Chinese Tourists Visiting Volatile Destinations: Integrating Cultural Values into Motivation-based Segmentation

ABSTRACT

This study applied an improved segmentation approach by integrating Chinese cultural values into a motivation-based method to segment Chinese tourists visiting Israel as a highly volatile destination. Four market segments—mass tourists, adventure-driven mass tourists, enthusiastic tourists, and sightseeing and horizon-enhancing tourists—were distinguished by demographic characteristics. The results show that the three Chinese cultural value dimensions—traditional personal values, life enrichment and quality, and modern personal values—provide insights to better understand these market segments. Mass tourists and adventure-driven mass tourists each had relatively high traditional personal values and life enrichment and quality values but a moderate level of modern personal values. Enthusiastic tourists ranked high on all three value dimensions, whereas sightseeing and horizon-enhancing tourists ranked traditional personal values and life enrichment and quality much higher than modern personal values. This study advances an understanding of Chinese tourists as an emerging market in highly volatile destinations. Industry implications are also discussed.

摘要

此研究采用了一种改进的旅游市场细分方法，将中国文化价值观融入于基于游客动机的市场分割方法中， 对访问高度不稳定的旅游目的地以色列的中国游客进行了市场细分。本研究鉴定出四个细分市场： 大众游客，追求冒险的大众游客，激情游客，以及观光和视野开阔型游客。研究结果表明， 三个中国文化价值维度 – 传统个人价值观 丰富生活及人生质量价值观，以及现代个人价值观，进一步丰富对这些细分市场的理解。大众游客和追求冒险的大众游客各自拥有相对较高的传统个人价值观和丰富生活及人生质量价值，但具有适度的现代个人价值观。激情游客在所有三个价值维度上都有较高得分，而观光和视野开阔型游客对传统的个人价值观和丰富生活及人生质量价值观的追求远高于现代个人价值观。本研究的结果加强了对中国游客赴局势高度动荡的旅游目的地的行为理解。文章也讨论了研究结果的行业意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Segmentation
• motivation
• cultural values
• Chinese tourists
• Israel

关键词:

• 市场细分
• 动机
• 文化价值
• 中国游客
• 以色列

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jun Wen

Dr Jun Wen is a lecturer in tourism and services marketing in the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Australia. His current research interests lie in Chinese outbound tourism marketing, behaviors, and other related aspects (E-mail: [email protected]).

Songshan (Sam) Huang

Songshan (Sam) Huang, PhD, is a research professor in tourism and services marketing in the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Australia. His research interests include tourist behavior, destination marketing, tour guiding, and various Chinese tourism and hospitality issues (E-mail: [email protected]).