|
According to the statistical estimates from World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Youth Tourism is gathering more attention and plays an important role in overall tourism industry (Taipei International Travel Fair, 2003). Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communication of Taiwan, places greater efforts in developing and promoting youth tourism by becoming a member of the Federation of The Federation Of International Youth Travel Organization”(FIYTO) since 2002. Further, a International Youth Tourist Program was developed to design tourism products/tours and to propose specific and concert marketing strategies to attract international young tourists to visit Taiwan. However little research has been drawn regarding understanding international young tourists’ characteristics, behaviors, perceived risk, and their traveling satisfactions of traveling in Taiwan. The perceived risk could play an important role in tourists’ decision-making about their traveling destination and traveling expectations.
Therefore, the purposes of this empirical study are to identify socio-economic characteristics, lifestyles, and travel types of international young tourists who choose Taiwan as their traveling destination and further to demonstrate how international young tourists’ characteristics (including socio-economic characteristics, traveling experience and lifestyle) influence their perceived risks of traveling in Taiwan, and traveling satisfaction. This study used questionnaires as a data collection tool with Chinese, English and Japanese versions and the data for statistical analysis was collected through January to March 2006 from 361 international young tourists from different countries.
Data was analyzed by using Descriptive analysis, Factor analysis, Cluster analysis, Chi-square analysis, Discriminant analysis, Independence sample T-test, One-way ANOVA and Correlation analysis. The main results are as followings: 1) International young tourists with different socio-economic characteristics including nationality have statistically significant differences in their travel types and a positive correlation exists between tourists’ age/the number of traveling companies during their trips and travel types；2) International young tourists with different socio-economic characteristics including their nationality and gender have statistically significant differences in their perceived risks of traveling and a positive correlation exists between tourists’ age and their perceived risks of traveling；3) International young tourists with different travel types have statistically significant differences in their perceived risks of traveling；4) International young tourists with different socio-economic characteristics including nationality, level of education, occupation, average monthly income have statistically significant differences in traveling satisfaction and a positive correlation exists between age and traveling satisfaction；5) International young tourists with different travel types have statistically significant differences in their traveling satisfactions；6) Strong positive correlation between perceived risks of traveling and traveling satisfaction is found. In addition, based on the empirical research results, this study has also proposed detailed suggestions with regards to the government and enterprises of travel related industry.
|