Jun (Justin) Li

How Customer Experience Affects the Customer-Based Brand Equity for Tourism Destinations

ABSTRACT In this study we examine the impact of customer experience (CE) on customer-based brand equity (CBBE) for tourism destinations. Breaking down CE into the constituents of service performance, word-of-mouth(WOM), and advertising, we use a structural equation model to test survey data gathered from Mainland Chinese outbound tourists. We found that destination service performance (DSP) has the most significant impact on destination brand equity, followed by WOM. Advertising does not show a significant effect. This study also confirms the structure of destination brand equity. Based on results, this study offers some managerial insights into the effective building of destination brand equity.

Describing and testing gender as moderator: illustrated substantively with a hypothesized relation between image, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions

For a long time, a significant amount of attention has been placed on visitors experience and satisfaction in the field of tourism. This article attempts to identify a moderating effect on the relations between visitor satisfaction, behavioural intentions, and destination image. This article conducts a causal analysis to explore whether the demographic factor of gender can lead to differences in the relationships between destination image, visitor satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. It concludes that visitor gender does not affect these relationships. In addition, the extent of the potential influence of gender on these issues is analysed and discussed in terms of both its theoretical and practical aspects.

The role of travel experience in the structural relationships among tourists’ perceived image, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions:

The theoretical relationships among tourists’ perceived destination image, satisfaction, and future behavioral intentions are very important for the tourism industry and have been studied by many scholars. This paper examines how these relationships differ for tourists with different travel experiences by studying 514 Mainland Chinese outbound travelers to Macau. The conceptual model incorporates the exogenous formative concept of perceived image and the endogenous reflective concept of visitor satisfaction as well as the visitors’ behavioral intentions. This study not only verifies the conceptual schema in three assumed relationships but also confirms that the importance of perceived image for satisfaction is higher for first-time visitors than it is for returning visitors. The confirmative measure model reveals that the dimension of ‘leisure activities’ contributes the most to the overall destination image. Finally, suggestions for tourism development organizations are provided based on the findings of this study.

Does destination perception differ based on traveler type? A case of the world gambling capital: Macau

ABSTRACT Chinas anti-corruption campaign has become a “new normal” and long-term policy that is affecting the gaming industry in Macau. Mainland Chinese travelers, especially the highly coveted and big-spending VIP ones, are a major contributor to gaming revenues in Macau, but they have sharply reduced their gaming expenditures since Chinas anti-corruption campaign began. Based on this information, ascertaining Mainland Chinese tourists’ perceived image of Macau is vital work for developing and facilitating better adaption to the policy change. This exploratory study first investigates the destination image of Macau as perceived by travelers from Mainland China. The results showed that Mainland Chinese travelers had a positive perception of gambling opportunities, environmental hygiene, quality of tourism infrastructure, nightlife, and diversity of products for shopping and a negative perception of the convenience of transportation. This study further subdivided Mainland Chinese travelers into three groups based on their travel arrangement [Liu, X., Li, J. J., & Yang, Y. (2015). Travel arrangement as a moderator in image–satisfaction–behavior relations: An investigation of Chinese outbound travelers. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 21(3), 225–236; Morrison, A. M., Hsieh, S., & OLeary, J. T. (1993). Travel arrangement classifications for European international travellers. In R. V. Gasser & K. Weiermair (Eds.), Spoilt for choice: Decision making processes and preference changes of tourists: Proceedings of the institute of tourism and service economics international conference. November. University of Innsbruck (pp. 221–235). Thaur, Germany: Kulturvel]. The results indicated that all-inclusive packaged (AP) travelers gave lower evaluations to local food, unique European culture, gambling opportunities, and diversified products for shopping much lower than independent (IP) travelers and partial packaged travelers. On the other hand, IP travelers and partial packaged travelers gave lower evaluations to transportation convenience, access to tourism destinations, and communicating with locals than AP travelers. These results should help concerned parties determine the most appropriate strategies for improving Macaus image under the current circumstances.

Re-segmenting a gaming destination market A fresh look at Mainland Chinese tourists in Macau

The so-called ‘Monte Carlo of the Orient’, Macau, has an economy that relies heavily on gambling. By 2006, Macau’s gambling revenue had exceeded that of Las Vegas. Mainland Chinese gamblers are a major source of customers for many Macau casinos. However, the nationwide crackdown on corruption in China has resulted in a tremendous revenue decrease in Macau. As a result, tourist managers need to learn how to adapt to these new changes and begin to segment tourists markets and address the different market segments more systematically by providing a varied range of services. This study aims to gain insight into Mainland Chinese travelers and to categorize these travelers according to their motivations. Three clusters of tourists emerged: ‘freedom seekers’, ‘multipurpose seekers,’ and ‘entertainment and gambling seekers’. Each cluster had a different sociodemographic profile and assessment regarding the gambling destination attributes. To attract tourists from these heterogeneous categories, managers should incorporate the corresponding responses into their marketing strategies.

