With the expanding Chinese outbound market and the increase in the number of Chinese overseas tourists, the number of Chinese visitors to Jeju Island is also on the constant increase, and the Chinese market is the key target market for a take-off of t...
With the expanding Chinese outbound market and the increase in the number of Chinese overseas tourists, the number of Chinese visitors to Jeju Island is also on the constant increase, and the Chinese market is the key target market for a take-off of tourism in Jeju Island; for this reason, it is essential to understand and research the Chinese. In this context, this study was motivated by the need to research Chinese tourists.
This study investigated Chinese tourists' expectation of novelty prior to tourism in Jeju Island and perception of novelty following tourism experience to determine their requirements of novelty and general tourism satisfaction.
This study focused on novelty among numerous tourism motivations, conducting a survey with 320 Chinese tourists. Of them, a valid sample of 283 was analyzed by using an SPSS Windows 12.0 statistical program.
Frequency analysis was carried out to determine visit types and demographic characteristics, and factor analysis, regression analysis, t-test, and ANOVA was performed to test hypotheses.
According to the results, Chinese tourists who visited the island during the May Day holidays were found to have a good academic background, have the average monthly income stand generally high at the mid- or high level, and stay relatively long.
The younger, the higher expectation of novelty for tourism in Jeju Island; the better academic background and the more monthly income on the average led to failure of novelty perception to meet the expectation.
As they stayed one more day, novelty perception became relatively higher, which can imply that the shorter stay for tourism in Jeju Island, the less correct understanding of tourism in Jeju Island.
In terms of information acquisition channels, particularly, the novelty acquiring information via mass media showed high expectation of novelty for tourism in Jeju Island, which demonstrates that public relations of tourism in Jeju Island via mass media can appeal to the Chinese; it is therefore necessary to actively perform constant PR activities via mass media in the future.
Chinese tourists visited Jeju Island with some expectation of novelty; however, their perception failed to meet their expectation. That is, it can be said that sightseeing places in Jeju Island have insufficient attraction related to novelty to meet their expectation. This implies that Chinese tourists couldn't find out particular novelty-related attraction in sightseeing places they primarily visited as compared with those in China or in other countries they had experienced. Chinese tourists who visit Jeju Island mainly via a full-charge travel agency cannot but go on a tour as designated by the agency and most of the full-charge travel agencies necessarily contain a free-of-charge sightseeing place in the schedule, which is presumed to be one of those factors that prevent Chinese tourists from feeling satisfied.
If Chinese tourists fail to feel satisfied after visit to Jeju Island, then the Chinese will avoid tourism in Jeju Island and the demand for tourism can possibly be transferred to other domestic sightseeing places or overseas ones.
To make Jeju Island perceived as an attractive sightseeing place, it is necessary to perform active PRs via mass media and develop tourist goods in other patterns than by now.
This study tried to examine Chinese tourists' expectation and perception of novelty for tourism in Jeju Island and general satisfaction to understand them and to find out what to improve about tourism in Jeju Island. It is therefore expected that this study will be able to be used as basic data to develop tourist goods to meet Chinese tourists' requirements and attract them in the future.