Wine tourism involvement: a segmentation of Chinese tourists

ABSTRACT

This study profiles the Chinese wine tourist market based on levels of consumer involvement. Using a sample of 503 Chinese wine tourists visiting Australian wineries, the study identified four dimensions of involvement in wine tourism among Chinese tourists: Interests and Importance, Risk Importance and Possibility, Risk Avoidance, and Status Value. Based on the various levels of involvement, four clusters of Chinese wine tourists were identified: low-involvement wine tourists, highly involved wine tourists, interest-driven wine tourists, and high-risk perception wine tourists. For the group size, high-risk perception wine tourists included the highest number of people in the sample, while a relatively small number of people belonged to the interest-driven group. Significant differences were found for behavioral variables and activity participation level across the four clusters, but similarity outweighed the differences among demographic and socio-economic variables. The research proceeded to theoretical and marketing implications.     

Food tourist segmentation: Attitude,behavioral intentions and travel planning behavior based on food involvement and motivation

This study assessed attitudes, intentions, and travel planning behavior for potential food tourists. Using two-step cluster analysis, respondents were segmented into three groups based on food involvement and motivation. These clusters had high, moderate, and low food involvement and motivation levels, respectively. Findings suggest moderate motivation and involvement food tourists are the largest group, but high motivation and involvement food tourists should be pursued by practitioners. They have the most positive attitudes and strongest intentions to consume local cuisine. Further, high motivation and involvement food tourists are most likely to select a destination based on the availability of food-related activities.     

Modelling the relationship between attribute satisfaction,overall satisfaction,and behavioural intentions in Australian ski resorts

This study models the relationship between attribute satisfaction, overall satisfaction, and behavioural intentions within the context of ski resorts. Utilising a sample of 426 respondents, K-means cluster analysis is used to develop five motivational ski tourist segments, and the influence of attribute satisfaction on overall satisfaction is determined for each tourist segment. A structural equation model (SEM) is used to confirm the relationship between attribute satisfaction, overall satisfaction and behavioural intentions. The study found that different tourist segments were motivated by different attributes and it is not necessary for all attributes to be satisfied in order to achieve overall satisfaction and positive behavioural intentions. The results provide destination managers with insights to influence overall satisfaction, manage tourists’ behavioural intentions, and improve destination competitiveness.     

Vivid-memory formation through experiential value in the context of the international industrial exhibition

This study empirically tests the relationships between experiential value, vividness, storytelling intentions, and patronage intentions in the industrial exhibitions, and examines the moderating effect of mementos. A total of 211 respondents were recruited from visitors to the international game exhibition. According to the results, (1) three dimensions of experiential value (service excellence, playfulness, and aesthetics) had positive effects on vividness, (2) vividness positively influenced storytelling and patronage intentions, (3) storytelling intentions increased patronage intentions, and (4) mementos had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between vividness and storytelling intentions but not on the relationship between vividness and patronage intentions.     

Effects of corporate social responsibility and internal marketing on organizational commitment and turnover intentions

This study examined the effects of four aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (i.e., economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibility) and five aspects of internal marketing (IM) (i.e., welfare system, training, compensation, communication, and management support) on employees’ organizational commitment (OC) and turnover intentions (TI) in the casino industry. Based on survey data collected from 310 employees working for a casino company, the relationships were examined using confirmatory factor analysis, second-order factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The results indicate that both employees’ perceptions of CSR and IM are positively related to their OC and negatively to their TI, suggesting that adding CSR programs to existing IM programs is likely to improve desirable employee work attitudes such as OC, which in turn contributes to decreasing TI. This study makes a contribution to the literature by conceptually and empirically evaluating CSR and IM dimensions simultaneously in the casino environment.     

The influence of recreation experience and environmental attitude on the environmentally responsible behavior of community-based tourists in Taiwan

This study examines the relationships between recreation experience, environmental attitude, and the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of tourists at Taomi and Smangus in Taiwan. The first is an agriculturally based community and the second home to one of Taiwan's ethnic minorities. A total of 862 usable questionnaires (432 for Taomi and 430 for Smangus) were collected in this study. The empirical results indicate that recreation experience is positively and significantly related to environmental attitudes among tourists. Environmental attitudes are also positively and significantly related to general and site-specific tourist behaviors and mediate the relationship between recreation experience and environmentally responsible behavior. The paper contributes to the literature by examining the structural linear relationships between recreation experience, environmental attitudes, and environmentally responsible behavior. This study suggests that tourism destination providers should provide pro-environmental activities, ecotourism experiences, and interpretations of environmental issues to enhance tourists' environmental attitude and general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior, thereby potentially reducing the adverse environmental effect produced by tourists during daily life and at tourism destinations. Reducing the adverse environmental effect of tourism destinations will benefit the development of sustainable community-based tourism.     