The influence of recent hotel amenities and green practices on guests’ price premium and revisit intention

This study examines the influence of hotels’ green practices, recent amenities, and traditionally salient attributes on customers’ overall online evaluation, revisit intention and hotel performance. The researchers acquired data from more than one hundred US hotels located across different states with the assistance of an international hotel chain. In order to demonstrate the incremental information content of recently-adopted hotel amenities and levels of green initiatives, the study compared two extended models with the basic model, which incorporates only salient attributes such as cleanliness, location, room, service and value. The findings indicate that the availability of recently-added amenities such as free Wi-Fi, pet boarding, free self-parking, multilingual staff, and airport transportation, as well as green practice initiatives, have a strong, incremental predictive power in explaining guests’ overall online review ratings, price premium and revisit intention.

A comparative study of covariance and partial least squares based structural equation modelling in hospitality and tourism research

Structural equation modelling (SEM) has increasingly been used by hospitality and tourism researchers to examine complex relationships. This paper aims to highlight the benefits and limitations of SEM for hospitality and tourism research and compare its two main approaches, i.e. covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and partial least squares-SEM (PLS-SEM).,By using a comparative approach, this study parallels SEM’s two main approaches, i.e. CB-SEM and PLS-SEM, using three different examples from hospitality and tourism industry. Both the approaches are compared side by side in terms of assumptions, validity and reliability of measurement models, item retention and loadings, strength and significance of path relationships and coefficient of determinations.,The findings show that even though both methods analyse measurement theory and structural path models, there are relatively higher advantages for hospitality and tourism researchers in applying PLS-SEM.,Because of the limitations of only using three examples, the results and trends generated in this study may not be generalized to all research in hospitality and tourism discipline. Moreover, the Likert scale has been used to measure the constructs in both the studies, which may have biased the results.,This study is the first to compare the usage of both the SEM approaches in hospitality and tourism research. The findings of this study provide significant implications and directions for hospitality and tourism researchers to apply PLS-SEM in the future.

Freedom of choice as a critical success factor in destination marketing: Empirical evidence from a far-east gambling city:

When people feel that their freedom of choice is eliminated or reduced, they may experience unpleasant arousal. Creative tourism and the quality of the tourism experience are more likely to occur when an individual has the opportunity and freedom to choose travel options and perceives control over the activity. While freedom of choice is an essential part of tourists’ enjoyment, less research attention has been given to freedom of choice in the context of tourism destinations. This study focused on mainland Chinese travelers at a recently emerging gambling capital of the world as a case for investigation and aims at filling this literature gap by proposing a “freedom of choice—satisfaction—destination loyalty” paradigm. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate a theoretical model by examining the relationship among freedom of choice, satisfaction, and destination loyalty and the mediating effect of satisfaction between freedom of choice and destination loyalty. The study also examines the potential moderating effects of gender on the aforementioned relationships. The structural model indicates that freedom of choice had a direct and positive impact on destination loyalty, but this relationship is partially mediated by satisfaction levels. However, the model did not discover a moderating effect of gender. Based on these findings, this study discusses conclusion and implications for research and practice in the context of tourism literature.

Antecedents of Tourists' Behavioral Intentions: The Role and Influence of Tourists' Perceived Freedom of Choice, Destination Image, and Satisfaction

A theory-based pattern is assessed in this article, examining the relationships among three concepts—traveler perceived freedom of choice, destination image, and satisfaction—that are the antecedents of travelers behavioral intentions. More specifically, this study aims at finding the influence of travelers perceived freedom of choice (including food, trip mode, travel time, route, and activity) on their image perception, degree of satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. Based on confirmatory factor analysis, the reliability and the effectiveness of the survey were assessed. Using information based on the research of outbound travelers from Mainland China, a structural equation model with maximum likelihood estimation was made to determine the relationships. According to these findings, the more favorable destination image, higher level of tourist satisfaction, higher intention to revisit, and higher willingness to recommend can be achieved by offering more options to travelers. In terms of the theoretical and practical significance of tourism, these research results serve as a vital inspirational and influential element.

Age matters: how demographics influence visitor perception and attitude at the destination level

The competitiveness of tourist attractions depends on satisfying visitors, saving money, and achieving revisits. Therefore, it is very important to know the roles of visitors awareness of their satisfaction, theoretical relationships, and loyalty to a destination in both theoretical and empirical aspects. In most of the previous empirical research related to the relationships among destination images, visitors satisfaction, and their behavioural intentions to a destination, the moderating variables were not considered. Therefore, in this study, we analyse the moderating effects of certain personal features of different age groups on the theoretical relationship among visitors satisfaction and their behavioural intentions to a destination and that destinations image. More specially, this research is conducted based on the exploration of the influences of differences in ages on the relationships between the destinations image and the visitors satisfaction or behavioural intentions. Based on the multiple-group causes and effect analyses, the research results show that the visitors personal features significantly affect the relationship between the destinations image and visitors satisfaction or behavioural intentions. Moreover, in general, these relationships tend to be stronger for younger visitors. Finally, the influences are analysed and discussed in both the theoretical and practical aspects.