Segmentation by experiential familiarity and travel mode of the Chinese outbound market to Spain

Abstract

Chinese travel markets are maturing with new travel trends arising as tourists become more experienced. This paper analyzes the possibilities of segmenting Chinese tourists’ motivations and satisfaction in Western destinations by experiential familiarity and travel mode, namely Free Independent Travel and Group-tour Travel. Based on these variables, this study builds on a survey questionnaire of Mainland Chinese travelers to Spain. A quantitative analysis of motivations and satisfaction is performed. Comparison of means, one-way MANOVA and Principal Component Analysis are the main analytical techniques used to understand the a priori selected segments of tourists. The main results show significant differences among consumers: independent travelers are less satisfied with the Chinese language services, whereas group-tour travelers are, overall, less satisfied with the trip and the destination. The results also show that repeat visitors are motivated by different aspects of the destination, such as Spanish natural resources and beaches, which are less important for first-time visitors. Among the studied segments of consumers, the differences in motivation, satisfaction and sociodemographic profiles are discussed along with the practical implications of the research. 随着中国出境游客旅游经验的日益成熟，中国出境旅游市场呈现新的趋势。本文试图通过对目的地的熟悉度和出游团队类型对中国赴西班牙的出境旅游者进行市场细分，并分析不同细分市场在出游动机和满意度方面的差异。研究结果表明，不同细分市场的游客呈现不同的人口统计学特征，其出游动机和满意度也不尽相同。具体来讲，自由行游客对汉语服务的满意度较低，然而跟团游的游客对旅行和目的地的整体满意度较低；重游者的更多是被目的地特色所吸引，如西班牙的自然资源和海滩，然而这些对于初游者而言并非很重要。作者在文章的最后探讨了本文的理论和实践意义。