Information search behavior of Chinese leisure travelers
Abstract
Given China's large contributions to the tourism industry in Macau and the importance of the information influence in tourism marketing, this research is to provide comprehensive outlook on Chinese leisure travelers' information use patterns and its relationship with travel decision process. Among a number of important issues to be considered for the effective communication strategy and information delivery, in particular, this research approached three important issues; (1) who to reach; (2) how to influence on different decisions made by tourists; and (3) what type of contents to deliver online. Specifically, study one profiled the demographics, behavioral characteristics and decision making patterns of various Chinese tourists groups which are identified by their different information acquisition patterns, and examined their information usage from multi-dimensional perspectives. Study two explored how the various information sources are used by Chinese leisure travelers within the structure of decision-making. In particular, the hierarchical patterns of tourists' decision-making process and the interrelatedness between tourists' information search and decision-making were examined in this study. Finally, study three identified Chinese tourists' preferences for information contents on destination websites. By examining online Chinese tourists' preferences for the content types and functional features of DMO websites, this study attempted to provide specific information on the important content features of DMO websites from the customers' viewpoints. The data used for these studies were from Macau Tourists Information Search Behavior Study which was commissioned by Institute for Tourism Studies in Macau. A comprehensive survey was conducted among Asian tourists visiting in Macau between July and September of 2005. Of the total 3,220 respondents, 1725 of Mainland Chinese visitors were chosen because this research focused on the information search behavior of Chinese leisure travelers. Multiple statistical methods were employed to analyze data, including two-stage cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, correspondence analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis for dichotomous variables. The important study findings were discussed in each study and the suggestions for Macau's better marketing communication with Mainland Chinese tourists were later provided.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Lehto, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Marketing|Information systems|Recreation
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