Symbolic Consumption and Brand Choice: China’s Youth Hostels for the International Travel Market

Abstract

With its expanding international tourism market, China is an increasingly attractive destination country for student travelers and backpackers. This study explores American university students’ perceptions of youth hostels in China as a brand and their intention to use youth hostels, based on brand personality and self-congruity theories. The use of brochures as a marketing tool for establishing an emotional link are also examined. Using an experimental design and a questionnaire survey, the study shows that congruity of self-image and brand personality correlate positively with intention to using a youth hostel, and that hostel brochures correlate positively with intentions for patronage. By understanding the self-and-brand linkage and its influences on the participants’ intention to use a youth hostel, this study provides insight into symbolic consumption in tourism. The results suggest that, for youth hostels and Other lodging facilities in China, increased business can come from developing a distinctive brand and relating the brand to the guests’ self-image, particularly among Western travelers for whom China is an increasingly popular destination.

随着中国入境旅游市场的不断扩大，作为旅游目的地国家的中国越来越受学生旅行者和背包客青睐。以品牌个性维度及消费者自我一致性理论为基础，本文探讨了美国高校学生对中国青年旅舍这一品牌的看法，以及他们作为潜在旅行者选择使用中国青年旅舍的意愿。本文同时论证了中国青年旅舍利用宣传单页此营销手段在建立消费者与品牌之间情感关联方面的有效性。研究采用实验设计与问卷调查相结合的方法，结果显示，潜在游客自我意象与品牌个性的一致性程度与他选择使用青年旅舍的意愿成正比，宣传单页亦对潜在游客选择使用青年旅舍的意愿有积极影响。基于对自我意象－品牌形象一致性程度的深入探讨，以及对测试者选择使用青年旅舍的意愿受该一致性水平影响的讨论，本研究对旅游当中的象征性消费行为提出了独到见解。研究表明，对于中国的青年旅舍以及其他食宿服务经营者来说，通过建立独具风格的品牌形象，并使品牌形象与目标客户（特别是以中国为旅行目的地的西方游客）的自我意象相关联，可以帮助实现商业成功。

KEYWORDS:

• China
• youth hostel
• symbolic consumption
• self-congruity
• image
• intention
• student traveler

关键词:

• 中国
• 青年旅舍
• 象征性消费
• 自我一致性理论
• 形象
• 意愿
• 学生旅行者

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xiaolu Sun

Xiaolu Sun is a M.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, a graduate of Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA

Philip Wang

Philip Wang is an Associate Professor in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA (E-mail: [email protected]).

Andrew Lepp

Andrew Lepp is an Associate Professor in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA (E-mail: [email protected]).

Linda Robertson

Linda Robertson is the Director of the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA (E-mail: [email protected]).