Understanding Chinese tourists' satisfaction with their travel experiences in Canada / by Kun Zhang.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to better understand Chinese tourists' satisfaction with their travel experiences in Canada. Primarily, tourism studies to date have addressed and examined the consumer or tourism satisfaction with services and destination performances. However, there is little research on Chinese tourists' satisfaction with their travel experiences to Canada, an issue of special relevance since China and Canada have begun to discuss Approved Destination Status (ADS) for Canada. This study seeks to examine existing Chinese tourists' expectations and satisfactions in order to meet their demands in the coming years. Participants in the study were Chinese tourists who have had recent travel experiences in Canada. Surveys were administered in Toronto during October to November 2005. Participants were asked to rate the importance of a set of attributes of tourism experience and then to assess performance on the same set of attributes. The resulting importance-performance analysis (I-P) forms the basis for the research. From I-P analysis, it is found that Chinese tourists expect to travel with standard service and look for different experiences in Canada. Destination attractiveness and hospitality services are important to all tourists, but they are less interested in tourist attractions and facilities. Language service and dealing with complaints need better performance. Hotel service, transportation, package price and travel route also need to be taken into considerations by tourism planners and destination management. Overall, Chinese tourists are satisfied with their experiences in Canada.