A Cross-cultural Investigation of Tourists’ Memorable Experiences between Two Nationalities

Gökhan Ayazlar; Reyhan Arslan Ayazlar

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6558

Autori

Gökhan Ayazlar Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University

He received his PhD in tourism from Adnan Menderes University in 2012. Since 2013, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Tourism Faculty at the University of Mugla Sitki Kocman, where he teaches courses on introduction to tourism, international tourism, international hotel management and tourism sociology.
Reyhan Arslan Ayazlar Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University,

She is an assistant professor in Department of Hospitality Management at Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University. Her research interests include tourism marketing and tourist behavior. She has had some studies focusing on tourist experience, local residents’ role in tourism industry and alternative tourism types such as rural tourism, VFR tourism. She also has national and international conference papers.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6558

Parole chiave:

Cross-cultural comparison, Memorable tourism experiences

Abstract

This study aims to make a cross-cultural investigation into tourists’ memorable experiences. A self-administrated survey was carried out between Turkish and British tourists visiting Didim, Turkey, in the summer of 2016. 247 valid questionnaires from Turkish tourists and 241 valid questionnaires from British tourists were collected. Seven dimensions of memorable tourism experiences-hedonism, refreshment, novelty, local culture, meaningfulness, knowledge and involvement - were identified through factor analysis in the study. The results also indicated that British tourists had found local culture more memorable in their travels than Turkish tourists. However, hedonism was the most memorable experience dimension for Turkish tourists. The practical and theoretical contributions of the study results are discussed.

Riferimenti bibliografici

Azevedo, A. (2009). Designing unique and memorable experiences: Co-creation and the “surprise” factor. Paper presented at the III Congresso Internacional de Turismo de Leiria e Oeste – 2009, Leiria, Portugal.

Chandralal, L. and Valenzuela, F-R. (2013). Exploring memorable tourism experiences: Antecedents and behavioural outcomes. Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 1(2), 177-181.

Chandralal, L. and Valenzuela, F-R. (2015). Memorable tourism experiences: Scale development. Contemporary Management Research, 11(3), 291-310.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. and Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis, Pearson New International Edition, Seventh Edition, England.

Haldrup, M. and Larsen, J. (2003). The family gaze. Tourism Studies, 3(1), 23-45.

Hem, L. E., Iversen, N. M. and Gronhaug, K. (2003). Advertising effects of photos used to portray nature-based tourism attractions, Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality Tourism, 3(1), 48-70.

Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill.

Kim, S-S., Prideaux, B. and Kim, S-H. (2002). A cross-cultural study on casino guests as perceived by casino employees. Tourism Management, 23, 511-520.

Kim, S. and Prideaux, B. (2003). A cross-cultural study of airline passengers. Annals of Tourism Research. 30(2), 489-492.

Kim, S. (2012). A cross-cultural study of on-site film-tourism experiences among Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese and Thai visitors to the Daejanggeum Theme Park, South Korea. Current Issues in Tourism, 15(8), 759-776.

Kim, J-H. (2014). The antecedents of memorable tourism experiences: The development of a scale to measure the destination attributes associated with memorable experiences. Tourism Management, 44, 34-45.

Kim, J-H. and Ritchie, J. R. B. (2014). Cross-cultural validation of a memorable tourism experience scale (MTES). Journal of Travel Research, 53(3), 323-335.

Kim, J-H., Ritchie, J. R. B. and McCormick, B. (2012).

Development of a scale to measure memorable tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 51(1), 12-25.

Kozak, M. (2001). Comparative assessment of tourist satisfaction with destinations across two nationalities. Tourism Management, 22, 391-401.

Kozak, M. (2002). Comparative analysis of tourist motivation bu nationality and destinations. Tourism Management, 23, 221-232.

Larsen, S. (2007). Aspects of a psychology of the tourist experience. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 7(1), 7-18.

Lee, G. and Lee, C. (2009). Cross-cultural comparison of the image of Guam perceived by Korean and Japanese leisure travelers: importance-performance analysis. Tourism Management, 30, 922-931.

Lean, G. (2012). The lingering moment, In (Eds) L. Smith, E. Waterton and S. Watson The Cultural Moment in Tourism (pp. 274-291). London: Routledge.

Lekic, R., Trezner, Z. and Mance, N. (2014). DMC as a creator of memorable experiences in tourist destination. Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija.Biennial International Congress Tourism & Hospitality Industry, 106-120. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1658462318?accountid=16595

Li, M. (2014). Cross-cultural tourist research: A meta-analysis. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 38(1), 40-77.

McCracken, G. (1988). Culture and consumption: New approaches to the symbolic character of consumer goods and activities. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Morgan, M. and Xu, F. (2009). Student travel experiences: Memories and dreams. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18(2-3), 216-236.

Murphy, L. (2001). Exploring social interactions of backpackers. Annals of Tourism Research, 28(1), 50-67.

Park, S. and Santos, C. A. (2016). Exploring the tourist experience: a sequential approach. Journal of Travel Research, 3, 1-12.

Pine, B. J. and Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The Experience Economy. Harvard Business School Press, Boston: MA.

Pizam, A. and Sussman, S. (1995). Does nationality affect tourist behavior? Annals of Tourism Research, 22(4), 901-917.

Pizam, A. and Jeong, G-H. (1996). Cross-cultural tourist behavior perceptions of Korean tour-guides. Tourism Management, 17(4), 277-286.

Ramkinssoon, H., Uysal, M. and Brown, K. (2011). A cross-cultural comparison of tourists’ cultural behavioural intentions. e-Review of Tourism Research, 9(5), 190-220.

Reisinger, Y. and Turner, L. (1997). Cross-cultural differences in tourism: Indonesian tourists in Australia. Tourism Management, 18(3), 139-147.

Sthapit, E. (2013). Tourists’ Perceptions of Memorable Experiences: Testing the Memorable Tourism Experience Scale (MTEs) among Tourists to Rovaniemi, Lapland. Unpublished Master Thesis, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland

Tung, V. W. S. and Ritchie, J. R. B. (2011). Exploring the essence of memorable tourism experiences. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(4), 1367-1386.

Yu, J. Y. and Ko, T. G. (2012). A cross-cultural study of perceptions of medical tourism among Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourist in Korea. Tourism Management, 33, 80-88.

Yüksel, A., Kılınç, U. K. and Yüksel, F. (2006). Cross-national anaylsis of hotel customers’ attitudes toward complaning and their complaning behavior. Tourism Management, 27, 11-24.