Kam Hung

Testing the Efficacy of an Integrative Model for Community Participation

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an integrative model for community participation in tourism development. Termed as motivation—opportunity—ability (MOA), the model integrated two streams of research, “means” and “ends” oriented studies, with the intent of providing a holistic view of community participation research. To test the hypothesized relationships, data were collected from a stratified random sample of households in Charleston, South Carolina. The data provided some support for the model; the findings suggest that the extent to which community members participate in the tourism development process depends on motivation, opportunity, and ability to participate. Practical and theoretical implications have been discussed within the general framework of community participation.

The Role of Self- and Functional Congruity in Cruising Intentions

This study proposes a theoretical model that integrates two streams of research, congruity and destination image, in one conceptual framework to explain travel intentions. Applying this model in the context of cruise tourism, the study investigated the influences of self-congruity and functional congruity on cruising intentions. Preliminary interviews were conducted with both cruisers and noncruisers to generate measurement items for the constructs of interest. A panel study was then used to examine the hypotheses, which were supported by the data. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Wine tourism phenomena in China: an emerging market.

Purpose – The aims of this study were to investigate the influencing factors of wine tourism development in China, assess the marketing efforts made by the wine-tourism stakeholders, and provide constructive suggestions for the development of Chinas wine tourism. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted for the purposes of this research. The study site is the Bohai Bay wine region in Shandong Province, the birthplace of Chinas modern wine industry and the largest wine-producing area in China. Chateau Changyu-Castel and Chateau Junding were visited in June 2010. Qualitative data were collected in the forms of observations of the wineries, interviews with wine tourists, focus groups with tourism practitioners, and analyses of travel blogs, document excerpts, and official web sites. Content analysis produced a thematic framework on people, promotion, and place. Findings – A number of facilitating and detrimental factors were revealed pertaining to Chinas wine tourism development on...

Comparing Constraints to Cruising Between Cruisers and Non-Cruisers: A Test of the Constraint-Effects-Mitigation Model

ABSTRACT This study empirically tested the constraint-effects-mitigation model (Hubbard & Mannell, 2001) across cruiser and non-cruiser groups to understand constraints to cruising. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to develop appropriate measurement scales and to test the constraint model. The model was found to have an acceptable fit to the data, which provided evidence for validating the constraint-effects-mitigation model. While the factor structure of the constraint-effects-mitigation model was found to be similar, the mean values of all measurement items and factors and some regression paths were found to be different across the two groups. More specifically, cruisers had fewer constraints to cruising, higher travel motivations and intention, and were more likely to negotiate their constraints to travel. Based on the study results, both theoretical and practical implications were recommended. It is suggested that further investigation is needed to validate the model in other study contexts.

China's Generation Y's Expectation on Outbound Group Package Tour

This paper aims to identify Chinas Generation Ys (Gen Y) preference toward joining group package tour (GPT) when traveling abroad and explore their expectations on a number of service attributes. Six service attribute dimensions were identified through factor analysis, including: group leader/local guide(s), optional tour and shopping arrangement, safety, cleanness, and comfortableness, accommodation, activities, and shopping length and frequency. This study confirmed the importance of group leader/local guide(s) with a special emphasis on their honesty. It is found that current group and non-group travelers of Gen Y shared similar expectations on six service feature dimensions, while having different expectations on four service attributes: food hygiene, tour leaders emergency handle ability, Chinese food offering, and park as attraction choice. Results also showed that potential group travelers had higher concern over the factor of group leader/local guide(s) than non-group travelers.

Chinese Hotels in the Eyes of Chinese Hoteliers: The Most Critical Issues

Chinese hotels have undergone a series of reforms in the past three decades. With both increased demand and supply of hotel products and services, it is important for hotel practitioners and governing bodies to understand challenges that face the current Chinese hotel industry so that a proactive plan can be formulated to guide further hotel development. The current study conducted six focus groups with 46 Chinese hoteliers to explore the most critical issues, concerning the Chinese hotel industry. In total, the hoteliers identified 38 issues to be critical to the hotel industry in China. The issues were further ranked based on the level of importance to the industry.

Exploring Antecedents of Employee Turnover Intention – Evidence of China’s Hotel Industry

The current study explores the antecedents of hotel employee turnover in China and determines new antecedents in the hospitality industry. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 13 supervisory employees from a hotel in Shenzhen, China. The findings replicate and extend the extant hospitality literature. Several themes emerged to explain hotel employee turnover intention, such as promotional/advancement opportunity, work-life balance, community fit, work-group cohesion, leader-related factors, and pay, which have been found to be the antecedents of employee turnover intention. Most importantly, we found that community fit is a new category for explaining the turnover intention of hotel employees. Employees were more likely to stay in a city with good environmental quality, and to pursue their career goals in a city that fits their values or lifestyles well. By contrast, employees may leave a city where they do not find an appropriate fit. Finally, the practical implications of reducing employee turnover are discussed.

Understanding China's hotel industry: a SWOT analysis.

China has experienced expedited growth in its hotel and tourism industry over the past 30 years and will likely be the worlds top tourist destination in the next decade. Though these achievements are worthy of celebration, Chinas future hotel industry could benefit from a clear understanding of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This study aimed at understanding the Chinese hotel industry from the hoteliers’ perspectives. Forty-seven people from 37 hospitality-related institutions participated in focus group discussions to analyze the Chinese hotel industry utilizing a SWOT analysis. Several recommendations are made based on the results of the study.

Understanding the normative expectations of customers toward Buddhism-themed hotels: a revisit of service quality.

Purpose – This study aims to understand the normative expectations of travelers on the services and experiences provided by Buddhism-themed hotels as well as how service providers perceive such expectations. The growth of religion-themed hotels in China follows a larger and more generalized global marketing trend in terms of providing tourists and consumers with “themed” experiences. Design/methodology/approach – Using the service quality model, this study investigates these expectations of Buddhism-themed hotels in China. The Delphi method was used with two expert panels, namely, travelers and tourism/hotel practitioners. Preliminary interviews revealed 98 normative expectations from Buddhism-themed hotels. Two sets of Delphi questionnaires were used to compare tourist expectations with practitioner perceptions. Findings – Results show a wide range of expectations of travelers staying in Buddhism-themed hotels. They also reveal how the expectations of the two groups aligned as well as differed. Research ...

Assessing servicescape of cruise tourism: the perception of Chinese tourists

Purpose This study aims to develop a comprehensive framework for assessing servicescape of cruise tourism and provides practical suggestions to improve the perception of Chinese tourists toward cruise servicescape. Design/methodology/approach A multistage mixed-method design was used in the sequence of in-depth interviews (n = 18), expert panel (n = 5), on-site survey (n = 317) and online survey (n = 300). Grounded theory, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess cruise tourism servicescape. Findings The cruise tourism servicescape construct was identified with six dimensions: facilities and decor, natural scenery, onshore excursions, onboard entertainment, social interactions and dining services. These dimensions were in the order of importance, as perceived by Chinese tourists. Practical implications Cruise lines operating large ships can be more attractive to Chinese consumers than luxury cruise lines operating smaller vessels. Cruise operators can enhance perceived servicescape by integrating natural and built environments, such as air, sea and on-shore tours. Services provided by foreign crew members may serve as a strong selling point for Chinese tourists. Consumer-to-consumer activities may be introduced into the Chinese market. Cruise operators may also provide quality meal service in terms of variety, quality and flexibility. Originality/value Considering that minimal research has been conducted on cruise servicescape scale development, this study serves as the first empirical research effort in this regard. The findings also identify the specific needs of Chinese tourists, which is a fast-growing market in the cruise industry.