and maximize yield. Capturing the lowest and highest daily room rates over a 360-day period from five of the most popular online travel agencies, and two batches of data showing the lowest room rates over 28 days from a last-minute bookings website, this study compares the lowest prices offered. The results indicate that no single online channel outperforms the others in any of the hotel star-rating categories, and that the last-minute reservation service provides the lowest hotel room rate across different star ratings.     

The Importance of Hotel Attributes in Contributing to Travelers' Satisfaction in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

Abstract

This study surveyed 402 international travelers to explore their satisfaction levels towards service and facility quality in three Hong Kong hotel market segments, High-Tariff A, High-Tariff B and Medium Tariff. Six perception dimensions were extracted from 33 hotel attributes by a factor analysis. All six dimensions had a significant impact on the overall satisfaction of travelers with service quality and facilities in the three Hong Kong hotel market segments. Quality of Staff Performance was the most influential factor followed by Quality of Room Facilities, Value for Money, Variety and Efficient Services, Business Related Services, and Safety and Security respectively. It was found that travelers had the lowest satisfaction level towards the Medium-Tariff hotel segment. By identifying the most influential hotel dimension in influencing travelers' satisfaction levels, hoteliers will be in an advantageous position to formulate tactics to meet the changing needs and expectations of travelers. Implementing human resources training that emphasizes the fact that service quality is part of each employee's job should have a significant impact on guest re-purchase intention. The importance of value segmentation cannot be overlooked by hoteliers. Travelers will continue to expect hotels to provide more value-for-money services and facilities and they are expected to shift their purchasing decision to an economic value basis.     

Why do They Come Back? The Effects of Winery Tourists’ Motivations and Satisfaction on the Number of Visits and Revisit Intentions

ABSTRACT

Few studies have examined the influence of winery tourists’ motivations and satisfaction on number of visits and revisit intentions. This study examined these relationships through 1602 online survey responses from former winery visitors. The data were analyzed through a series of multiple regression analyses. Findings show that among tourists’ motivations, the reputation, reviews, and perceived quality of the winery and its wines significantly affect the number of visits and revisit intentions, while media exposure affects revisit intentions. Further, visitors’ satisfaction with the winery significantly impacts revisit intentions. While visitors’ geographic proximity to the winery increased the number of visits, as expected, distance from the winery is shown to increase revisit intentions. Finally, the number of previous visits had a significant positive effect on revisit intentions.     

A Multilevel Investigation of the Role of Retail Stores in Cross-Border Shopping

This study postulates that individual retail stores play a central role in attracting tourists to engage in cross-border shopping, and it examines both individual-level and store-level effects on cross-border shopping motives and behaviors. It proposes a framework of relationships leading from cross-border shopping motives to store outcomes and destination outcomes through the mediating roles of store loyalty program benefits and store shopping satisfaction. This study further examines the cross-level direct and moderating effects of store brand image. By using a multilevel design, this study seeks to better identify the role of retail stores in tourism shopping.