Start Date

7-1-2011 8:00 AM

End Date

7-1-2011 9:15 AM

Track

1. Track 1 – Formal Paper Presentation

Subject Area

Travel and Tourism

Faculty Member

Liping A. Cai liping@purdue.edu Jonathon G. Day gjday@purdue.edu

Abstract

This study aims to explore Asian cruise travelers’ cruise experience and its multidimensional perceptions of cruising as well as the effect of travelers’ perceptions on satisfaction and behavioral intention. In order to measure Asian travelers’ multidimensional perceptions, survey items were adapted from SERVQUAL and SERV-PERVAL. An on-board survey was conducted on eight separate 4-days voyages of the Far East Asia in 2007. Exploratory factor analysis was performed first to identify travelers’ multidimensional perceptions on travel experience. Subsequently, regression was conducted so that researchers examine how the travelers’ perceptions affect tourists’ satisfaction and behavioral intention. Statistical results showed that Asian cruise travelers have two dimensional perceptions and each perception can be named as “perceived quality” and “perceived value”. The perceived quality has four components. They are “Facility”, “F&B”, “Entertainment”, and “Staff”, and the perceived value consists of three components including “Emotional response”, “Perceived price”, and “Behavioral price and reputation”. According to the statistical results, travelers’ perceptions on cruise experiencing affect travel satisfaction and travelers’ behavioral intention. One of most influential components of perceptions is travelers’ emotional response and the physical facility of cruise ship. This finding suggests that cruise marketers should emphasize the emotional aspect of cruise travel in a cruise promotion and invest in modern cruise ship acquisition so that cruise lines achieve a dominant position in the emerging cruise market, Asian cruise market.

Keywords

Asian cruise tourists, Cruising experience, Perception dimensionality, Perceived quality, Perceived value

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Jan 7th, 8:00 AM Jan 7th, 9:15 AM

Exploring Asian Cruise Travelers’ Travel Experience and Perceptions

This study aims to explore Asian cruise travelers’ cruise experience and its multidimensional perceptions of cruising as well as the effect of travelers’ perceptions on satisfaction and behavioral intention. In order to measure Asian travelers’ multidimensional perceptions, survey items were adapted from SERVQUAL and SERV-PERVAL. An on-board survey was conducted on eight separate 4-days voyages of the Far East Asia in 2007. Exploratory factor analysis was performed first to identify travelers’ multidimensional perceptions on travel experience. Subsequently, regression was conducted so that researchers examine how the travelers’ perceptions affect tourists’ satisfaction and behavioral intention. Statistical results showed that Asian cruise travelers have two dimensional perceptions and each perception can be named as “perceived quality” and “perceived value”. The perceived quality has four components. They are “Facility”, “F&B”, “Entertainment”, and “Staff”, and the perceived value consists of three components including “Emotional response”, “Perceived price”, and “Behavioral price and reputation”. According to the statistical results, travelers’ perceptions on cruise experiencing affect travel satisfaction and travelers’ behavioral intention. One of most influential components of perceptions is travelers’ emotional response and the physical facility of cruise ship. This finding suggests that cruise marketers should emphasize the emotional aspect of cruise travel in a cruise promotion and invest in modern cruise ship acquisition so that cruise lines achieve a dominant position in the emerging cruise market, Asian cruise market.