Xiaoxiao Fu

Culture-Based Interpretation of Vacation Consumption

Drawing on typologies of consumption values, this study identifies and interprets the cultural divergence reflected in vacation experience. Through analysis of reviews by tourists from China and the United States, three salient themes of vacation experience emerged: scenery, food, and social interaction. Although all three aspects were addressed by both Chinese and American tourists, a closer look revealed that they had been assessed from quite different perspectives. The divergence in values is found to be instigated by unique cultural dispositions, which in turn links to tourist behavioral characteristics. Findings from the current research would help destinations in providing services to Chinese tourists.

Vacation Benefits and Activities: Understanding Chinese Family Travelers

Family as a travel unit is an emerging phenomenon in China. This market segment, however, has not received as much scholarly attention as it deserves. This study investigated the vacation benefits that Chinese families pursue and their destination activity participation. Factor analysis revealed four dimensions of vacation benefits sought, namely, Communication and Togetherness, Shared Exploration, Escape and Relaxation, and Experiential Learning for Children. Taking pictures and videos was noted to be the most prevalent activity that Chinese family travelers were engaged in. This study further explored the interrelationships between the benefit-sought domains and destination activities. The results identified significant linkages between the two. The uncovered associations suggested that vacation activities served as a functional means to an end for Chinese families. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings were discussed, followed by recommendations for future research.

A Confucian Analysis of Chinese Tourists’ Motivations

ABSTRACT Studies to date of Chinese tourists as new consumers in the travel marketplace have been largely framed in the context of Western theories. This study initiates a qualitative inquiry to develop a conceptual framework for understanding Chinese tourists’ motivations. The study is informed by Confucian doctrines and extant motivation theories, and substantiated by empirical findings from 79 in-depth interviews. Seen from the perspective of Confucianism, the framework illustrates that the motivations of Chinese tourists arise as a result of the gaps between the Way (the ideal end-state) and ways (the actual state). Tourism is a functional means to bridging multiple gaps perceived in inner as well as outer cultivation. Four conceptual themes are examined as propositions from the framework.

Framing Chinese Tourist Motivations Through the Lenses of Confucianism

ABSTRACT The present study investigates Chinese tourist motivations on the basis of the major life domains of Confucianism, which are self, family, social life, society, and nature. A 32-item, 9-factor Chinese tourist motivations scale was developed. The nine dimensions are family togetherness, harmony with nature, relationship/guanxi, face/mianzi, self-development, material fulfillment, escape and retreat, children’s learning, and exploration and discovery. Identified through a three-phase process, the scale exhibited adequate psychometric properties across multiple samples. While introducing a unique perspective to the understanding of tourist motivations, this study provides a timely framework as China becomes one of the most vibrant markets in the global travel industry. In discussing the results, themes that are peculiar to the Chinese context were deliberated.

What Does Vacation do to our Family? Contrasting the Perspectives of Parents and Children

ABSTRACT Family has been identified as the most important consumption unit. This research builds on related theories of family system and vacation functions and empirically examines the dimensionality of family vacation functions. Through focus group interviews and survey techniques, a typology of family vacation functions was identified. Stressing both “home environment” and “destination environment,” “we” and “individual,” the functions are “Bonding and Sharing,” “Communication,” “Escape and Relaxation,” “Children’s Learning,” and “Novelty Seeking.” Fathers, mothers, and children showed significant differences in their perception of these five dimensions. Parents, especially mothers, appeared to be much more group well-being oriented, and their aspirations for vacation performing various functions were much more pronounced. Children did not demonstrate the equal amount of enthusiasm towards family vacation. Implications were discussed from both academic and applied perspectives.

Intercultural Interactions Outside the Classroom: Narratives on a US Campus

This study provides a picture of the interactional experiences between domestic and international undergraduate students outside the classroom on a US campus. Based on 9 focus group sessions, 8 distinctive themes emerged as a result. The study revealed some similarities but many differences between domestic and international students, illuminating the lack of and barriers to intercultural learning. The findings highlight the challenges and opportunities currently faced on US campuses, thereby making a timely contribution to efforts at developing students’ readiness to be successful in a global and multicultural environment.

Are there gender differences in what drives customer delight

Purpose – This paper aims to understand how male and female hotel guests become delighted customers. It aims to present the similarities and differences along with respective implications for theory and application. Design/methodology/approach – During a period of three months, tourists were interviewed at an upscale Florida hotel. A total of 208 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The script for the interviews was based on an interview protocol used by Crotts et al. Adapted from a previous customer delight study (Torres and Kline), a codebook was developed to determine the salient themes that emerged during the interview process. Interviews were coded independently by three experienced reviewers using the process of content analysis. Findings – The results demonstrated that while men and women agreed on most aspects of the service experience that led them to feel delighted, there were other aspects of the delight experience that seemed to vary by gender. More specifically, female guests were more ...

Linking island tourist activity participation and satisfaction – evidence from Fiji

Island destinations enable distinctive vacation experience due to special geological features. This study explores the dimensions and contribution of different components of island experience to the overall tourist satisfaction. It reveals a typology of six island vacation activities. They are adventure and exploring, culture appreciation, water’s caress, wedding events, relaxation and indulgence, and sociable sports. It also examines the contribution of activity satisfaction (the core aspect) to the overall satisfaction, in relation to satisfaction with other aspects of the island experience (the peripheral aspects). Results show that in comparison to the core aspect, the peripheral aspects exert a greater influence in generating satisfaction of the island experience. However, the strengths of the relationships vary across first time and repeat tourists. Such findings bear relevance for destination marketing planning and management. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Celebration of heritage: linkages between historical re-enactment festival attributes and attendees’ value perception

ABSTRACT Community-based festivals celebrate a sense of community and place. Communities across the United States (US) and elsewhere have turned to various community-based events to celebrate local heritage and culture. This study investigates the relationship between the attributes of a historical re-enactment festival and participants’ perceived value. Drawing on means–end theory and event experience literature, we examined event attributes, perceived benefits, and attendees’ perceived value in the context of a historical re-enactment festival in the Midwestern US. The results highlighted the importance of four attributes of historical re-enactment festivals, namely historical re-enactment, social interactions, event design, and physical facets. Each factor contributed differently to attendees’ perceived value of such a festival experience. In addition, perceived benefits of attending such an event mediated the relationships between event attributes and perceived value. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

Vacation co-creation: the case of Chinese family travelers

Purpose This study aimed to provide a nuanced understanding of Chinese family tourists’ value co-creation by examining three important aspects of family vacation: (1) What do families do during vacation; (2) How do they make meaning of what they do; and (3) Do travelers’ role identities within their families play a role in the value creation process? Design/methodology/approach Upon reviewing related theoretical work, we undertook a mixed-method study consisting of both survey data and in-depth interviews. Findings The analysis revealed three clusters of family interactional content, including We open and share our worlds, We build knowledge and skills, and We co-create and co-evaluate, and five clusters of family travelers, including Outdoor enthusiasts, Socializers, Nature lovers, Culture admirers, and Relaxation seekers. Family roles, life situations, and destination environments also interfaced with family activity participation and family conversations. A family vacation value co-creation process fra...