Revisiting the host city: An empirical examination of sport involvement,place attachment,event satisfaction and spectator intentions at the London Olympics

This paper tests a model based on hypothesized relationships among sport involvement, place evaluations; at the level of venue and host city, and event satisfaction as antecedents of behavioral intentions. The relationships are explored among a sample of people attending the 2012 London Olympic Games (n = 603). Spectators completed questionnaires at event venues, providing responses at the place and time of the consumptive experience. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to determine the dimensions of the constructs and to test the validity of measurement items. The structural model indicated that sport involvement and place attachment influenced revisit intentions but this was not the case for event satisfaction. This suggests that although tourism will benefit when spectators experience a psychological connection with event venues, the Olympic Games offer a distinctive event experience that does not have a direct influence on intentions to revisit the host city.     

Activity Segmentation of the International Heritage Tourism Market to Taiwan

The heritage tourism market has developed from being regarded as a small niche segment to a mainstream market of considerable size. In Taiwan, diversified heritage resources hold considerable appeal to the international tourism market. Little research has been completed on international heritage tourists to Taiwan, so this study utilized Taiwan as a case study and examined international tourists to the destination. It first employed cluster analysis based on activity participation to segment the market and test for the existence of “heritage tourists”. Three groups of international tourists to Taiwan were identified and they were labelled as “heritage”, “shopping” and “non-specialists”. The heritage group had a high participation rate in visiting heritage relics (90.6%). The study also profiled tourists according to the reasons they travelled to Taiwan and socio-demographic variables. The heritage tourists and other activity participation groups were compared to reveal the major motivational and socio-demographic differences involved. The findings showed that “international heritage tourists to Taiwan” were a group of visitors with relatively younger ages, middle levels of income and higher educational levels. The study defined heritage tourists who indicated visiting heritage sites as part of their reason for visiting Taiwan as “motivated heritage visitors”. Other heritage tourists who participated in heritage activities, but did not list heritage tourism as a reason for visiting Taiwan, were defined as “heritage site visitors”. Finally, the study profiled the two groups of heritage tourists and compared them, with significant differences being found in ages and nationalities.     

The effect of on-site experience and place attachment on loyalty: Evidence from Chinese tourists in a hot-spring resort

As an antecedent of place attachment, on-site experience plays a key role in obtaining customer loyalty in the context of a hot-spring resort operation. However, few studies have addressed the consequences of on-site experience in terms of its components and examined empirically the relationship between on-site experience and place attachment. This study was focused on ascertaining the dimensions of on-site experience and examining the relationship between on-site experience and loyalty through place attachment. A conceptualization of on-site experience is proposed, with three dimensions: environmental experience, on-site self-related experience, and on-site social interaction. The results revealed interesting relationships between components of on-site experience and place attachment. Finally, managerial implications of the results are discussed for managers of hot-spring resorts.     

The influence of multiple types of service convenience on behavioral intentions: The mediating role of consumer satisfaction in a Taiwanese leisure setting

Service organizations are looking for ways to better deliver consumer value and to increase consumers’ purchase intentions. Organizations can differentiate themselves by making their services easier to consume, that is, more convenient. Service convenience is complex and is comprised of five convenience types, namely, decision, access, transaction, benefit, and post-benefit. Research into service convenience has examined how these types of convenience affect consumers’ experiences and intentions, but limited research has studied it within a leisure setting. With data collected from a sample of 443 Taiwanese, this research uses mediated regression to examine the influence of the five types of convenience on consumers’ behavioral intentions, and the mediating role satisfaction plays in the relationship. The findings indicate that only benefit and post-benefit convenience are associated with improved behavioral intentions and that satisfaction partially mediates the relationship for those two types of convenience. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

海上丝绸之路旅游体验价值对旅游者文化传播行为的影响

旅游是文化传播的载体,旅游者是文化传播的主体。本文基于情绪评价理论和社会认同理论,构建基于民族自豪感和文化认同的中介效应模型,考察海上丝绸之路（以下简称"海丝"）旅游体验价值对旅游者文化传播行为的影响机制。研究结果表明：旅游体验功能价值和符号价值通过民族自豪感和文化认同影响旅游者的文化传播行为。旅游者在海丝文化旅游体验中形成的集体身份认知诱发民族自豪感,进而将海丝文化符号与民族集体记忆建立情感连接,形成文化认同;在民族自豪感和文化认同的驱使下,旅游者将高度的情感能量转化为具体的文化传播行为。旅游者体验到的民族自豪感和文化认同越多,则实施文化传播行为的可能性越大,文化传播行为又强化了旅游者对自身群体身份的认同。因此,应进一步凝练海丝文化元素符号,凸显海丝文化成就,提高旅游体验价值,提升旅游者民族自豪感与文化认同,进而促进文化传播。     

The role of the rural tourism experience economy in place attachment and behavioral intentions

This study aims to empirically explore the effect of the experience economy on place attachment and behavioral intentions through emotions and memory. To do so, the rural tourism context was selected as it not only provides small accommodation units in the countryside, but is also related to a set of possible activities involving both passive and active participation by guests. The survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to individuals experiencing rural holidays in the South of Portugal. A convenience sample of participants, resulting on 222 usable questionnaires, was employed to test the model. The partial least squares (PLS) approach was used to treat the data. The findings demonstrated the role of pleasant arousal and memory as mediators between experience and behavioral intentions. An excited and pleased guest is more likely to memorize the experience. Nevertheless, the effect of pleasant arousal and memory on place attachment was not proven. The findings also lead to managerial implications, limitations and suggestions for future research.     

