UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY ---DANG THI THANH LOAN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOURISM MOTIVATION, DESTINATION IMAGE AND DESTINATION CHOICE - A CASE STUDY OF TOURISM DESTINATIO
Trang 1UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY
-DANG THI THANH LOAN
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOURISM MOTIVATION, DESTINATION IMAGE AND DESTINATION CHOICE - A CASE STUDY OF TOURISM DESTINATIONS IN BINH DINH PROVINCE
Major: Business Administration Code: 62 34 01 02
SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC DOCTORAL THESIS
Ho Chi Minh City - 2016
Trang 2The scientific supervisors:
1 Prof Dr Bui Thị Thanh
2 Prof Dr Pham Xuan Lan
The dissertation can also be found at:
- National Library of Vietnam
- General Scientific Library, Ho Chi Minh City
- Library of University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City
Trang 31 Dang Thi Thanh Loan, Bui Thi Thanh, 2014 Factors affecting tourist attraction: a case
study of Binh Dinh province Journal of Economics & Development December - 2014.
Number 210
2 Dang Thi Thanh Loan, 2015 Promoting comparative advantages to develop tourism in
Binh Dinh Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy September - 2015 Number 452.
3 Dang Thi Thanh Loan, 2015 Factors affect the satisfaction of tourists about Binh Dinh
destinations Journal of Economic Development September - 2015 Number 9.
4 Dang Thi Thanh Loan, 2016 Measuring local residents’ perceptions towards sustainabletourism development: the case study in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam,
International conference Sustainable tourism development of South Central Coast of Vietnam , 665 - 682 Da Nang 23 – 07 – 2016 Nanhua University – Taiwan & Vietnam
University of Commerce & College of Commerce
5 Dang Thi Thanh Loan, 2016 The pioneering role of local provincial government toward
sustainable tourism development: A case study of Binh Dinh province International
conference proceedings Sustainable tourism development: roles of Government, Business and Educational Institutions, 307 - 318 Ha Noi 09 – 10 – 2016 Faculty of Tourism and
Hospitality – National Economics University
Trang 5CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW 1.1 Rationale
1.1.1 In term of theoretical aspect
Destination choice is an important research concept that has drawn muchattention from scholars in recent decades “A holiday destination choice can beconceptualised as a tourist’s selection of a destination from a set of alternatives”(Huybers, 2004, p 1) Thus, tourism destination choice is a very important decisionprocess not only for tourists but also for the destination
Although these research had some contributions to scientific development andreality settlement, these research remain highly fragmented so far and there has been noresearch that logically and systematically determines the relationship between thetourism motivation, destination image and destination choice of tourists From thequalitative research carried out by the author, it was indicated that the relationshipsbetween pairs of concepts can appear simultaneously In addition, previous research ondestination choice used fairly rudimentary research methods and data processing; forexample, most of them used descriptive statistics, logistic regression or multipleregression testing; therefore, they haven’t tested the correlation relationship betweenthese components and considered the impact of potential moderator variables
1.1.2 In term of practical aspect
In recent years, tourism represents one of the most important and dynamic areas
in the economy world Tourism is a growing industry not only in developed countriesbut also in developing and less-developed countries (Tasci and Knutson, 2004) Due tothe potential benefits that tourism can bring to the destination, there is strongcompetition in attracting tourists between regions, countries and even between the samelocal destinations within a country This explains why local governments and otherorganizations have been focusing efforts on the creation of tourist attractions tocompete with other relevant destinations in the target market
As a coastal province in South Central region and considered as a land with richand beautiful nature, and abundant cultural history, Binh Dinh is a place fullyconverged basic tourism resources and comparative advantages with neighboringprovinces to be able to organize most of the large-scale types of tourism that can
Trang 6become a major attraction to domestic and international tourists However, up to nowtourism sector has not really promoted these advantages, which is clearly expressedthrough a number of key aspects such as the modest number of tourists to Binh Dinh,the little average length of stay, the low average expenditure, etc Compared to othercoastal south central areas, Binh Dinh tourism sector accounts for a relatively smallrole There is a big gap between potential and actual tourism development In the eyes
