Towards a deeper understanding of the purchase of souvenirs

Abstract

Although there are many studies addressing the purchase of souvenirs, a few provide practical insights for practitioners in the souvenir industry regarding tourist’s preferred souvenir attributes, what they purchase, and how much they spend. Furthermore, little is known about souvenir collectors’ preferences. To address these gaps, this study analyzes tourists’ souvenir purchasing behavior with both quantitative (277 responses to a questionnaire) and qualitative (85 interviews) methods. The results indicate that the quality of the souvenir, gift appropriateness, and having the name or design of the place visited were the souvenir attributes most valued by the tourists. The results also reveal the importance of souvenir collectors, since they buy more souvenirs and spend higher amounts per souvenir. Further insights are given regarding the purchase of souvenirs, providing practical implications for practitioners in the souvenir industry.

Comparing shopping experiences in department stores and street markets: a big data analysis of TripAdvisor reviews

“…Meanwhile, since the terms that link to the indigenous characteristics of destination appeared primarily with reference to street markets, vendors and entrepreneurs in street markets should recognise that tourists have high expectations for this feature. This observation supports the findings from Amaro et al (2019) that souvenirs featuring imprinted names or that reflect the uniqueness of the destination are the attributes most valued by tourists. Finally, a selection of quality products, for instance, seafood and fruit, is a vital element to create pleasurable experiences in the markets for tourists.…”

“…The most notable characteristics include high-quality and well-designed products (Reisinger and Turner, 2002) and value for money since tourists tend to spend more when shopping away from home (LeHew and Wesley, 2007). Buying a souvenir with an imprinted name of the destination or that reflects the design of the location is another major shopping activity for tourists (Amaro et al , 2019). In Parasakul’s (2019) study, Chinese tourists reported positive feelings about shopping in department stores in Bangkok due to the quality of service and the variety and quality of the goods purchased.…”

Linking tourists’ and micro-entrepreneurs’ perceptions of souvenirs: the case of Fiji

“…These findings correspond with previous research investigating the roles and functions of souvenirs (Swanson & Timothy, 2012;Wilkins, 2011). However, whilst the purchasing of souvenirs as gifts for family and friends has been highlighted by existing studiesespecially among travellers from East Asia (Amaro et al, 2020;Lin, 2017), this plays a relatively minor role for the research participants of our study. Comparing motivations for buying souvenirs and the meaning behind the purchase, air passengers express stronger motivational factors and notions of attachment to the destination than cruise passengers for all asked items.…”

“…Many scholars have studied the souvenir trade from the demand side on themes such as tourists' buying behaviour (Altintzoglou et al, 2016;Amaro et al, 2020;Anuar et al, 2017;Wilkins, 2011), travel motivations and souvenirs (Kong & Chang, 2016;Swanson & Horridge, 2006), the meaning of souvenirs from a tourist's perspective (Collins-Kreiner & Zins, 2011;Decrop & Masset, 2014;Love & Sheldon, 1998;Masset & Decrop, 2021;Wang, 1999), and tourists' perception of souvenirs and authenticity (Deng et al, 2021;Peters, 2011;Xie et al, 2012;Yang & Wall, 2009). On the supply side of the souvenir trade, studies focused on themes such as souvenir retailers' perception of authenticity (Swanson, 2004;Trinh et al, 2014), souvenir suppliers' perceptions of authenticity (Soukhathammavong & Park, 2019), the development of traditional souvenir craft industry (Cave & Jolliffe, 2013;Trupp, 2015) and economic and social impacts of souvenir trade (Husa, 2020;Saarinen, 2016;Trupp & Sunanta, 2017).…”

Healthy, safe and responsible: the modern female traveller

“…To assist the local economy, and acknowledging that families enjoy a better standard of living when women are in employ, travellers should spend locally on accommodation, transport, food, craft (not foreign copies), and avoid aggressive haggling. Female tourists seem to buy more souvenirs than men [ 135 ]. Women can enter local homes more easily and may be able to buy directly from craftswomen.…”