Examining the impact of experiential value on emotions,self-connective attachment,and brand loyalty in Korean family restaurants

ABSTRACT

This study examines how experiential value as perceived by customers of Korean family restaurants influences consumption emotions, self-connective attachment to the restaurant brand, and, ultimately, brand loyalty. Having conducted a comprehensive literature review, the study proposes and estimates a model that specifies the interrelationships among four dimensions of experiential value (i.e., atmosphere, escapism, customer return on investment, and service excellence), and latent variables of positive and negative emotions, self-connective attachment, and brand loyalty. Analysis with structural equation modeling was conducted with data collected from customers of family restaurants in South Korea. The results show that dimensions of experiential value influence either positive or negative emotions. The emotion variables, together with self-connective attachment, also mediate the relationships between perceived value of dining experience and brand loyalty.     

The influence of human elements in photographs on tourists' destination perceptions and intentions

Photographs with a human element are powerful in influencing viewers' perceptions and decision-making processes. However, rare quantitative evidence was detected about the best human presenting percentage and how it affects the intention. In this study, we decoded how human elements (presence or absence, low or high proportion) affect viewers' perceptions and intentions in nature/culture-based photographs. Innovatively, three deep learning models and two experiments were integrated. The results indicate that (1) in general, maintaining the proportion of human elements at less than 1% leads to the best positive perception, and (2) the viewers demonstrate different perceptions and intentions in viewing nature-based and culture-based photographs with the human element. Theoretically, we bring a new perspective and approach to understanding the marketing value of human elements in tourist-generated photographs. Practically, we provide specific and different clues in choosing photographs to promote cultural and natural destinations regarding human elements.     

The effects of perceived service quality on repurchase intentions and subjective well-being of Chinese tourists: The mediating role of relationship quality

The current study provides and tests an integrated model that examines two relationship quality constructs (overall customer satisfaction, customer-company identification) as mediating variables between Chinese tourists' lodging service quality perceptions and two outcomes (repurchase intentions, subjective well-being). The results of a study with domestic Chinese hotel guests (n = 451) provide support for the proposed model. Specifically, the results indicate that overall customer satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and repurchase intentions and subjective well-being, respectively. Customer-company identification partially mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and repurchase intentions and subjective wellbeing, respectively. We provide empirical validation that customers do, indeed, identify with hospitality providers, and this, in-turn, provides positive consequences for both the service provider (i.e., repurchase intentions) and the customer (i.e., subjective well-being). Managerial implications are provided, limitations noted, and future research directions suggested.     

Antecedents and consequences of tourists’ satisfaction in sport event: Mediating role of destination image

Abstract

In this study, we determined the causal relationship between some of the predictors and outcomes of sports tourists’ satisfaction using structural equation modeling. Motivation and involvement as predictors and behavioral intentions (WOM and intention to revisit) were considered as outcomes. The results indicated the significant mediating role of destination image in the relationship between involvement and satisfaction. So, Event organizers need to pay special attention to the psychological characteristics of tourists, such as their motivations and involvement. As a result, they can take some benefits in behavioral outcomes, such as word of mouths and intention to revisit.     

The effects of push and pull travel motivations,personal values,and destination familiarity on tourist loyalty: a study of Chinese cigar tourists to Cuba

This study examined Chinese cigar tourists’ motivations for visiting Cuba. Six push factors and five pull factors were identified using a push–pull factor framework. The effects of travel motivations, personal values, and destination familiarity on tourist loyalty were examined using a sample of 348 Chinese cigar tourists. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that unique experience seeking (a push factor) and destination-specific attractions and socialistic nostalgia (pull factors) predicted revisit intention; socialistic nostalgia also predicted willingness to recommend. Destination familiarity was found to influence revisit intention but not willingness to recommend. Personal values appeared unrelated to tourist loyalty.     

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.     

Examining the role of wine brand love on brand loyalty: A multi-country comparison

This study develops and tests a model through a multi-country study that considers consumer wine knowledge and wine experience, wine brand trust and wine brand satisfaction as antecedents of wine brand love, and wine brand loyalty as a consequence of wine brand love. Data were collected in five wine-producing countries (Australia, Chile, France, Mexico and Portugal) with a final sample of 3462 completed surveys. Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling and the findings confirm the importance of brand love as both a mediator and direct influence on brand loyalty for wine consumers. Furthermore, brand satisfaction was positively and significantly related to brand love. In addition, wine experience, rather than wine knowledge, positively influenced brand trust and satisfaction. Finally, results also identify differences between countries thereby providing insights into how companies should focus their marketing strategies internationally.