of many tourists, Binh Dinh seems to be the promised land for tourism, “potentialtourism of Binh Dinh is still … potential ”
1.2 Research objectives and questions
The overall objective of the study is to build a model generalizing relationshipsbetween antecedent variables such as travel constraint, tourism motivation, destinationimage and destination choice of tourists The reseach was tested for the case of BinhDinh province, thereby suggesting some policy implications to attract tourists to thedestination The specific research objectives of the thesis are:
- Building a model of the relationships between antecedent variables such astravel constraint, tourism motivation, destination image and destination choice oftourists; testing these relationships for the case of tourism destinations in Binh Dinhprovince;
- Measuring and testing the relationships between antecedent variables such astravel constraint, tourism motivation, destination image and destination choice oftourists under the influence of potential moderator variables such as socio-demographiccharacteristics and trip characteristics
From the research results, some policy implications are proposed to help BinhDinh tourism management agencies plan strategies to attract tourists to Binh Dinh
Research question:
1 How are the relationships between travel constraint, tourism motivation,destination image and destination choice of tourists? And what are the results in thecase of Binh Dinh destination (testing for the case of Binh Dinh destination)?
2 How do the relationships between travel constraint, tourism motivation,destination image and destination choice of tourists change under the influence of
Trang 7potential moderator variables such as socio-demographic characteristics and tripcharacteristics?
1.3 Objects and scope of the research
Respondents
- Respondents in qualitative research are tourists, tourism lecturers and managers
in the tourism field
- Respondents in quantitative research are domestic and international touristsvisiting Binh Dinh
1.4 Research Methods
The thesis mainly uses quantitative research combined with qualitative research
1.5 New contributions of the thesis
In terms of theoretical aspect:
- The study systematically overviews all targeted theoretical research that serve
as the basis for the modeling study Specifically, based on the synthesis of previousresearch, the author organizes, reviews and makes comments and observations whichare fundamental to the research model design The research not only clarifies the theory
on destination choice in Vietnam's economy, but also adds and tests the relationshipbetween travel constraint and tourism motivation as well as that between travelconstraint and destination image which are neglected in previous studies
- This is the first study that simultaneously tests and measures the relationshipbetween antecedent variables such as travel constraint, tourism motivation, destinationimage and destination choice The research hypothseses are accepted and the reliabilityguaranteed The results of the study help researchers and managers have a morecomplete and comprehensive view on a method to approach and measure the
Trang 8relationship between tourism motivation, destination image and destination choice fromthe customer perspective and identify key factors and their influence role in destinationchoice.
- In addition to inheriting and adjusting the scale of tourism motivation,destination image and destination choice, the thesis has built a new travel constraintscale based on customers’ perceptions
In terms of practical aspect:
- Combining academic research with applied one, the research builds up and teststhe scales and research model of the relationship between tourism motivation,destination image and destination choice (testing for the case of Binh Dinh destination)and apply these results to assess the situation and suggest some policy implications toattract tourists to the destination This information will help the relevant authorities,incorporations and individuals operating in the tourism sector decide what they should
do to attract tourists on the basis of enhancing the most of their peculiar conditions inthe most effective way
- The results of research also contribute to the basis for further studies in thisfield to explore more factors as well as their importance in promoting the destinationchoice
1.6 Research structure
The thesis is presented in five chapters:
- Chapter 1: Overview of research
- Chapter 2: Theoretical foundations and research models
- Chapter 3: Study design
- Chapter 4: Findings
- Chapter 5: Conclusion and policy implications
Trang 9CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND STUDY MODELS
2.1 Some basic concepts
2.1.1 Tourism
