Activity Segmentation of the International Heritage Tourism Market to Taiwan

Abstract

The heritage tourism market has developed from being regarded as a small niche segment to a mainstream market of considerable size. In Taiwan, diversified heritage resources hold considerable appeal to the international tourism market. Little research has been completed on international heritage tourists to Taiwan, so this study utilized Taiwan as a case study and examined international tourists to the destination. It first employed cluster analysis based on activity participation to segment the market and test for the existence of "heritage tourists". Three groups of international tourists to Taiwan were identified and they were labelled as "heritage", "shopping" and "non-specialists". The heritage group had a high participation rate in visiting heritage relics (90.6%). The study also profiled tourists according to the reasons they travelled to Taiwan and sociodemographic variables. The heritage tourists and other activity participation groups were compared to reveal the major motivational and socio-demographic differences involved. The findings showed that "international heritage tourists to Taiwan" were a group of visitors with relatively younger ages, middle levels of income and higher educational levels. The study defined heritage tourists who indicated visiting heritage sites as part of their reason for visiting Taiwan as "motivated heritage visitors". Other heritage tourists who participated in heritage activities, but did not list heritage tourism as a reason for visiting Taiwan, were defined as "heritage site visitors". Finally, the study profiled the two groups of heritage tourists and compared them, with significant differences being found in ages and nationalities.

What are the triggers of Asian visitor satisfaction and loyalty in the Korean heritage site?

“…Further, studies identified different groups of tourists based on their distinct demographic characteristics and satisfaction. In the heritage setting, for example, Yan et al (2007) found that three groups of international heritage tourists to Taiwan not only differed in . What are the triggers of Asian visitor satisfaction and loyalty in the Korean heritage site?, Journal of Retailing andConsumer Services, 47, 195-205.…”

Segmenting Chinese Outbound Tourists by Perceived Constraints

“…Tourist markets can be segmented or subdivided in many different ways. Geographic location (e.g., , activity (e.g., Yan, So, Morrison, & Sun, 2007), expectation (e.g., Juwaheer, 2006), travel expenditure (e.g., Laesser & Crouch, 2006), life style and social values (e.g., Blamey & Braithwaite, 1997), and motivation (e.g., Li, Huang, & Cai, 2009) are some of the most commonly used segmentation techniques in recent tourism literature. Each segmentation variable has pros and cons.…”

Constraints to attend events across specialization levels

“…Lee, Lee and Wicks, 2004;Chang, 2006;Li, Huang and Cai, 2009). Other variables include past experience (Wooten and Norman, 2008), personal values (Hede, Jago and Deery, 2004), satisfaction (Smith, Kyle and Sutton, 2010), activities (Kim et al, 2007;Yan et al, 2007) and demographic characteristics (e.g. Lee, Lee and Wicks, 2004).…”

“…Many of these variables tend to be of the demographic type such as gender, age, education, marital status and income (e.g. Lee, Lee and Wicks, 2004;Li, Huang and Cai, 2009;Yan et al, 2007). A few studies have also looked at psychological variables, such as motivation (e.g.…”

“…A few studies have also looked at psychological variables, such as motivation (e.g. Chang, 2006;Yan et al, 2007;Smith, Kyle and Sutton, 2010) and satisfaction (e.g. Hede, Jago and Deery, 2004).…”