In general, the concept of tourism depends on the approach angles for differentpurposes According to Article 4, Term 1 of the Law on Tourism (2005), “Tourism isthe activity related to people’s trip outside the regular place of residence in order tosatisfy their needs for sightseeing, research, entertainment and relaxation in a certaintime period”
2.1.2 Tourist
There are many different points of view on identifying who tourists are.According to Article 4, Term 2 of the Law on Tourism (2005) “Tourists are people whotravel or combine travel, except for schooling, working or practicing to get income atthe destination”
2.1.3 Tourist destination
Gartrell (1994) defines tourist destination as the geographic area with particularproperties, features, attractiveness and services to attract potential tourists In thestrategic perspective, Buhalis (2000, p.98) defines a tourist destination as “ageographical region which is understood by its visitors as a unique entity, with apolitical and legislative framework for tourism marketing and planning”
2.1.4 Tourist product
“Tourist product is a set of necessary services to meet the needs of the tourists
in their trip” (Article 4, Term 10, Law on Tourism, 2005) Tourist product includestangible and intangible elements, in which intangible elements usually account for highproportion
2.2 Behavior theory
2.2.1 Theory of consumer behavior
Theory of consumer behavior studies how people buy, what they buy, when theybuy and why they buy Studying consumer behavior focuses on how a person decides tospend his/her available resources (time, money, effort) on goods and services(Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004)
Trang 102.2.2 Tourist behavior theory
Tourist behavior is the consumer behavior in the travel sector Althoughconsumer behavior in the travel sector is interesting and fascinating, it is very difficult
to carry out research in this field Customers in tourism sector has become morediverse, more experienced, higher quality required, more conscious and generally morecomplex (Knowles et al, 2001) Tourist behavior is an important aspect to be studied inall marketing activities (Fratu, 2011)
2.2.3 Applying tourist behavior theory in travel business
Understanding consumer behavior is very important for marketing success.Swarbrooke and Horner (2007) suggests that the subject of consumer behavior is thekey for building the foundation of all marketing activities that are undertaken todevelop, promote and sell tourist products
2.3.2 The components of tourism motivation
The number of components of social-psychological motivation is notinconsistency in studies, but most previous studies have tried to determine the tourismmotivation by developing a list of factors in several criteria and then used factoranalysis techniques to reduce the number of items in the list
2.4 Destination image
2.4.1 Definition
There has been no agreement on the concept and the components of destinationimage among researchers According to Bojanic (1991), destination image is a person’simpression on a place he/she does not reside Sharing this view, Crompton (1979),Barich and Kotler (1991) suggest that destination image is the sum of beliefs, ideas andimpressions that a person has on a destination Many recent studies accept the concept
of “destination image is an interactive system of thoughts, opinions, feelings,
Trang 11visualizations, and intentions toward a destination” (Tasci et al, 2007, p 200).According Echtner and Ritchie (2003), destination image is an impression or perception
of a place based on a spiritual representative of the potential properties and benefits ofthe destination
2.4.2 The components of destination image
There are many proposals on the components measuring destination image.Summarizing previous research, Beerli and Martín (2004a) demonstrate that there is alack of uniformity of properties measuring perception of a person about a destination
2.5 Travel constraint
In tourism, travel constraint has been documented since the 1980s Sönmez andGraefe (1998) have defined travel constraint as the unwanted problem from a depressedtourism experience (psychological risks) to the serious threat to the health or lives oftourists (the threat of physical, health or terrorism) Travel constraint can slow down,reduce or stop completely the tourism participation and choice process of the touristdestinations, which is reflected in the attractiveness and competitiveness compared toother destinations According Kerstetter et al (2005), travel constraint is the main factorpreventing people from starting or continuing to travel Travel constraint mentionsfactors that inhibit the continuation of the trip, cause inability to start, result in theinability to maintain or increase frequency of travel, and/or lead to negative effects onthe quality of tourism (Hung and Petrick, 2010) Previous studies shows that the system
of travel constraint level exist at different levels However, individuals can overcome(negotiating) some travel constraints, such as cost, if the desire to visit destinations isstrong enough (Chen et al, 2013)
2.6.1 Concept
In broad terms, a destination can be viewed as a product or service Destinationchoice, at the macro level, is concepted as the process to select a destination fromcompetitive alternatives (Woodside and Lysonski, 1989; Crompton, 1992; Tham et al,2013) At the micro level, destination choice is interpreted as a function of theinteraction between the practical limitations such as time, money, skills and destinationimage (Woodside and Lysonski, 1989)
Trang 122.6.2 Approaches
Mansfeld (1992) argues that there are two theoretical approaches from previousresearch to study the decision-making destination choice of tourists: (1) the approachbased on Neo-classical traditional demand theory and (2) the approach based onrandom-utility theory
2.6.3 Some empirical research
Um and Crompton (1990), Ankomah et al (1996), Sırakaya and Woodside(2005) explained that in order to choose a destination, tourists follow a funnel-likeprocedure which starts from a relative large initial set of alternative destinations andthrough a process of narrowing down, tourists finally select the most promisingalternative While going through the stages of the selection process, the decision makersare affected by many factors From the initial theoretical research about the touristdestinations selection process of Um and Crompton (1990), many studies have exploredfactors in the tourist destination choice model Synthesizing from some representativeresearch, it is found that there are many factors mentioned in destination choice model.While some researchers consider the impact of each individual factor, some otherstudies examine the simultaneous impact of various factors on the destination choice.The research can be divided in two main groups with some representative studies: (1)Studies based on traditional utility theory and (2) Studies based on random-utilitytheory
2.7 Relationship between the research concepts
2.7.1 Tourism motivation and destination image
According to Beerli and Martin (2004b), people with different motivations canevaluate a destination in the same manner if the awareness of it meets their needs Theawareness of tourists about the level that a tourist destination can fully perform theirspecific requirements is reflected in the attractiveness of the destination The research
of Baloglu and McCleary, (1999a), Beerli and Martín (2004a, 2004b), Yue (2008), Shin(2009) show that tourism motivation has a significant impact (positive) on destinationimage Therefore, the research hypothesis proposed is:
H 1 : There is a positive relationship between tourism motivation and destination image.
Trang 132.7.2 Tourism motivation and destination choice
There are many studies demonstrating tourism motivation factor, which can bedivided into the pull factors and push factors affecting the travel behavior (Yoon andUysal, 2005; Jang and Wu, 2006; Huang and Hsu, 2009; Wu et al, 2009; Mohammad et
al, 2010) in which the destination choice is the decision to visit the destination as well
as commitment to revisit and recommend to others Recently, Hsu et al (2009), Zhang(2009), Guillet et al (2011), Mutinda and Mayaka (2012) confirm that tourismmotivation is one of important factors affecting the destination choice Accordingly, theresearch hypothesis proposed is:
H 2 : There is a positive relationship between tourism motivation and destination choice.
2.7.3 Destination image and destination choice
Testing the influence of destination image on destination choice is a populartopic of research (Gartner, 1989; Bigne et al, 2001) These studies conclude thatdestination image creates expectations before the trip and it affects the decision making
of tourists on the trip (Gartner 1989; Woodside and Lysonski, 1989; Fakeye andCrompton, 1991 ) and post-trip evaluations as well as intentions to revisit a destination
in the future (Wang and Hsu, 2010) Accordingly, the research hypothesis proposed is:
H 3 There is a positive relationship between destination image and destination choice.
2.7.4 Travel constraint and destination image
Travel constraints are factors limiting the formation of leisure hobby, inhibit orprevent the entertainment participation and enjoyment Chen et al (2013) confirm thatdestination image plays a mediate role between travel constraint and intend to visit, andhence the negative impact of perceived travel constraints to visit intention can bereduced through the intermediate effects of the destination image In very few researchpapers, Chen et al (2013) find a significant relationship between travel constraint anddestination image The authors concluded that travel constraint influences on theformation of the image destination for young tourists to Brunei Accordingly, theresearch hypothesis proposed is: