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Assessing Tourist Experience Satisfaction with a

Heritage Destination
Yuan Yao
Purdue University, [email protected]

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Graduate School ETD Form 9
(Revised 12/07)

PURDUE UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance

This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared

By Yuan Yao

Entitled
ASSESSING TOURIST EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION WITH A HERITAGE DESTINATION

Master of Science
For the degree of

Is approved by the final examining committee:

Xinran Y. Lehto
Chair
Jonathon Day

Liping A. Cai

To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Research Integrity and
Copyright Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 20), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of
Purdue University’s “Policy on Integrity in Research” and the use of copyrighted material.

Xinran Y. Lehto
Approved by Major Professor(s): ____________________________________
____________________________________

Approved by: Barbara Almanza 11/11/2013

Head of the Graduate Program Date
 i

ASSESSING TOURIST EXPERIENCE SATISAFCTION WITH A HERITAGE

DESTINATION

A Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

Purdue University

by

Yuan Yao

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

of

Master of Science

December 2013

Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana

 ii

To my parents
 iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I dedicate this thesis to the people who have supported, encouraged, and assisted me

during the long journey.

I would like to first express my sincere gratitude to my chair advisor, Professor.

Xinran Lehto. Without her continuous guidance and encouragement, this thesis would not

have been possible. Her passion towards research indeed inspires me all the time. She is a

great mentor throughout my academic path.

I am also deeply grateful to my committee member, Professor Jonathon Day and

Professor. Liping Cai. Their insightful comments and valuable suggestions guided me

throughout the whole process. I really appreciate their time and tremendous contribution

to this thesis.

I would also like to thank all my friends I met at Purdue. Thanks to their

companionship for walking me through the great time here.

Special thanks to Yinqi Liu for all the things he has done in the past two and a half

years. This is a long journey. He makes it enjoyable.

Last but not least, I must acknowledge my dear parents who always unconditionally

love and endlessly support me. Thank them for always standing by me. I cannot imagine

how to complete this long journey without their love.

 iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
1.1 Research Background ................................................................................ 1
1.2 Research Constructs .................................................................................. 2
1.3 Research Objectives .................................................................................. 4
1.4 Organization of Study ............................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 7
2.1 Cultural Heritage Tourism ........................................................................ 7
2.2 The Case of Nanjing .................................................................................. 9
2.3 Satisfaction Theory ................................................................................. 10
2.4 Attribute Performance and Satisfaction .................................................. 12
2.5 Involvement and Satisfaction .................................................................. 15
2.6 Motivation and Satisfaction .................................................................... 17
2.7 Conceptual Model and Hypotheses ......................................................... 21
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............................... 24
3.1 Data Collection and Sampling ................................................................ 24
3.2 Survey Instrument ................................................................................... 25
3.3 Variable Measurement ............................................................................ 26
3.4 Statistical Data Analysis.......................................................................... 32
3.4.1 Descriptive Analysis .........................................................................33
3.4.2 Factor Analysis .................................................................................33
3.4.3 Mediation Analysis ...........................................................................34
CHAPTER 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................ 36
4.1 Descriptive Analysis ............................................................................... 36
 v

Page
4.1.1 Demographic Profiles........................................................................36
4.2 Factor Analysis ........................................................................................ 45
4.3 Mediation Analysis ................................................................................. 51
4.3.1 Mediation Effects between Heritage Related Motivation and
Overall Satisfaction ................................................................................................... 51
4.3.2 Mediation Effects between Relaxation and Entertainment Motivation
and Overall Satisfaction .............................................................................................54
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION ................................................. 56
5.1 Summary of the Study ............................................................................. 56
5.2 Key Findings and Discussion .................................................................. 58
5.2.1 Heritage Destination Attribute Performance and Experience
Satisfaction .......................................................................................................... 58
5.2.2 Emotional Involvement and Experience Satisfaction .......................59
5.2.3 Travel Motivation and Experience Satisfaction ................................61
5.3 Managerial Implications .......................................................................... 65
5.4 Theoretical Contributions ........................................................................ 68
5.5 Limitations and Future Studies ............................................................... 70
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 72
APPENDICES
Appendix A Survey Instrument in English .................................................................. 87
Appendix B Survey Instrument in Chinese ................................................................. 92
 vi

LIST OF TABLES

Table ..............................................................................................................................Page
Table 3.1 The Measurement of Variables Tested in the Survey ....................................... 30

Table 4.1 Demographic Profiles of Participants ............................................................... 38

Table 4.2 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourist Motivation to Visit Nanjing .. 41

Table 4.3 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of the Respondents’ Evaluation of

Destination Attributes ....................................................................................................... 42

Table 4.4 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourists’ Involvement at the Heritage

Destination ........................................................................................................................ 43

Table 4.5 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourists’ Overall Satisfaction at the

Heritage Destination ......................................................................................................... 44

Table 4.6 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Motivations at the Heritage Destination ............. 46

Table 4.7 Factor Analysis of Evaluation of Nanjing Heritage Tourism Attributes .......... 48

Table 4.8 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Involvement with Nanjing Heritage Tourism ..... 49

Table 4.9 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Satisfaction with Nanjing Heritage Tourism ...... 50

Table 5.1 Summary of Results of Hypotheses Testing ..................................................... 57

Table 5.2 Comparisons of Dimensions of Tourist Motivations ........................................ 62

 vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure .............................................................................................................................Page
Figure 2.1 Hypothesized Research Model Depicting the Relations among the Four Major

Variables. .......................................................................................................................... 23

Figure 3.1 Mediation Model Showing the Relationship of a Third External Variable (M)

on the Relation Between the Independent Variable (X) and Dependent Variable (Y). .... 35

Figure 4.1 Attribute Performance Evaluation and Involvement Mediation of the

Relationship between Heritage Motivation and Satisfaction. ........................................... 53

Figure 4.2 Attribute Performance Evaluation and Involvement Mediation of the

Relationship between Relaxation and Entertainment Motivation and Satisfaction. ......... 55

Figure 5.1 Drivers of Heritage Destination Experience Satisfaction.. .............................. 69

 viii

ABSTRACT

Yao, Yuan. M.S., Purdue University, December 2013. Assessing Tourist Satisfaction
Experience with a Heritage Destination. Major Professor: Xinran Y.Lehto.

The research is concerned with understanding the relationships among heritage

motivation, travel experience, and overall satisfaction. It attempts to uncover how tourist

motivation, destination attribute performance, and tourist emotional involvement interact

and, at the same time, contribute toward a satisfying heritage tourism experience. The

empirical research was conducted at the city of Nanjing, China, as a case of a heritage

destination. People who were visiting Nanjing were randomly and voluntarily selected to

participate in the self-administrated survey. A total of 282 valid questionnaires were

collected with a response rate of about 55%. Factor analysis and mediation analysis were

conducted by using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) 20.0. The results

uncovered three dimensions of heritage attributes—namely, heritage product

representativeness, heritage product attractiveness, and facilities and service. All three

dimensions of attributes were found to contribute significantly to tourist experience

satisfaction, with heritage product attractiveness contributing the most. The research

further noted that the degree to which tourists were emotionally involved with a heritage

destination could also affect their experience satisfaction. Additionally, the study

indicated that heritage motivation appeared to have no direct effect on determining tourist
 ix

satisfaction; rather, with the mediating effect of destination attribute assessment and

tourist emotional involvement with the destination, the contribution of heritage

motivation toward satisfaction became significant. In other words, motivation can

positively influence heritage destination satisfaction only when tourist expectations of a

heritage experience were met and tourists were actually involved in tourism activities.

The findings of this research contribute both conceptually and practically to heritage

tourism destination planning and management to create a satisfying heritage experience.

 1

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

As an important element in the world, China’s tourism industry is developing at a

very fast speed. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted that by 2015,

“China will become the top inbound tourism destination and the fourth largest source

market of outbound tourists.” Along with the fast development of inbound and outbound

tourism, China’s domestic tourism market still has a great potential in future

development. The Yearbook of China’s Tourism Statistic in 2012 indicated that the total

number of domestic tourists reached 2.64 billion in 2011. Also, tourism incomes have

increased to CNY 1,930.6 billion in 2011, which is an increase of 53.89% as compared to

2010. Compared with the data of inbound tourism, the income from domestic tourism is

about 40 times that of inbound tourism (CNY 48.464 billion). The facts indicate that

domestic tourism still dominates the main share of the tourism industry in China (Song,

2010). With more than 5,000 years of history, heritage and culture tourism has become

one of the most popular components of China’s domestic tourism markets (Sofiled & Li,

1998). Sofiled and Li (1998) indicated that the development of heritage and culture

tourism in China is because China has a rich abundance of historical and cultural

resources, and the government supports the tourism industry. The government has taken

actions such as constructing heritage theme parks, holding historical events, celebrating
 2

traditional festivals, and so on (Sofiled & Li, 1998). The development of heritage tourism

in China shows the significance and necessity of studying heritage tourism in China.

Heritage tourism is about the interaction of culture, tourism, and experience

during the consumption process of tourism (Kay, 2009). In academic studies, the research

of culture and heritage tourism is not a new topic. This line of research has offered

insights into the definition of concepts, the cultural or heritage settings, the marketing

segmentations, and the perceptions and experiences of tourists (Debes, 2011; Kay, 2009;

Poria, Butler, & Airey, 2003; Poria, Reichel, & Biran, 2006). However, little attention

has been given to understand tourists’ satisfaction through their overall experience with a

heritage destination.

1.2 Research Constructs

The study of tourist satisfaction has been of interest as a research subject. It was

noted that tourists’ overall satisfaction would help to promote an attractive destination

image to attract potential tourists and maintain repeat visitors (Moutinho, 1987; Hul et al.,

2006). Based on this background, it is necessary to understand what leads to tourists’

overall satisfaction from both a theoretical and an applied perspective.

Previous research has recognized various antecedents that affect travel

experience. The study of satisfaction has been inevitably associated with the concept of

travel motivation (Devesa, Laguna, & Palacios, 2010; Savinovic, S. Kim, & Long, 2012).

This is because the perception of a travel experience can be affected by tourist demand

and expectation to visit a destination (J. G. Donlon, J. H. Donlon, & Agrusa, 2010).

Extant literature indicated that motivation explains what drives people to visit a
 3

destination—that is, why people visit a cultural heritage destination. Studying

motivations of tourists to visit a destination theoretically contributes to understanding

tourism as a social and psychological phenomenon (Cohen, 1974). Studies also offered

insights into heritage tourism management. The main efforts were placed on identifying

significant motivations that drive people to travel (Iso-Aloha, 1980; Kay, 2009; Ozel &

Kozak, 2012). Tourists’ specific heritage and cultural motivations were considered

important driving factors that could affect overall travel experience (Kay, 2009). Previous

findings consistently suggested that to better satisfy a target market’s demand, marketers

need to understand the motivations and expectations of target tourists and connect them

with the experiences that a heritage destination can offer.

Additionally, a few studies have identified that both cognition and affect could

influence satisfaction significantly. Homburg, Koschate, and Hoyer (2006) proposed a

dynamic perspective to investigate cognition and affect simultaneously as the antecedents

of overall satisfaction. In their tourism study, Beerli and Martin (2004) indicated that the

overall travel experience could affect one’s perception of a destination, including both the

cognitive image and the affective image. The cognitive image was noted to be part of the

tourist evaluation on the physical settings of a destination, which could be explained by

Oliver’s (1980) expectancy disconfirmation theory, which suggests that satisfaction is the

result of comparing the expectations to the actual performance of a destination. The

affective image was noted as a tourist’s emotional interaction or involvement with a

destination (K. Kim, Hallab, & J. N. Kim, 2012). Thus, the constructs of attribute

performance evaluation and tourists’ involvement with a destination were introduced to

investigate tourists’ experience at a heritage destination. The evaluation of the attributes

 4

of a destination is the customer-perceived value acquired through experiencing an

interaction with a product or service (Komppula & Gartner, 2012). Emotional

involvement is about the emotional bonds between tourists and destinations, which could

affect people’s willingness to get involved in an experience or participate in a travel

activity (Gross & Brown, 2008).

Against this background, this research investigated how tourist motivation,

destination attribute performance, and emotional involvement interact and contribute to

tourists’ satisfaction with a heritage destination. Previous studies have developed the

linkage between travel motivation and satisfaction by considering either destination

attribute performance or tourists’ involvement. However, to the best of our knowledge,

there is no study that has investigated the influence of the constructs simultaneously in a

heritage tourism study. This research aims to provide insight into the interrelationship

among the concepts based on the case of Nanjing, China, and to develop a conceptual

model to investigate how they contribute to a satisfying heritage tourism experience.

1.3 Research Objectives

The study of heritage destination management has received much attention from

not only academics but also practitioners. However, little attention has been given to

investigating the linkage between heritage destination management and tourists’ actual

travel experience. It is still not clearly known how a tourism experience can affect

tourists’ perceptions and evaluations of a heritage destination. To fill in the gap of a

heritage tourism study, the research is designed to investigate (a) what motivates tourists

to visit a heritage destination, (b) what dimensions of heritage attributes would satisfy
 5

their expectations, (c) how tourists interact and are involved with a heritage destination,

and (d) what contributes to tourists’ overall experience satisfaction.

The main purpose of the study was to develop a conceptual model to identify the

antecedents of satisfaction and reveal the relationships among heritage motivation,

experience, and satisfaction. It was expected that the findings would contribute to future

theoretical study as well as provide practical suggestions for heritage destination

management.

1.4 Organization of Study

The study is organized and presented in five chapters. Chapter 1 provides the

background of the research, followed by a brief introduction of the research trend and gap

of heritage tourism; the main objectives were also stated in this section. Chapter 2

reviews existing studies and the literature on the main constructs of the topic. This

section includes the general introduction of the heritage tourism study. To investigate the

overall travel experience of tourists, the literature related to constructs of travel

motivation, involvement, and satisfaction are reviewed in the following section. The

research gap in the existing studies and the significance of the constructs in tourism

necessitated the study. A hypothesized conceptual model was established based on the

understanding of previous propositions and the proposed hypotheses. Chapter 3 develops

the methodology of the research by illustrating the procedures of instrument

development, data collection, and statistical analysis methods of data. In chapter 4, the

results of statistical analysis and hypothesis testing are presented. The first part of the

section illustrates the descriptive statistics of the sample. The demographic profile,
 6

respondents’ travel pattern, and their ratings of motivation, evaluations of destination

attributes, personal involvement level, and overall satisfaction were covered in this

section. In the next part, exploratory factor analysis was performed to reveal the internal

structure of the measure items. Applying the results conducted from the factor analysis,

the mediation models are presented. The results and discussion of hypothesis testing and

overall model are reported in the following part. The last section, chapter 5, summarizes

key findings and concludes by comparing the results with previous research. Theoretical

implications for future research and empirical suggestions for destination marketing are

included. At the end of the chapter, the limitations of the research and recommendations

for future studies are proposed.

 7

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Cultural Heritage Tourism

Cultural heritage tourism was commonly understood as “the interplay between

tourism, the use of cultural heritage assets, the consumption of experience and products,

and the tourist” (McKercher & Cros, 2002, p. 6). While no single definition of heritage

tourism has gained widespread acceptance (Alzua, O’Leary, & Morrison, 1998; Leslie &

Sigala, 2005; Hughes, 2002), an examination of extant literature revealed two key

approaches in defining heritage tourism: product-focused orientation and customer-

focused orientation (Timothy & Boyd, 2003; Li, Wu, & Cai, 2007; Vong & Ung, 2011).

The first approach places a focus on tourism products and physical attributes present at

heritage tourism sites or destinations. For example, Leslie and Sigala (2005) defined

heritage and cultural tourism as “the segment of the tourism industry that places special

emphasis on heritage and cultural attractions” (p. 5). The second approach highlights the

role of tourists in heritage tourism. According to Yale (1990), heritage tourism “centered

on what we have inherited, which can mean anything from historic buildings, to art

works, to beautiful scenery” (p. 21). To emphasize tourist motivation and perception of

cultural heritage tourism, Poria, Butler, and Airey (2001) defined heritage tourism as “a

subgroup, in which the main motivation for visiting is based on the characteristics of the

place according to the tourists’ perception of their own heritage” (p. 1048). Poria et al.’s
 8

definition indicated that tourist expectation and demands of a heritage experience are a

prerequisite component of heritage tourism. McKercher and Cros’s (2002) definition was

adopted in this paper for emphasizing the interaction between the product and the

customer of a heritage tourism destination.

The definition of heritage tourism implies that successful heritage destinations

require well-designed heritage attributes as well as the concurrent participation and

involvement of tourists. Therefore, the research studied the influential factors of tourist

satisfaction with their heritage travel experience in order to determine how heritage

destinations may best provide a satisfying travel experience to tourists.

 9

2.2 The Case of Nanjing

In this case study, Nanjing was selected as the cultural heritage destination

because of its culture background and geographic and economic location. Nanjing, as the

capital of Jiangsu Province in China, is a very important city in the history of China.

Being the capital of ten dynasties throughout China’s history, Nanjing has inherited

culture from the thousand years of development. Located along the Yangzi River in the

eastern part of China, the great geographic and economic location provided a convenient

transportation system that made the city easily accessible. Besides, the well-developed

supporting facilities and services, natural and cultural tourism resources made Nanjing a

world famous city destination that attracted tourists, from not only China but also all over

the world, seeking to experience the magic of history and culture (General Introduction of

Nanjing, 2013). As a major tourism destination, the tourism industry in Nanjing has

developed exponentially. There are 51 national-level scenic spots and 113 star-level

hotels providing competitive capacity to accommodate and attract people from all over

the world. According to the statistics from the official government website of Nanjing

Tourism (2013), 71,810,000 tourists visited Nanjing in 2011, which is an increase of

12.8% as compared to 2010. In 2014, Nanjing will hold the second Youth Olympic

Games, which is expected to attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. Its

rich historical and cultural background and its numerous tourism resources, along with its

potential for tourism development in the future, make Nanjing a suitable case for the

study.
 10

2.3 Satisfaction Theory

Tourist satisfaction is important because it influences consumption during the

visit and the future loyalty of tourists (Huh et al., 2006; Kozak & Rimington, 2000).

More specifically, tourists who are satisfied with their previous travel experience tend to

be more willing to revisit the destination and recommend the destination to friends or

relatives (J. Lee & Beeler, 2009; A. K. Kim & Brown, 2012).

The study of tourist satisfaction was originally based on the larger concept of

customer satisfaction found in general marketing contexts. Satisfaction was defined as

“the degree to which one believes that an experience evokes positive feelings” (Rust &

Olive, 1994). Also, satisfaction was considered as “a collective evaluation of individual

experiences” (J. Lee, Kyle, & Scoot, 2012, p. 756). Oliver’s (1980) expectancy

disconfirmation model is one of the most commonly adopted approaches for

understanding consumer satisfaction in literature (Hsu, Chiu, & Ju, 2004; Kivela,

Inbakaran, & Reece, 1999; Montfort, Masurel, & Rijin, 2006; Phillips & Baumgatner,

2002; Santos & Boote, 2003; Yen & Lu, 2008; Yi, 1990; Oliver, Balakrishnan, & Barry,

1994). The theory proposed that consumer satisfaction is “a function of expectation and

expectancy disconfirmation” (Oliver, 1980, p.460). In the purchasing process, consumers

compared the actual performance with their expectation of a product, and the gap

between the two determines satisfaction. The theory was also commonly applied in the

study of tourist satisfaction, which was explained as the result of the discrepancy between

pre-travel expectation and post-travel perception (C-F. Chen & F-S. Chen, 2010; Huh et

al., 2006; J. Lee & Beeler, 2009; Pizam & Milman, 1993; Yoon & Uysal, 2001). For

example, Pizam and Milman (1993) proposed that the disconfirmation is an effective
 11

indicator of satisfaction by studying and comparing the three segments of tourists’

perception before and after they visited a specific destination. Nevertheless, Tse and

Wilton (1988) proposed reinforcement to the expectancy disconfirmation theory. They

stated that consumer satisfaction was only related to actual performance. Their research

emphasized that pre-visit expectation should not be considered as an influencing factor of

satisfaction because tourists may have no previous knowledge of or experience with the

destinations. Yoon and Uysal (2005) indicated although in this case, Tse and Wilton

(1988) emphasized the importance of actual performance in assessing tourist satisfaction,

this model could only be applied when tourists have no knowledge about their

destinations. As satisfaction is a complicated concept, it would be more applicable to

measure satisfaction in multiple dimensions (Yoon & Uysal, 2005). It explained the

reason why in this study the role of tourists’ pre-travel expectation and motivation should

not be excluded when attempting to understand their overall satisfaction.

The expectancy disconfirmation theory was referred to as a cognitive approach

for understanding heritage satisfaction. Inspired by Oliver’s findings (1993), a growing

number of studies have proposed a cognitive-affective approach to understand tourist

satisfaction by considering the emotional response to the travel experience (Bosque &

Martin, 2006). Similar to the cognitive-affective approach, Pizam, Neumann, and Reichel

(1978) indicated that there are two dimensions to tourist satisfaction: the instrumental or

“physical” level of performance and the expressive or “psychological” level of

performance. Consistent with the literature, Homburg, Koschate, and Hoyer (2006)

proposed that cognition and affect influence travel satisfaction simultaneously. Cognition

was the evaluation and perceived value of destination attributes that tourists have after
 12

visiting a destination. Affect represented the feelings or emotions that tourists acquire

from the travel experience. To study both cognition and affect derived from the travel

experience, we investigated how physical attribute performance and emotional

involvement with a destination interact and affect satisfaction.

2.4 Attribute Performance and Satisfaction

The physical attribute performance discussed here refers to the perceived

performance of the functional attributes of a destination, such as service quality, location,

and physical attractiveness (Ahn, Ekinci, & Li, 2011). The critical role of attribute

performance in determining satisfaction has been widely discussed and supported by

several studies (Kozak & Rimington, 2000; Meng et al., 2008; Pizam, Neumann, &

Reichel, 1978; Voon & N. Lee, 2009). Pizam et al. (1978) were among the pioneer

researchers who proposed that the measurement of tourist satisfaction should be based on

identifying and measuring the dimensions of destination performance. Additionally,

equal attention should be given to each attribute because the perception of any of the

attributes could lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the overall travel experience

(Pizam et al., 1978). In later studies, various conceptual models were applied to support

the connection between destination performance and satisfaction. For example, Zabkar,

Brencic, and Dmitrovic (2010) applied the cognitive-affective-conative model, and their

results supported the statement that perceived value of destination attributes contributed

to overall experience satisfaction. Also, C-F Chen and F-S Chen’s (2010) study proposed

that there are connections among experience quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and

behavioral intention. In their study the perceived value actually referred to the evaluation
 13

of attribute performance (C-F Chen & F-S Chen, 2010). Meng et al.’s (2008) study

investigated the three indicators of satisfaction for a resort destination, where evaluation

of attribute performance was noted as the most important indicator. The efforts of these

studies all indicated that the performance of destination attribute had a significant

influence on tourists’ overall satisfaction during their visit. Against this background, the

significant role of attribute performance has implied that a destination should provide

well-designed attributes, such as high-quality products or services, to satisfy tourists.

That is to say, without knowing customers’ expectations and preference of destination

attributes, destination planners will not be able to satisfy tourists. Therefore, attention

should be given first to identify what attributes play the determinant role in affecting

satisfaction (Caber, Albayrak, & Matzler, 2012; Pizam et al., 1978).

In the context of a heritage destination, efforts were made to identify the attributes

of cultural heritage elements that could affect overall experience satisfaction. In a study

of heritage tourism in China, Sofield and Li (1998) identified the components of cultural

heritage tourism as a country’s history and culture, traditional festivals, historical events,

scenic heritage, historic sites, architecture, folk arts, and folk culture villages. While

Voon and N. Lee (2009) concluded that tourists’ satisfaction with heritage tourism was

determined by the following: travel services, facilities, access, cleanliness, nature, safety,

food and beverages, culture, people, and local experience. Comparing the two studies, it

was noticed that Sofield and Li’s perception was based on the perception of cultural

tourism products; however, Voon and N. Lee placed attention on the various necessary

components of heritage tourism. Huh et al. (2006) included both of the perceptions in

their study that four attributes were identified for heritage destination—namely, general
 14

tourism attraction, culture/heritage attraction, shopping attraction, and information

accessibility. Reviewing the above studies, it was noticed that the cultural and heritage

attributes were found to be the most important attributes for a heritage destination

(Yousefi & Marzuiki, 2012). This may be because those well-interpreted heritage

elements could be designed as accessible tourism products or activities to provide an

authentic experience to tourists and increase the overall experience satisfaction (N.

Wang, 1999; McKercher & Cros, 2002; Weiler & Yu, 2008). Therefore, a heritage

destination should endeavor to present cultural products in a well-designed way to

stimulate tourists’ interest. Further, it was noted that besides the cultural and heritage

attributes, the supporting attributes such as infrastructural facilities and services provided

by a destination also contributed to tourists’ overall satisfaction (Crouch & Ritchie,

1999). In this research, in order to investigate tourists’ overall experience, tourists’

perception of both cultural and heritage attributes and the supporting attributes were

studied.

Previous studies had also implied that a better performance of destination

attributes could lead to an increase in overall satisfaction; while, on the other hand, a poor

performance in one of the attributes could cause dissatisfaction with destination (Kozak

& Rimington, 2000; Meng et al. 2008; Pizam et al., 1978). Therefore, the connection

between attribute performance and destination satisfaction was confirmed by the

literature, and we hypothesized that tourists’ evaluation on attribute performance is

positively associated with overall satisfaction.

 15

2.5 Involvement and Satisfaction

The term involvement was originally studied in consumer behavior research over

decades ago (McQuarrie & Munson, 1987). The concept has been described with

different notions, such as situation involvement, enduring involvement, and response

involvement (Houston & Rothschild, 1978). Laurent and Kapferer (1985) demonstrated

that involvement referred to a psychological state of interest, motivation, and arousal

toward an activity or associated product. Although the definition of involvement is still

debatable, it has been commonly agreed that involvement is one of the major subjects of

the decision-making process research, and it could lead to various consumer behaviors

(A. H. Chen & Wu, 2010; Clements & Josiam, 1995; Havitz & Dimanche, 1990; Laurent

& Kapferer, 1985). In the field of tourism, involvement was first studied in leisure

tourism, explaining emotional bonds formed between people and place (Pretty, Chipuer,

& Bramston, 2003). The relationship between destination and tourists has been studied in

various psychological contexts including place attachment, place identity, place bonding,

and the sense of place. Due to the overlapping aspects of these concepts, scholars have

given different definitions of these terms. For example, place attachment was investigated

by using place identity, place dependence, and place bonding as the subdimensions

(Kyle, Absher, Hammitt, & Cavin, 2004; Prayag & Ryan, 2012). In more recent studies

related to cultural heritage tourism and to better explain the relationship between tourists

and place, scholars have proposed the concept of emotional involvement (Prayag &

Ryan, 2012). People’s emotional involvement estimates the degree to which people will

devote themselves to an experience or an activity in a long-term interaction between

people and place (Prayag & Ryan, 2012; Yeh, 2013).

 16

Although the study of involvement is not a novel topic, no standardized

instrument has been established to measure involvement (Prayag & Ryan, 2012).

Zaichikowsky (1985) applied a one-dimensional measurement called the Personal

Involvement Inventory (PII) with a 20-item scale to measure personal involvement.

Laurent and Kapferer (1985) proposed a four-faceted measurement called the Customer

Involvement Profile (CIP). The four dimensions are perceived importance, referred to

personal interest or perceived importance of the object; perceived pleasure, referred to as

hedonic or pleasing value of the object; perceived sign, referred to as the symbolic value

attributed by a customer; perceived risk, referred to as the perceived probability of

making a poor choice and the perceived importance of negative results associated with a

poor choice (A. H. Chen & Wu, 2010; Laurent & Kapferer, 1985; Prayag & Ryan, 2012).

Dimanche, Havitz, and Howard (1991) tested Laurent and Kapferer’s instrument in the

context of tourism consumption. Consistent with the CIP measurement, Dimanche et al.

(1991) stated that the dimensions of involvement are as follows: importance, pleasure,

sign, risk probability, and risk consequence. While Gursoy and Gavcar (2003) conserved

only three dimensions in their study: pleasure/interests, risk probability, and risk

consequence. In a practical study about casino tourism, involvement was composed of

three dimensions: self-identity (self-expression), pleasure (interest, importance), and

centrality (J. Lee et al., 2009). Basically, in this study, the measurement of involvement

was based on Laurent and Kapferer’s instrument (1985) to investigate tourists’ emotional

bonds with heritage destinations.

As a predictor of consumer behavior, involvement has been associated with

predicting consumers’ satisfaction. Amine (1998) suggested that involvement was one of
 17

the preconditions of satisfaction. Hwang, C. Lee, and H. J. Chen (2005) concluded that

involvement is one of the immediate antecedents of predicting satisfaction. In their study

of the national parks in Taiwan, they suggested that increasing the chances for tourists to

get involved in tourism activities would increase the level tourists’ satisfaction and

loyalty. J. Lee and Beeler’s (2009) study also supported the statement that a higher level

of involvement is associated with better satisfaction and more consistent behavior, such

as repeating visit. Involvement, along with satisfaction, was also suggested as two key

indicating factors of customer loyalty (Bennett, Hartel, & McColl-Kennedy, 2005). Thus,

tourists’ high level of involvement could be considered as an asset for a tourism

destination (Gross & Brown, 2008). However, the results of Prayag and Ryan’s (2012)

study implied that there was no clear or direct relationship between personal involvement

and experience satisfaction based on their study in Mauritius. They argued that other

factors such as motivations or personal characteristics might intervene between

involvement and overall satisfaction. Therefore, this study considered emotional

involvement as only one of the antecedents of experience satisfaction when investigating

the relationships among them. We hypothesized that involvement is positively associated

with travel satisfaction.

2.6 Motivation and Satisfaction

An important consideration in assessing cognitive perception and emotional

involvement as antecedents to satisfaction is the motivation of travelers to visit the

heritage destination. It has been suggested that motivation influences both cognitive
 18

perception and emotional involvement in heritage travel (A. K. Kim & Brown, 2012;

Mansfeld, 1992; Weaver, Weber, & McCleary, 2007).

Travel motivation, which has been studied on a multidisciplinary base, plays a

focal role in tourism research since mass tourism began to thrive (Y. Chen, Mak, &

McKercher, 2011). Based on a sociological perspective, Dann (1981) defined motivation

as “a meaningful state of mind which adequately disposes an actor or a group of actors to

travel” (p.205). While Iso-Ahola (1982) proposed that motivation should be defined as a

psychological context. Psychologists commonly agreed: “A motive is an internal factor

that arouses, directs and integrates a person’s behavior” (Murray, 1964, p.7). Yoon and

Uysal (2005) stated that motivation is psychological as well as biological needs or wants

that are responsible for tourists’ behavior. Although different definitions were proposed,

the literature supported the fact that motivation is the “driving force” that stimulates

people to participate in travel activities (Crompton, 1979).

To measure travel motivation, the “push and pull” factors were frequently applied

by the literature. The push motivation is defined as the internal forces that relate to

intrinsic motivation, which means people’s desire to travel. Oppositely, the pull

motivation is understood to be the external forces related to destination attributes

(Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1977; Ritchie, Tkaczynski, & Faulks, 2010). Based upon the

“push and pull” instrument, Dann (1977) developed the “anomie and ego-enhancement”

theory to classify tourists based on their motivations. Dann also proposed that “push”

factors provide a deeper insight into understanding motivation. Crompton (1979)

conducted unstructured interviews that identified seven sociopsychological factors

(“escape from a perceived environment,” “exploration and evaluation of self,”

 19

“relaxation,” “prestige,” “regression,” “enhancement of kinship relationships,” and

“facilitation of social interaction”) that “push” people to travel, and two cultural

motivations (“novelty” and “education”) that “pull” people to take a vacation. Gnoth

(1997) formed a motivation-expectation model to investigate tourists’ attitudes toward

the travel experience. The model described the formation process of motivation by

examining tourists’ inner needs and values. In a later study, Iso-Ahola (1982) proposed a

“seeking intrinsic rewards” model to explain motivation, under which motivations were

assessed from two forces: seeking and escaping. The seeking force was explained as “the

desire to obtain psychological rewards from travel,” and the escaping force is referred to

as “the desire to leave everyday environment” (Iso-Ahola, 1982). It was indicated by Iso-

Ahola that the two forces are determining factors of tourists’ behavior and could affect

tourists’ overall travel experience. Another commonly accepted theory in understanding

tourists’ motivation is the “travel career ladder” (TCL), which was adopted from

Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs theory, which classifies human motivation into five

needs in a hierarchy, namely, physiological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, and

self-actualization ( Pearce, 1988; Pearce & U-I. Lee, 2005). Tourists’ motivations were

classified into five levels started with relaxation as the lowest, followed by stimulation,

relationship, self-esteem and development, and fulfillment as the highest level. The TCL

approach indicates that tourist motivation to visit a destination could vary and change

based on different needs. In the contexts of heritage tourism, beyond the general

motivations, the specific influence of cultural and heritage dimensions such as

“knowledge seeking” and “cultural experience seeking” was noted by the literature (Kay,

2009; Ozel & Kozak, 2012; Poria et al., 2003). Furthermore, extant literature classified
 20

tourists based on their motivations for visiting heritage destinations. For instant, Hughes

(2002) proposed that tourists who are primarily motivated by cultural elements of a

destination are defined as “cultural-core tourists,” while those who visit heritage

destinations incidentally or accidentally are called “cultural-peripheral tourists” (p.170).

Echoing that premise, McKercher (2002) shared a similar but more precise perspective

that cultural tourists were classified into five types based on their motivation of culture—

namely, proposed cultural tourists, sightseeing cultural tourists, casual cultural tourists,

incidental cultural tourists, and serendipitous cultural tourists. The various measurement

of motivations indicated that tourists could be motivated by different needs and forces.

Their motivation level of heritage and culture could determine their perception of

heritage destinations. It is worth the effort to identify the most influential motivations that

affect the overall travel experience.

Travel motivation has also been conceptually associated with experience

satisfaction in tourism research (Devesa et al., 2010). Motivation was understood as the

desire or the expectation before visiting a destination and was basically referred to as an

important antecedent of overall satisfaction (Huh et al., 2006; Meng et al., 2008). A study

of the World Culture Expo in South Korea found that visitors with different motivations

would perceive different outcomes of overall satisfaction. Tourists with stronger

motivation to visit a destination tend to feel more satisfied with their travel experience

(C. K. Lee, Y. K. Lee, & Wicks, 2004). The theoretical model assessed by Yoon and

Uysal (2005) also indicated that “push motivation” affected satisfaction positively, while

“pull motivation” had a negative impact on satisfaction. Accordingly, we hypothesized

that motivation is directly associated with overall satisfaction.

 21

2.7 Conceptual Model and Hypotheses

Based upon the study by Homburg et al. (2006), satisfaction is predicted by

cognition and affect during travel experience. Because motivation mainly happened

during the pre-visit period, the effect of motivation on cognition and affect should also be

noted. In this research, cognition was interpreted as tourists’ perceived value of the

evaluation of the destination attribute, while the affect was interpreted as tourists’

emotional involvement with the destination. The causal effect of motivation on

evaluation of the destination performance, tourists’ involvement with the destination, and

their level of overall satisfaction was proved by previous studies (A. K. Kim & Brown,

2012; Mansfeld, 1992; Weaver, Weber, & McCleary, 2007).

In this research, travel motivation, tourists’ evaluation of a destination attribute

performance, and tourists’ emotional involvement with the destination were investigated

as the antecedents of experience satisfaction. The relationships between the three

constructs and satisfaction have been studied in existing literature (A. K. Kim & Brown,

2012; J. Lee & Beeler, 2009; Meng, Tepanpn, & Uysal, 2008). Nonetheless, little

attention was given to the study of the relationships simultaneously as an overall travel

experience. A mediating conceptual model was proposed to develop the internal link

between motivation and satisfaction. The mediating effect of involvement was studied

independently in the literature. Motivation is considered as a notable antecedent to

involvement (Kyle, Absher, & Hammit, 2005; Prebensen et al., 2012; Ritchie,

Tkaczynski, & Faulks, 2010), while the positive association between involvement and

satisfaction was proved by several studies (Amine, 1998; Hwang, Lee, & Chen, 2005; J.

Lee & Beeler, 2009). In a study of leisure satisfaction among Taiwanese adolescents, the
 22

results supported the conceptual model that leisure involvement mediates the connection

between motivation and satisfaction (Y. Chen et al., 2011). In another study that was

conducted in student travel market, the mediation structural model was also demonstrated

(K. Kim, 2008). However, the potential mediating effect of attributes performance

between motivation and satisfaction has not been widely investigated by existing studies.

Motivation and attribute performance are both regarded as the antecedents of predicting

satisfaction (Devesa et al., 2010; Kozak & Remington, 2000; Pizam et al., 1978). In the

context of heritage tourism, researchers expected to find out whether tourists are

motivated by heritage or cultural factors, which would lead to a different evaluation of

destination performance. Therefore, the study tried to fill in the gap by assessing the

mediating effect of destination performance between motivation and satisfaction.

To sum up, motivation was treated as the independent variable in the model,

while satisfaction was treated as the dependent variable. The variables of evaluation of an

attribute performance and involvement performed the role of mediators in the meantime.

The relationship is demonstrated in Figure 2.1.

The hypotheses tested were formulated as follows:

H1: Tourists’ motivation is positively associated with tourists’ evaluation of a

destination attribute performance.

H2: Tourists’ motivation is positively associated with tourists’ involvement with a

heritage destination.

H3: Tourists’ evaluation of an attribute performance is positively associated with

overall satisfaction.
 23

H4: Tourists’ involvement with a cultural destination is positively associated with

overall satisfaction.

H5: Tourists’ motivation is directly associated with tourists’ overall satisfaction.

H6: Tourists’ evaluation of an attribute performance mediates the association

between motivation and satisfaction.

H7: Tourists’ involvement with a cultural destination mediates the association

between motivation and satisfaction.

Evaluation of
Attribute Performance

Motivation Satisfaction

Emotional Involvement

Figure 2.1 Hypothesized Research Model Depicting the Relations among the Four Major
Variables.
 24

CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Data Collection and Sampling

An on-site survey was conducted at the selected heritage sites in Nanjing, China. Three

heritage sites were chosen to carry out the survey, including Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s

Mausoleum Scenic Area, the Presidential Palace, and the Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area.

These sites were originally selected from the official website of the Nanjing Municipal

Travel Bureau. They are qualified because these sites are known for the heritage culture

of different periods of Nanjing’s history, and they were all also listed as “ must-see” sites

on the Nanjing one-day tour itinerary. In addition, Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum scenic

area is honored as a 5A-level scenic spot (the highest level), while the Presidential Palace

and the Xuanwu Lake scenic area are 4A-level scenic spots. The 5A system was

designated by National Tourism Administration of China in 2007, which was commonly

applied in China. These sites are all accessible locations. The reputation and qualification

of these sites make them popular and accessible to a diverse range of tourists, thus

meeting the objectives of the research. The data were collected over a 1-week recruitment

period, between January 14th 2013 and January 20th 2013, including weekdays and

weekends. Four research assistants who have a related research background were trained

to administer the survey. Tourists visiting one of the three sites were randomly selected to

voluntarily participate in the research. Because the research aimed to study the tourist
 25

travel experience at Nanjing, local residents were excluded from participating. To get the

target population, potential participants were asked orally, “Are you a resident of

Nanjing?” If the answer was “yes,” the survey continued. The participants were informed

that the survey was absolutely anonymous and would be used only for research purposes

and that they should respond to the questions according to their actual travel experience

at Nanjing. The recruitment was out in the open, and the participants completed the

survey by sitting on one of the benches at the sites. The amount of time required to

complete the survey was approximately ten to fifteen minutes. The questionnaires were

collected immediately after their completion. The convenient sampling process

approached 516 tourists, and a total of 300 questionnaires were distributed during the on-

site survey. 18 questionnaires were returned with incomplete answers or blank; 282 valid

responses were obtained and used for the data analysis, with a response rate of 54.65%.

3.2 Survey Instrument

To test the seven hypotheses concluded from the literature review and assess

tourists’ heritage experience at Nanjing, a questionnaire was divided into the following

six sections, (according to the hypothesized research model): the basic travel activities

tourists participated in at the destination; the travel motivations when they made the

travel decision; the evaluation on the destination attributes performance; tourist

involvement with the destination; tourist overall satisfaction; and the demographic

information of the participants. The second to the fourth sections were the statements that

reflected the topic. A 5-point Likert-type scale was constructed for the study, where 1
 26

represented “strongly disagree” and 5 represented “strongly agree.” The measurement has

been widely used in similar research to investigate participants’ perceptions.

Because the target participants of the survey were Chinese tourists, to make it

applicable, the translation/back-translation procedure was adopted in this study (Brislin,

1980). The questionnaire was initially written in English, and was translated into Chinese

by the investigator, who is a native Chinese speaker with a 4-year education experience

in Nanjing. To ensure the consistency and correctness of the content, another master

student, who speaks both English and Chinese, translated back the Chinese version of the

questionnaire into English. Obvious bias was modified during the back-translation

process.

3.3 Variable Measurement

The variables tested in the survey were tourist travel motivation, evaluation of

destination attribute performance, tourist involvement with the destination, and overall

satisfaction, along with the basic travel activities that tourists participated in and the

demographic information of the tourists. The measurement of each variable is

summarized in Table 3.1.

It was concluded from the literature review that tourist motivation to visit a

heritage destination may be classified into four categories: (a) cultural and heritage

attractiveness, (b) knowledge and education seeking, (c) recreation and entertainment,

and (d) other related motivation (Biran, Poria, & Oren, 2010; Kay, 2009; Y. Wang, Wu,

& Yuan, 2010; Yousefi & Maruki, 2012). Fifteen items were developed based on the

categories. At the beginning of this section, the participants were asked about their
 27

overall motivation to visit Nanjing. Previous research suggested to understand tourists’

motivation better the overall motivation to visit a destination should be included in

survey because it is a complex construct (Poria et al., 2003). Five items for measuring

cultural and heritage attractiveness and four items of knowledge and education-seeking

motivations were mainly adopted from Poria et al. (2005). The focal motivation was

cultural and heritage attractiveness that classifies the types of tourists who visit a heritage

destination. In addition, tourists’ willingness to feel connected to heritage in the research

of Poria et al. and tourists’ interests in heritage were also tested. For the knowledge and

education motivation, Poria et al. tested tourists’ willingness to learn from the travel

experience, including the historic background of the site, the destination’s history, and

the community’s religious culture. To apply it to the case of Nanjing, the items were

related to tourists’ willingness and motivation to learn the history of different periods of

Nanjing: old China, modern China, and the current Nanjing. The items of recreation and

entertainment were mainly about tourists’ willingness to escape from their daily life and

gain happiness from the travel experience, which was adapted from Yousefi and Marzuki

(2012). Other related motivation items included the motivation of getting together with

family or friends or business travel.

Participants were asked to evaluate their experience at the destination based on a

pool of 14 destination attributes. In an empirical study measuring tourists’ expectations

and satisfaction at a destination, the heritage destination attributes were clustered into

four factors: general tour attractions, culture/heritage attraction, shopping attraction, and

information (Huh et al., 2006). Vong and Ung (2011) applied the theory and redefined

the four factors to study heritage tourism in Macau. The factors are history and culture,
 28

facilities and service at heritage sites, heritage interpretation, and heritage attractiveness.

To simplify the measurement, three factors were utilized to assess the attributes of

Nanjing: heritage dimensions, heritage interpretation, and facilities and supporting

services.

Emotion is central to understanding human connections to place (L. Lee et al.,

2011). Tourists’ involvement with the heritage during their visit indicates their emotional

reaction to the destination. The emotional bonds are formed between tourists and place

through the involvement (Pretty, Chipuer, & Bramston, 2003). The measurement of

involvement was based upon the study of Prayag and Ryan (2012). They developed six

items to test tourists’ involvement during their holiday experience in Mauritius as

follows: “I get pleasure from being on holidays here; I attach great importance to being

on holiday in Mauritius; I have a lot of interest in Mauritius as a holiday destination;

being on holiday here is a bit like giving a gift to one’s self; I give myself pleasure by

getting involved in the various things to do here; and you can tell a lot about a

person/family by whether or not they go on holidays” (Prayag & Ryan, 2012, p.350). By

taking place attachment into consideration, seven items were developed in the study to

investigate tourists’ emotional involvement of visiting Nanjing.

The satisfaction measurement was adapted from the six-item testing model from

Oliver (1980). In the model, the items are motions in content related to the participants

overall satisfaction, regret, happiness, and general feelings about their decisions. The

research was about people’s satisfaction with a flu shot. In a festival satisfaction study,

the six-item scale model has been modified to 7 items (L. Lee et al., 2011). Combining

the two scales, the study developed a 7-item scale model according to the adjustment to
 29

Nanjing. Tourists’ willingness to revisit the place was added to measure the overall

experience satisfaction.

The activities that tourists participated in at the heritage destination were surveyed

in the questionnaire because it was expected that different types of heritage-related

activities would lead tourists to have different evaluations of destination attributes.

Tourists’ participation in heritage-related activities was measured by four questions

related to sightseeing, accommodation, food, and souvenir shopping during their visit at

Nanjing for this time. The four aspects were basic, but key, components of travel. The

items were originally derived from the official website of the Nanjing Municipal Travel

Bureau. The heritage sites were all selected from 5A- and 4A-level tourism sites to

ensure they qualified as popular tourist sites. And the translation of the name of the

tourism sites, traditional local food, and heritage souvenirs was based on the translation

regulation of tourism sites in Jiangsu Province (2012).

The last section of the questionnaire investigated the demographic profiles of the

sample population and included questions about age, gender, total household income,

education background, and occupation status. The classification of the demographic

information was adopted from Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS, 2008).

Adjustments have been made to meet the research objectives and the specific situation in

the tourism study. In addition, questions regarding the tourists’ travel patterns, their past

travel experience at the destination, their length of stay, and their travel companion(s)

were asked at the end of the survey

.
 30

Table 3.1 The Measurement of Variables Tested in the Survey

Variables Items References

Measurement of Motivation

Poria et al.,
Overall motivation Your overall motivations to visit Nanjing
2005

Cultural and heritage attractiveness I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing.

I am interested in the famous heritage sites in Nanjing. Kay, 2009;

I was interested in Nanjing’s fame as a heritage destination. Poria et al.,

I wanted to participate in the activities that related to a 2005

cultural heritage destination.

I felt Nanjing is a part of my own heritage.

I wanted to learn about the history and background of

Knowledge and education seeking
Nanjing.
Kay, 2009;
I wanted to learn the history of ancient China.
Y. Wang et
I wanted to learn the history of the period of the People’s
al., 2010
Republic of China.

I wanted to enrich my knowledge about the current Nanjing.

Relaxation and entertainment I wanted to escape from stress in my daily life. Yousefi &

I wanted to escape from the routines of life. Marzuki,

I wanted to relax and rest while traveling. 2012;

Wang et al.,
I wanted to be entertained and make myself happy.
2010

Other motivation I wanted to have a reunion with my family and friends. Ozel &

I am here because of business. Kozak, 2012

 31

Table 3.1 Continued

Measurement of Evaluation of Destination Attribute Performance

Heritage dimensions of Nanjing The historical sites at Nanjing are highly valued.
Huh et al.,
The heritage sites are unique compared to other heritage
2006; Sofield
destinations.
& Li, 1998;
The historical architecture is highly valued.
Vong & Ung,
The cultural heritage sites are attractive to visit.
2011
The cultural activities are very interesting to me.

Heritage interpretation The cultural heritage is conserved very well in Nanjing.

N. Wang,
The cultural heritage is well interpreted in Nanjing.
1999; Weiler
The cultural heritage activities reflect the identity of Nanjing.
& Yu, 2008
The heritage setting is authentic.

Facilities and supporting attributes I felt safe when I visited Nanjing.

Huh et al.,
Nanjing is easily accessible to me.
2006; Vong &
The transportation is convenient within Nanjing.
Ung, 2011;
I can get exotic food at Nanjing.
Voon & N.
I have the opportunity to buy souvenirs related to cultural
Lee, 2009
heritage.

Measurement of Involvement

Involvement Nanjing is a very special destination to me.

I got pleasure from visiting Nanjing. Prayag &

I am very attached to Nanjing. Ryan, 2012

I have a lot of interest in Nanjing as a heritage destination.

 32

Table 3.1 Continued

Visiting Nanjing means a lot to me.

I gave myself pleasure by getting involved in the various

things to do here.

I would not substitute any other heritage destination for the

types of things that I did at Nanjing.

Measurement of Satisfaction

Nanjing is one of the best destinations for cultural heritage

tourism.

My choice to visit Nanjing was a wise one.

I think I made the right decision to visit the destination.

I am satisfied with my overall experience during my visit. L. Lee et al.,

Satisfaction My experience at Nanjing was exactly what I expected. 2011; Oliver,

My experience at Nanjing made me happy. 1980

If I got another chance, I would be pleased to revisit the

destination.

If I got another chance, I would like to recommend Nanjing

to my friends as a travel destination.

3.4 Statistical Data Analysis

The statistical data analysis was performed in three steps. In the first step, the

descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics of sample profiles. In

the second step, factor analysis was employed to reconstruct the measurement items.

With the factor score, the mediation model was tested by SPSS macro. The last step of

analysis is to reveal the impact of personal characteristics on variables.

 33

3.4.1 Descriptive Analysis

The basic descriptive analysis was conducted by SPSS (version 20.0). To get the

information of sample profiles and tourists’ travel behaviors, the frequency and

percentage test was conducted. The mean score and standard deviation of items under key

variables of motivation, attribute evaluation, involvement, and overall satisfaction, were

first examined. The analysis of mean score was aimed to identify the outstanding items

that could contribute to understanding tourists’ overall travel experience.

3.4.2 Factor Analysis

To detect the internal structure of the measured items of tourists’ motivation, their

evaluation of the destination attributes, and their involvement level during their visit, a

factor analysis was conducted. The statistical software SPSS (version 20.0) was utilized.

The principal component factor analysis with a varimax rotation method was applied to

maximize the explanation of the variance.

The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy tests the partial

correlations of variables. The value is between 0 and 1, and the value closer to 1 is

considered the better. Meanwhile, Bartlett’s test of sphericity tests the correlation matrix.

A greater than 0.6 KMO value and a significant Bartlett’s test (p < 0.05) will be

considered as an acceptable factor analysis. Besides the KMO and Bartlett’s test, the

eigenvalue was also examined. A higher than 1 value is required to determine the number

of factors and the variance of the factors.

The reliability of the scale was tested by Cronbach’s alpha, which was used as the

most common measure of internal consistency of the data, especially with the Likert scale
 34

question (Cronbach, 2004). The acceptable value of coefficient alpha has been suggested

to be 0.70 or greater (Nunnally, 1978; Peterson, 1994). However, under some

circumstances, a low alpha can also be considered acceptable due to the scale length

(Yang & Green, 2011).

3.4.3 Mediation Analysis

Mediation analysis tests the effect of a third external variable (M) on the relation

between the independent variable (X) and dependent variable (Y). The simple mediation

model is illustrated in Figure 3.1. Besides the direct relationship of X and Y (X to Y), an

intervening mediator variable (M) is considered for the indirect effect between X and Y

(X to M to Y) (Fiedler, Schott, & Meiser, 2011; MacKinnon, Fairchild, & Fritz, 2007).

Baron and Kenny (1986) detected the requirements for a simple mediation model: for a

path, an independent variable must significantly affect the mediator (X to M); for b path,

the mediator variable must significantly affect the dependent variable (M to Y); for c’

path, the direct effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable must be

statistically significant (X to Y). The c path represents the total effect of the independent

variable on the dependent variable by taking the mediator into consideration (X to M to

Y). Sobel (1982) verified the importance to estimate the significance of the test by

conducting the coefficient test.

Preacher and Hayes (2008) developed a SPSS macro, named PROCESS, to test

mediation and moderation. As a regression-based path analysis, PROCESS is used to

conduct model coefficients in mediation analysis with the bootstrapping methods (Hayes

& Preacher, 2013; Preacher, Rucher, & Hayes, 2007). As a default, the outputs of macro
 35

PROCESS produce both unstandardized coefficients and standardized coefficients.

Preacher et al. (2007) concluded that unstandardized coefficients capture the mediation

effect more properly and efficiently than standardized coefficients. Therefore, in this

research, the unstandardized coefficients are reported as results. Bootstrapping is

performed as a resampling strategy. In earlier studies, it was required that the sampling

distribution and the indirect effects be normal to perform tests (Sobel, 1982). The

bootstrapping provides better technique to estimate the effect without assumption of

normal sampling distribution (Preacher et al., 2007; Preacher & Hayes, 2008). With

bootstrapping, the confidence limits for indirect effects can be obtained with more power

and fewer Type I errors (Preacher & Hayes, 2008). To perform the analysis, model 4 was

selected from the 73 models that PROCESS provided (Hayes, 2013). The conceptual

model allows operating multiple mediators (up to 10 mediators) in parallel in one model.

Mediator
(M)
b
a

Independent c’ Dependent
Variable (X) Variable (Y)

Figure 3.1 Mediation Model Showing the Relationship of a Third External Variable (M)

on the Relation Between the Independent Variable (X) and Dependent Variable (Y).

Note: a represents the direct effect of X on M, b represents the direct effect of M on Y, and c’ represents the direct

effect of X on Y through the mediation of M.

 36

CHAPTER 4. RESULTS

4.1 Descriptive Analysis

4.1.1 Demographic Profiles

Table 4.1 summarizes the demographic information of the sample. As shown in

the table, 161 males (57.1%) and 121 females (42.9%) comprise the sample. Most of the

respondents were between the ages of 18 to 35 (83%), with 85.8% of the respondents

reporting that they had a higher than college-level education background, indicating the

overwhelming majority of the sample are highly educated. The median household income

fell in the ranges of CNY30.001 to CNY50.000 per year (27.3%).

Over half of the respondents were residents from Jiangsu Province (30.2%) and

the region of East China (24.9%). It could be noted that visitors from these region might

have more opportunities to be exposed to similar heritage culture with Nanjing. The

statistical results of the visitation level specified that over 53% of the participants were

repeat visitors who were familiar with Nanjing. Besides, only 6.1% of participants were

traveling with organized groups. Others either traveled alone or with friends and family.

The results implied that the respondents were able to make their own decision on where

to visit and what activities to participate in during their visit to Nanjing.

 37

4.1.2 Travel Pattern of Respondents

The first part of the questionnaire listed the questions about travel activities that

tourists participated in during their visit. Of the 11 heritage sites selected from 5A- and

4A-level tourism sites in Nanjing, the three most popular were Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s

Mausoleum scenic area (95.04%), the Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River scenic area

(67.38%), and the Xuanwu Lake scenic area (52.84%). The three sites represent different

periods of Nanjing’s ancient culture. And they were regarded as “must-see” sites as listed

on the travel itineraries designed for either a short-term or long-term visit to Nanjing.

Additionally, because the data were mainly collected at Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum

scenic area, the Presidential Palace, and the Xuanwu Lake scenic area, there might be a

slight bias to explain why those sites were most frequently visited by tourists.

Exotic food and culturally related souvenirs are regarded as important

components of tourism. The findings indicated that a majority of the respondents had

tasted local food and purchased souvenirs during their visit. According to the statistical

results, the most popular local food selected by tourists is the Duck Blood and Vermicelli

Soup (71.63%), which is famous all over the country. The souvenir that nearly half of the

tourists purchased is the Rain Flower Pebble (45.74%), a kind of stone that can only be

found in Nanjing.

Regarding accommodations used by tourists, 46.10% respondents said they were

staying in economic hotels, which dominated the main part of the accommodation;

whereas 20.92% stayed with friends and relatives living in Nanjing. The average length

of stay was 5.28 days. The majority of the participants (57.7%) spent 3 days visiting
 38

Nanjing, indicating that the respondents were qualified because they had received enough

time to experience the destination, and they had an overall image of Nanjing

Table 4.1 Demographic Profiles of Participants

Demographics N % Demographics N %

Gender Household income(per year in RMB)

Male 161 57.1 <=30000 64 22.7

Female 121 42.9 30001–50000 77 27.3

Age 50001–80000 56 19.9

<18 12 4.3 80001–100000 32 11.3

18–35 235 83.3 100001–150000 19 6.7

36–55 29 10.3 150001–200000 8 2.8

56–65 5 1.8 >200001 13 4.6

>65 1 0.4 Missing 13 4.6

Occupation Region

Farming/fishing 6 2.1 Jiangsu Province 85 30.2

Owner/self-employed 45 16 The region of East China (excluding

Manager/executive 52 18.4 Jiangsu Province) 70 24.9

Educator 9 3.2 Other regions of China 120 42.7

Unemployed 1 0.4 Overseas 6 2.1

Retired 19 6.7 Missing 1 0.4

Student 80 28.4

Other 68 24.3

Missing 2 0.7 Visitation level

First time 131 46.5

Two times 63 22.3

Three times 26 9.2

Four times or more 62 22

 39

Table 4.1 Continued

Travel group

Education Level

Primary and under primary

level 3 1.1 Alone 63 20.4

Secondary level 5 1.8 With wife/husband 34 11.0

High school 32 11.3 Family members 25 8.1

Some college, but no degree 17 6 With children 11 3.6

Bachelor’s degree 206 73 Friends/relatives 141 45.6

Master’s degree 14 5 Organized groups 19 6.1

Doctoral degree and higher 5 1.8 Others 16 5.2

4.1.3 Descriptive Statistics

Table 4.2 presents the rating scores of tourist motivation to visit Nanjing.

Question number 5 of the survey asked about tourists’ overall motivation to visit Nanjing.

Using a 5-point Likert-type rating scale, the statement, “I was not at all motivated to visit

Nanjing” was assigned the score of 1, and, respectively, “I was highly motivated to visit

Nanjing” was assigned the score of 5. The mean score of the 282 valid answers is 3.79,

with a standard deviation of 0.866. The frequency distribution indicated that 145 of the

282 respondents (51.4%) were moderately motivated to visit Nanjing. Fifty-three of the

respondents (18.8%) reported that they were highly motivated to visit Nanjing. With a

similar percentage (55%), 55 respondents thought it was hard to define their motivation;

whereas, 29 respondents (10.28%) reported that they did not have a strong motivation
 40

before their visit. It was noted that no respondents stated that they were not motivated at

all.

The mean score and standard deviation of the remaining 15 motivation items were

computed by SPSS based on the 5-point Likert-type scale test, where 1 represents

“strongly disagree,” and 5 represents “strongly agree.” A higher score means that

respondents were more motivated by the item. The results of the mean score indicated

that the highest rated motivation items were “entertain themselves during a visit” (M =

4.27), “interest in Nanjing’s cultural fame” (M = 4.22), and “knowing more about ancient

China (M = 4.18). The lowest rated motivations were “business travel” (M = 2.42),

“escaping from the routines of life” (M = 3.03), and “escaping from the stress of daily

life” (M = 3.76). It was surprisingly noticed that the mean score of “to escape from the

routines of life” was significantly smaller than other motivations. After conducting the

frequency analysis, the results suggested that 22 of the 282 respondents strongly

disagreed with the statement.

The mean scores of the 14 items of respondents’ evaluation of destination

attributes performance is presented in Table 4.3. A higher score represented that

respondents agreed that the attribute stated satisfied their requirements of travel. The

results of the mean scores fell into the range from 3.59 to 4.22, suggesting that

respondents tend to have positive attitudes toward destination attribute performance. To

compare the mean scores of the 14 attribute items, participants reported that the best

performing attribute of Nanjing is “the heritage sites at Nanjing are highly valued” (M =

4.22). This was followed by “the historical architecture is highly valued” (M = 4.01) and

“the attractiveness of the cultural heritage sites” (M=4.00). As expected, the three items
 41

with the highest mean scores were the statements regarding the cultural heritage attributes

of Nanjing, which is consistent with the literature. The value of heritage attributes of a

heritage destination has been discussed in the literature (Huh et al., 2006). Excluding

these three attributes, the remaining items all scored below the mean value of 4. The

“wellness of interpretation” earned the lowest score (M = 3.59), which meant that

participants thought the cultural heritage needed to be interpreted in a more representative

way.

Table 4.2 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourist Motivation to Visit Nanjing
Mean Std.
Items
(N = 282) Deviation

I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing. 4.17 0.82

I am interested in the famous heritage sites in Nanjing. 4.11 0.82

I was interested in Nanjing’s fame as a heritage destination. 4.22 0.75

I wanted to participate in the activities that related to culture and heritage at the destinations. 3.96 0.82

I felt that Nanjing is a part of my own heritage. 3.93 0.83

I wanted to learn the history of Nanjing. 4.15 0.67

I wanted to learn the history of ancient China. 4.18 0.72

I wanted to learn the history of the period of the People’s Republic of China. 4.09 0.74

I wanted to enrich my knowledge about current Nanjing. 4.09 0.69

I wanted to escape from stress in my daily life. 3.76 0.89

I wanted to escape from the routines of life. 3.03 1.15

I wanted to relax and rest while traveling. 4.12 0.74

I wanted to be entertained and make myself happy. 4.27 0.66

I wanted to reunite with my family and friends. 3.82 1.00

I am here because of business. 2.42 1.24

Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 42

Table 4.3 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of the Respondents’ Evaluation of
Destination Attributes
Mean
Items Std. Deviation
(N = 282)

The heritage sites at Nanjing are highly valued. 4.22 0.73

The cultural heritage is well conserved in Nanjing. 3.82 0.79

The heritage sites are unique compared to other heritage destinations. 3.74 0.87

The historical architecture is highly valued. 4.01 0.78

The cultural heritage sites are attractive to me. 4.00 0.71

The cultural activities are very interesting to me. 3.74 0.78

The cultural heritage is well interpreted in Nanjing. 3.59 0.83

The cultural heritage activities reflect the identity of Nanjing. 3.88 0.68

The heritage setting is authentic. 3.78 0.75

I felt safe when I visited Nanjing. 3.73 0.74

Nanjing is easily accessible to me. 3.84 0.78

The transportation is convenient within Nanjing. 3.73 0.82

I can get exotic food at Nanjing. 3.85 0.78

I have the opportunity to buy souvenirs related to cultural heritage. 3.78 0.80

Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 43

Table 4.4 presents the results of descriptive statistics of tourists’ involvement.

Emotional involvement estimated the level that people devote themselves to an

experience or an activity (Prayag & Ryan, 2012). A higher score reported by respondents

represented that they felt emotionally bonded with Nanjing during or after their visit. On

the contrary, a lower rating suggested that the respondents did not feel strongly involved

or attached to Nanjing. The mean scores ranged from 3.59 to 3.96, indicating that a

marked majority of the respondents were emotionally involved in Nanjing, but not

strongly (all the mean scores of the items were below point 4). The lowest mean score

(3.59) was given to the concept of place attachment. The highest score was loaded at the

pleasure obtained from their visit (3.96), which was proposed by several studies as one of

the important dimensions of emotional involvement with a destination (Dimanche et al.,

1991; Gusory & Gavcar, 2003; Laurent & Kapfere, 1985; Prayag & Ryan, 2012).

Table 4.4 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourists’ Involvement at the Heritage
Destination
Mean Std.
Items
(N = 282) Deviation

3.70 0.75
Nanjing is a very special destination to me.
3.96 0.67
I got pleasure from visiting Nanjing.
3.59 0.80
I felted attached to Nanjing.
3.89 0.68
I have a lot of interest in Nanjing as a heritage destination.
3.79 0.71
Visiting Nanjing means a lot to me.
3.90 0.67
I gave myself pleasure by getting involved in the various things to do here.
3.72 0.78
I would not substitute any other heritage destination for the types of things that I did at Nanjing.
Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 44

The highest mean score of satisfaction was loaded at the statement of “intention to

revisit” (M = 4.06), followed by the statement of “recommendation to relatives and

friends” (M = 4.04). Consistent with the literature, the willingness to revisit and

recommend to others are intensely associated with the satisfaction level (A. K. Kim &

Brown, 2012; Lee & Beeler, 2009). The statement that “my experience at Nanjing was

exactly what I expected” earned the lowest mean score of 3.70. Tourists’ satisfaction of a

destination or a tourism site is linked to their pre-visit expectation and after-visit

experience (Huh et al., 2006). The low score might explain that a partial number of

respondents thought that the performance of Nanjing did not meet their expectation.

Although the mean value of 3.70 is the lowest of the eight items, it is still greater than the

median value of 3. The mean scores of satisfaction items basically suggested that

respondents were satisfied with their overall experience at Nanjing.

Table 4.5 Mean Score and Standard Deviation of Tourists’ Overall Satisfaction at the
Heritage Destination
Mean Std.
Items
(N = 282) Deviation
Nanjing is one of the best destinations for cultural heritage. 3.84 0.72

My choice to visit Nanjing was a wise one. 3.96 0.63

I think I made the right decision to visit the destination. 3.93 0.68

I am satisfied with my overall experience during my visit. 3.94 0.66

My experience at Nanjing was exactly what I expected. 3.70 0.71

My experience at Nanjing made me happy. 3.98 0.61

If I got another chance, I would be pleased to revisit the destination. 4.06 0.66

I would like to recommend Nanjing to my relatives and friends as a travel destination. 4.04 0.76
Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 45

4.2 Factor Analysis

By using the principle component method with a varimax rotation, the variables

were reduced to a smaller group of factors.

4.2.1 Factor Analysis for Motivation Variables

The 15 items of tourists’ motivations were extracted to 13 items with a two-factor

structure, which explained 54.5% of the total variance. As demonstrated in Table 4.6, the

Kaiser-Meyer-Oklin (KMO = 0.878) exceeded the accepted index of 0.6. The Bartlett test

(p < .000) is significant. Additionally, the eigenvalue of the two component factors were

both greater than 1.0. The three indexes indicated that the two-factor structure was

acceptable and valid for the analysis. Reviewing the results, factor one was the items

concerning respondents’ motivation as they related to their heritage and culture interest.

For interpretation purposes, factor one, which explained 38.17% of the total variance,

was defined as “heritage-related motivation,” including the items regarding the

respondents’ interest in heritage culture and their desire to learn more during their visit.

Factor two included the items that related to tourists’ purpose of having pleasure time

during their visit, which was interpreted as “relaxation and entertainment motivation.”

And 16.34% of the total variance was explained by factor two. The Cronbach’s alphas for

the two components are 0.886 and 0.65, which were acceptable on the scale reliability.
 46

Table 4.6 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Motivations at the Heritage Destination

Factor loading
1 2
Factor 1: Heritage-related motivation
I wanted to learn the history of Nanjing. .795
I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing. .785
I am interested in the famous heritage sites in Nanjing. .762
I wanted to learn the history of ancient China. .730
I wanted to learn the history of the period of People’s Republic
.717
China.
I was interested in Nanjing’s fame as a heritage destination. .707
I wanted to participate in the activities related to culture and
.651
heritage at Nanjing.
I felt Nanjing is a part of my own heritage. .644
I wanted to enrich my knowledge about the current Nanjing. .644
Factor 2: Relaxation and entertainment motivation
I wanted to escape from stress in my daily life. .821
I wanted to relax and rest while traveling. .736
I wanted to be entertained and make myself happy. .634
I wanted to escape from the routines of life. .601

Eigenvalues 5.345 1.741

Variance (%) 38.166 16.340
Cumulative variance (%) 38.166 54.506
Reliability alpha 0.886 0.650
Number of items (total 13) 9 4
Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree
 47

4.2.2 Factor Analysis for Destination Attribute Evaluation

After performing the principal component factor analysis, all 14 items were

remained, and a three-factor structure was obtained. Of the total variance, 60.91% was

explained by the three factors (see Table 4.7). The KMO (0.878) and Bartlett’s (p < .000)

test and eigenvalue (all greater than 1) verified the acceptance of the factor structure. The

reliability was verified by the Cronbach’s alpha (0.785, 0.832, and 0.804). In regard to

the content, the three factors were denoted as “heritage product representativeness”

(factor 1), “heritage product attractiveness” (factor 2), and “facilities and service” (factor

3). The three components were consistent with the conclusion from the literature review.

Factor 1 represented the four items in regard to the interpretation of cultural heritage in

Nanjing, determining if tourists could enjoy an authentic experience at the destination (N.

Wang, 1999). Factor 2 included the five items related to the evaluation of the

attractiveness of heritage attributes. As expected, heritage attributes were treated as core

attributes to evaluate cultural heritage destination. The two factors respectively accounted

for 21.419% and 20.313% of the total variance. The factor of “facilities and service”

represented supporting facilities at Nanjing that could satisfy visitors’ basic needs. Factor

3 explained 19.176% of the total variance; although it is lower than the other two factors,

it still plays a role in the model. It is consistent with the existing proposal that supporting

attributes are indispensable elements of a cultural tourism destination (Crouch & Ritchie,

1999; Hul et al., 2006; Voon & N. Lee, 2009).

 48

Table 4.7 Factor Analysis of Evaluation of Nanjing Heritage Tourism Attributes

Factor loading

1 2 3
Factor 1: Heritage product representativeness
The cultural heritage is well interpreted in Nanjing. .778
The heritage setting is authentic. .742
The cultural heritage activities reflect the identity of Nanjing. .619
The cultural heritage is well conserved in Nanjing. .583
Factor 2: Heritage product attractiveness
The heritage sites at Nanjing are highly valued. .763
The cultural heritage sites are attractive to me. .752
The historical architecture is highly valued. .713
The heritage sites are unique compared to other heritage destinations. .605
The cultural activities are very interesting to me. .531
Factor 3: Facilities and service
Nanjing is easily accessible to me. .758
The transportation is convenient within Nanjing. .729
I can get exotic food at Nanjing. .724
I have the opportunity to buy souvenirs related to cultural heritage. .664
I felt safe when I visited Nanjing. .561

Eigenvalues 5.944 1.519 1.064

Variance (%) 21.419 20.313 19.176

Cumulative variance (%) 21.419 41.732 60.908

Reliability alpha 0.785 0.832 0.804

Number of items (total 14) 4 5 5

Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree
 49

4.2.3 Factor Analysis for Involvement Variables

The seven items for estimating involvement were computed by a principal

component factor analysis; as expected from the literature review, one component was

extracted. The component explained 54.505% of the total variance, and the structure was

certified to be valid (KMO = 0.866; Bartlett p <.000; Eigenvalue > 1). The Cronbach’s

alpha equaled to 0.875 represented the reliability of the one-factor loading structure (see

Table 4.8).

Table 4.8 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Involvement with Nanjing Heritage Tourism
Factor loading
1

Factor 1: l involvement

Visiting Nanjing means a lot to me. .784

I have a lot of interest in Nanjing as a heritage destination. .778
I gave myself pleasure by getting involved in the various things to do here. .768
Nanjing is a very special destination to me. .753
I got pleasure from visiting Nanjing. .719
I would not substitute any other heritage destination for the types of things that I did
.688
at Nanjing.
I felt attached to Nanjing. .670

Eigenvalues 3.815
Variance (%) 54.505
Cumulative variance (%) 54.505
Reliability alpha 0.857
Number of items (total 13) 7
Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 50

4.2.4 Factor Analysis for Satisfaction Variables

The tourists’ overall satisfaction with their visit to Nanjing was also submitted to

the principal component factor analysis. Also, one component was extracted with KMO

equal to 0.894, and the p-value of the Bartlett is lower than .000. The reliability alpha is

0.886. The factor loading explained 56.334% of the total variance (see Table 4.9).

Table 4.9 Factor Analysis of Tourists’ Satisfaction with Nanjing Heritage Tourism
Factor loading
1

Factor 1: Overall satisfaction

My choice to visit Nanjing was a wise one. .819

I think I made the right decision to visit the destination. .801
I am satisfied with my overall experience during my visit. .786
Nanjing is one of the best destinations for cultural heritage. .768
My experience at Nanjing made me happy. .737
If I got another chance, I would be pleased to revisit the destination. .726

I would like to recommend Nanjing to my relatives and friends as a travel destination. .697

My experience at Nanjing was exactly what I expected. .657

Eigenvalues 4.507

Variance (%) 56.334

Cumulative variance (%) 56.334
Reliability alpha 0.886
Number of items (total 13) 8
Note: a = items measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale. 1 = “Strongly Disagree” and 5 = “Strongly Agree”
 51

4.3 Mediation Analysis

The main purpose of the study was to develop a conceptual model to reveal the

relationships among heritage motivation, experience, and satisfaction. Based on the

literature review, the relationship between motivation and overall satisfaction was

mediated by the effect of attributes performance evaluation and tourists’ involvement

with the destination. Given the results of factor analysis, motivation was factored as

heritage-related motivation and relaxation and entertainment motivation. The evaluation

of destination attributes was generated into three factors: heritage product

representativeness, heritage and culture attraction and activities, and facilities and

services. To perform the mediation analysis, the SPSS macro PROCESS was utilized as

the statistical software.

The two components of motivation factors were treated as two independent

variables in the test. To estimate the indirect effects of multiple independent variables

(for example, k variables), K models could be applied to test the model according to the

macro developers Preacher and Hayes (2008). The requirement is that to test one

variable, the remaining k-1 variables should be treated as covariates. With this in mind,

the hypotheses of mediating effect were explained in two models

4.3.1 Mediation Effects between Heritage Related Motivation and Overall Satisfaction

As shown in Figure 4.1, heritage motivation significantly affected involvement (b

= 30.84, SE = 2.56, p < 0.01, 95% CI [25.79, 35.89]). A higher level of involvement led

to better satisfaction with significant coefficient (b = 0.58, SE = 0. 05, p <0.01, 95% CI

[0.47, 0.68]). The effect of heritage motivation is significant on heritage product and

representativeness (b = 0.18, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.07, 0.29]), heritage product
 52

attractiveness (b = 0.54, SE = 0.05, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.55, 064]), and other facilities and

service (b = 0.29, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.18, 040]). Their connection with overall

satisfaction was also illustrated by the statistic results. The effect size of heritage product

representativeness on satisfaction was 6.47 (b = 6.47, SE = 2.33, p < 0.01, 95% CI [1.88,

11.06]). The most significant effect on satisfaction was heritage product attractiveness (b

= 9.7, SE = 2.77, p < 0.01, 95% CI [4.24, 15.16]). Clearly, better performance on heritage

product attractiveness could lead to better satisfaction. Besides, the effect of performance

of facilities and service of destination on experience satisfaction is also significant (b =

7.85, SE = 2.37, p < 0.01, 95% CI [3.17, 12.52]).

The total effect of heritage-related motivation on overall experience satisfaction

was significant (b = 31.16, SE = 2.70, p < 0.01, 95% CI [25.83, 36.48]). The indirect

effect of involvement was significant (b = 17.84, Bootstrapping SE = 2.38, Bootstrapping

CI [13.56, 23.05]). The mediating effect of heritage product representativeness is

presented with the effect size of 1.16 (b = 1.16, Bootstrapping SE = 0.67, Bootstrapping

CI [0.18, 2.89]). Heritage product attractiveness also had a positive indirect effect (b =

5.23, Bootstrapping SE = 1.64, Bootstrapping CI [2.22, 8.79]). In the same way, the

attribute of facilities and service had a significant indirect effect on the relationship (b =

2.27, Bootstrapping SE = 0.81, Bootstrapping CI [0.91, 4.08]). The total indirect effect of

the three attributes and involvement of the relationship between heritage-related

motivation and experience satisfaction was significant (b = 26.5, Bootstrapping SE =

2.97, Bootstrapping 95% [20.75, 32.56]). However, the direct effect was not significant

(b = 4.66, SE = 2.77, p = 0.09, 95% CI [-0.79, 10.10]), which was reflected in the

literature review.
 53

The ratio of the indirect to total effect was 0.85, which means that the mediators

(attribute performance and involvement) account for 85% of the total variance between

heritage-related motivation and overall experience satisfaction.

Heritage Product
Representativeness

Heritage Product 6.47*

0.18*
Attractiveness
0.54* 9.70*

Facilities and
0.29* 7.85*
Services

Heritage Related c’=4.66 c=31.16

Satisfaction
Hei
Motivation

30.84* 0.58*
Emotional
Involvement

Figure 4.1 Attribute Performance Evaluation and Involvement Mediation of the

Relationship between Heritage Motivation and Satisfaction.

Note: c’ denotes the direct effect. c denotes the total effect. * indicates p < 0.01.
 54

4.3.2 Mediation Effects between Relaxation and Entertainment Motivation and Overall

Satisfaction

As shown in Figure 4.2, relaxation and entertainment motivation significantly

predicted involvement (b = 13.65, SE = 2.56, p < 0.01, 95% CI [8.60, 18.69]). The effect

on heritage product representativeness was significant (b = 0.25, SE = 0.06, p < 0.01,

95% CI [0.14, 0.36]). Increased relaxation and entertainment motivation could cause

better evaluation on heritage product attractiveness (b = 0.23, SE = 0.05, p < 0.01, 95%

CI [0.13, 0.32]) and facilities and services (b = 0.13, SE = 0.06, p < 0.05, 95% CI [0.02,

0.25]). The effect of the mediators on overall satisfaction was the same as illustrated in

the first model.

The total effect of relaxation and entertainment motivation was significant (b =

12.7670, p < 0.01, 95% CI [7.44, 18.09]). Similar to the first model, the direct effect of

relaxation and entertainment motivation was not significant (b = 0.007, SE = 2.22, p >

0.05, 95% CI [-4.36, 4.38]). The indirect effect size of involvement on satisfaction is 7.89

(b = 7.89, Bootstrapping SE = 1.91, Bootstrapping CI [4.34, 12.08]). The indirect effect

of heritage product representativeness was significant (b = 1.62, Bootstrapping SE =

0.77, Bootstrapping CI [0.39, 3.45]). The indirect effect of heritage product attractiveness

had a greater effect size than the other two attributes (b = 2.20, Bootstrapping SE = 0.89,

Bootstrapping CI [0.84, 4.44]). And the mediating effect of facilities and services was

tested to be significant (b = 1.05, Bootstrapping SE = 0.64, Bootstrapping CI [0.09,

2.68]). The total indirect effect of the four mediators proved to be significant (b = 12.76,

Bootstrapping SE = 2.37, Bootstrapping CI [8.38, 17.77]). The results indicate overall

experience satisfaction would change by 12.76 in a positive path through the mediation of
 55

involvement and the evaluation of the attribute performance when tourists’ motivation

changed.

Heritage Product
Representativeness

Heritage Product 6.47*

0.25*
Attractiveness
9.70*
0.23*
Facilities and
0.13* 7.85*
Services

Relaxation and c’=0.007 c=31.16

Satisfaction
Entertainment Motivation

13.65* 0.58*

Emotional
Involvement

Figure 4.2 Attribute Performance Evaluation and Involvement Mediation of the

Relationship between Relaxation and Entertainment Motivation and Satisfaction.

Note: c’ denotes the direct effect. c denotes the total effect. * indicates p < 0.01
 56

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION

5.1 Summary of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to develop a conceptual model to reveal the

relationships among heritage motivation, experience, and satisfaction. The study was

designed to understand how a heritage destination could provide a satisfying tourism

experience through its cultural offering. Both the cognition and the affect derived from a

travel experience were taken into consideration in the study to investigate tourists’

evaluation of a heritage destination and their emotional involvement with the destination.

The research questions proposed in the study were answered by the results. The

findings revealed the dimensions of destination attributes and tourist emotional

involvement with a destination, which provided a baseline measure for understanding the

connection between motivation and overall experience satisfaction. The results supported

the influential effects of motivation, attribute performance, and emotional involvement on

overall experience satisfaction. The summary of hypotheses tests is illustrated in Table

5.1. Studying the main constructs of the study variables assists in the understanding of the

holistic travel experience that tourists have at the heritage destination. Interpreting

tourists’ travel experience provides managerial implications to the heritage industry and

contributes to theoretical study.

 57

Table 5.1 Summary of Results of Hypotheses Testing

Hypotheses Test results

H1 Heritage-related motivations influence tourists’ perception of destination performance. Supported

Relaxation and entertainment motivations influence tourists’ perception of destination Supported

performance.

H2 Heritage-related motivations influence tourists’ involvement with a destination. Supported

Relaxation and entertainment motivations influence tourists’ involvement with a Supported

destination.

H3 The quality of heritage product representativeness affects tourists’ overall satisfaction. Supported

The quality of heritage product attractiveness affects tourists’ overall satisfaction. Supported

The quality of facilities and services affects tourists’ overall satisfaction. Supported

H4 Tourists’ involvement with a destination affects tourists’ overall satisfaction. Supported

H5 Heritage-related motivations affect tourists’ overall experience satisfaction. Rejected

Relaxation and entertainment motivations affect tourists’ overall experience Rejected

satisfaction.

H6 Tourists’ perception of a destination performance mediates the association between Supported

motivation and satisfaction.

H7 Tourists’ involvement with a destination mediates the association between motivation Supported

and satisfaction.
 58

5.2 Key Findings and Discussion

5.2.1 Heritage Destination Attribute Performance and Experience Satisfaction

According to tourists’ evaluations of listed destination attributes, the majority of

respondents expressed their positive attitudes toward the destination, indicating that they

agreed that the performance of Nanjing met their expectations.

The results of the study supported a 14-item, three-factor structure of assessing

destination attribute performance—namely, heritage product representativeness, heritage

product attractiveness, and facilities and services. The dimension of heritage product

representativeness examined how culture and heritage elements were interpreted and

conserved at Nanjing, including statements such as “I agree that cultural heritage in

Nanjing is well interpreted,” “the heritage setting is authentic,” and “the cultural heritage

activities reflect the identity of Nanjing.” This is consistent with Weiler and Yu’s (2008)

study, which proposed that a well-interpreted heritage has the power to enhance

satisfaction of a traveler’s experience. The dimension of heritage product attractiveness

calls for the destination to present the heritage elements attractively and interestingly to

motivate tourists and to draw tourists’ attention. It is consistent with the literature review

that heritage product attractiveness are the core attributes of a heritage destination (Huh

et al., 2006; Yousefi & Marzuiki, 2012). According to the results of the attribute

performance evaluation (i.e., those with the highest mean scores), heritage product

attractiveness of Nanjing performed the best among the three dimensions of destination

attributes. The third dimension stressed the importance of providing supporting facilitates

and services to satisfy tourists’ basic needs—namely, the needs of accessibility,

transportation, eating, souvenir purchasing, and safety.

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As expected, all three dimensions significantly contribute to experience

satisfaction. Among the three dimensions, heritage product attractiveness contributed the

most in determining the overall experience satisfaction, implying that attractive heritage

settings and interesting activities affected tourists’ experience satisfaction most directly

and significantly. It was noted in previous literature that well-designed heritage-related

attributes of a heritage destination could increase tourists’ satisfaction (Lancher, Oh,

Jodice, & Norman, 2013). Another important discussion point is the role of supporting

facilities and services. The mediating effect of “facilities and services” attribute on

experience satisfaction is even stronger than the “heritage product representativeness”

attribute. The results brought much attention to the importance of providing supporting

facilities and services to meet tourists’ basic biological needs during travel. The attributes

might not be considered the main motivational factors that attract tourists, but a negative

performance could decrease their overall travel experience satisfaction.

5.2.2 Emotional Involvement and Experience Satisfaction

The findings indicated that most of the respondents expressed that they were

emotionally involved with Nanjing during their visit. The results of the descriptive

statistics presented that people felt more involved with the destination when they gained

pleasure from the travel experience. As reviewed in the literature, “perceived pleasure”

was proposed as one of the important dimensions of emotional involvement (Gusory &

Gavcar, 2003; Laurent & Kapferer, 1985; Prayag & Ryan, 2012). The statements “I got

pleasure from visiting Nanjing” and “I gave myself pleasure by being involved in the

various things to do here” were reported with the highest mean score, indicating that
 60

respondents agreed that their involvement with a destination was related to the pleasure

they gained from the travel experience. Also, the dimension of “perceived sign” was

reported with the lowest score indicating that participants did not feel strongly attached to

the destination image of Nanjing. The findings indicated that there is still much to do for

tourism industry in China.

The findings certainly illustrated the necessity of studying emotional involvement

as an important component of a tourist experience at a heritage destination. As stated in

literature, emotional involvement estimates the degree to which people will devote

oneself to an experience or an activity (Prayag & Ryan, 2012). The mediating model

indicates that tourists who are more motivated by the heritage elements of a destination

tend to feel more involved with the destination and travel activities, respectively, and

tend to be more satisfied with the overall experience. This type of tourists, who are more

sensitive with heritage elements of a destination, could be regarded as “cultural-core

tourists” (Hughes, 2002). The results are consistent with previous studies that tourists

with high level of emotional involvement have more chances to be satisfied with their

travel experience (Bennett et al., 2005; Gross & Brown, 2008; Hwang et al., 2005; J. Lee

& Beeler, 2009). The mediating model also supported the proposal of Prayag and Ryan

that consideration of motivation and personal characteristics might contribute to increase

the association between emotional involvement and satisfaction. In addition, the inclusion

of the level of emotional involvement in the theoretical model assists in the

understanding of tourists’ emotional change during the travel process.

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5.2.3 Travel Motivation and Experience Satisfaction

The first question that the study aimed to answer is “What motivates tourists to

visit a heritage destination?” After performing a factor analysis with principle component

method, 15 items of motivation variables were restructured into 2 factors until 13 items

remained. By reviewing the literature, the motivation variables were classified into four

facets: (a) cultural and heritage attractiveness, (b) knowledge and education seeking, (c)

relaxation and entertainment, and (d) other related motivations (Biran, et al., 2010; Kay,

2009; Y. Wang et al., 2010; Yousefi & Maruki, 2012). The items of other related

motivations were excluded by factor analysis because they did not explain enough total

variance of the variable. Additionally, “cultural and heritage attractiveness” and

“knowledge and education seeking” motivations were clustered into one dimension

named “heritage-related motivation,” which included statements such as “I wanted to

learn the history of Nanjing” and “I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing.”

The “relaxation and entertainment” component remained the same as in the literature,

including statements such as “I wanted to escape from stress in daily life” or “I wanted to

relax and rest while traveling” (see Table 5.2).

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Table 5.2 Comparisons of Dimensions of Tourist Motivations

Items Classification from Results from factor

literature review analysis

I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing. Cultural and heritage Heritage-related

I am interested in the famous heritage sites in Nanjing. attractiveness motivation

I was interested in Nanjing’s fame as a heritage destination.

I wanted to participate in the activities that related to a cultural

heritage destination.

I felt Nanjing is a part of my own heritage.

I wanted to learn the history/background of Nanjing. Knowledge and

I wanted to learn the history of ancient China. education seeking

I wanted to learn the history of the period of People’s Republic

of China.

I wanted to enrich my knowledge about the current Nanjing.

I wanted to escape from stress in my daily life. Relaxation and Relaxation and

I wanted to escape from the routines of life. entertainment entertainment

I wanted to relax and rest while traveling.

I wanted to be entertained and make myself happy.

I wanted to reunite with my family and friends. Other motivation Excluded from factor

I am here because of business. analysis

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Nanjing was commonly recognized as a cultural heritage destination; however,

the statistical results indicated that the prominent driving factor to visit Nanjing was not

the cultural factor. Tourists reported that they were mostly motivated by entertainment

and relaxation motivations based on the mean scores obtained from descriptive analyses.

The statement “I wanted to be entertained and make myself happy” got the highest mean

score, which was consistent with the “travel career ladder” theory that indicated that

“relaxation” is the basic need at the lowest level (Pearce, 1988). It is interesting to notice

that despite the specific culture image of a heritage destination, seeking pleasure is often

a critical reason that people are stimulated to travel. As indicated in literature, the need of

rest and relaxation was regarded as the basic motivation for travel (Pearce, 2011). Despite

tourists were originally defined as “cultural-core tourists” (who were primarily motivated

by cultural elements) or “cultural-peripheral tourists” (who visited a heritage destination

incidentally or accidentally), their needs of entertainment and relaxation through a travel

experience were significant components of their travel motivation (Hughes, 2002). It is

however worth attention to understand what types of activities or settings would best

provide an entertaining or relaxing experience to satisfy tourists.

On the other hand, the mediation model indicated that heritage-related

motivations obviously played a major role in affecting involvement, attribute

performance evaluation, and satisfaction. It indicated that even tourists were not

originally motivated by cultural or heritage dimensions; they were still more or less

interested in experiencing cultural heritage when they were going to visit a heritage

destination. And they also believed that the performance of heritage dimensions of a

destination was an important factor that could affect their overall satisfaction with the
 64

destination. It is interesting to notice that as motivation is a complicated psychological

term with multiple dimensions, tourists might have various motivations before they visit

a destination. This is consistent with the line of theories that proposed multi-dimensional

factors in understanding motivation, for example, the Iso-Ahola’s seeking intrinsic

theory, and Pearce’s travel career ladder theory. In our study, we mainly focused on

tourists’ experience with a heritage destination; therefore, we tested tourists’ perception

and emotional responses towards heritage elements that attract tourists in our model. It

explained the two-factor structure of motivation variable, the heritage related motivation

and relaxation and entertainment motivation. In practical industry, these two types of

motivation should be worth attention from heritage destinations. Also, destinations need

to be aware of tourists would be stimulated by multiple motivations and the failure in

satisfying any of the motivations could cause dissatisfaction with overall experience.

The results of the study also investigated the connection between travel

motivation and overall experience satisfaction. The mediation analysis failed to support

the hypothesis that travel motivation has a direct effect on satisfaction. However, with the

mediating effect of attribute performance and involvement with a destination added,

motivation becomes a significant factor in predicting overall satisfaction. Crompton

(1970) proposed that with other influential antecedents, motivation might not play as

important a role as we thought on predicting satisfaction. In other words, motivation can

positively affect heritage destination satisfaction only when tourists’ expectations of a

heritage experience were met and tourists were actually involved in tourism activities.

Also, the results indicated that between the two mediators, motivation is more bonded

with the mediating effect of emotional involvement. It is probably because that

 65

involvement is the emotional and affective interaction that occurs between tourists and a

destination. As a psychological term, motivation is also associated with tourists’ emotion,

and the interrelation of motivation and involvement has been widely discussed in the

literature review. On the other hand, destination performance obviously has a stronger

direct effect than involvement on determining satisfaction. This could be explained by

Tse and Wilton’s (1988) study, which proposed that satisfaction is only affected by actual

performance of products or services instead of considering any other factors. When it

comes to the study of travel experience, it may not matter why tourists were motivated to

visit a destination; it is their actual experience with the destination that is the determining

factor of their satisfaction. Even when tourists were strongly motivated to visit, they still

might be disappointed with a failure of service delivery of the destination. On the

contrary, tourists who were not strongly motivated to visit a destination could be

impressed and satisfied with a good performance of the destination, which will lead to a

better impression of the destination

5.3 Managerial Implications

The findings of the study provided strategic suggestions on destination planning

and management. From a destination management perspective, the study provides insight

for identifying cultural dimensions of a heritage destination to create a memorable

experience for tourists.

Nanjing is positioned as a famous historical and cultural city, with rich cultural

and natural attributes, that allows tourists to enjoy alternating between ancient and

modern offerings. One interesting implication of the study is that a heritage destination
 66

should strive to create an accessible cultural experience to satisfy tourists. It is important

for destination planners to understand what antecedents satisfy tourists’ overall

experience. In regard to a heritage destination, well-designed and well-interpreted

heritage-related attributes could affect a travel experience on a significant level. Thus, the

challenges to destination planners are how to identify the heritage dimensions of a

destination, creatively interpret them into tourism products, and present and deliver them

to a target market. Also, beyond the development of tourism industry, more efforts

should be paid on educating and promoting heritage culture to attract people’s attention

and interest on it. Thus, the development of heritage tourism in China will gain more

support from the target consumers.

On the other hand, the findings also indicated that the relaxation and

entertainment motivation is baseline of travel motivation before their visit. Customers’

attitudes toward and perceptions of products were considered as the basic foundation of

marketing (Holbrook, 2005). By understanding the indicators of satisfaction, destination

marketers can understand the real need of tourists and provide tourism products that will

attract more tourists. This strategy suggests that a heritage destination should provide not

only an authentic cultural experience but also a pleasant atmosphere in order to meet the

expectations of tourists. Also, the most effective way for tourists to get involved with a

travel activity or an experience that the destination provided is to make it a pleasure for

tourists to enjoy. One strategy for destination designers is that they can have heritage

themed activities or programs, but with lighter serious touch of heritage, that could

encourage all types of tourists to participate or engage into, especially for Chinese

tourists who care more about the attractiveness of heritage attributes. In this way,
 67

tourists’ relaxation and heritage seeking motivations were both met by voluntarily being

involved in the activities; thus, they would be satisfied with their travel experience.

Another implication for heritage destination is to get tourists involved with travel

activities. The literature and research findings indicated that tourists’ level of emotional

involvement with a destination would change when they perceived pleasure, important,

sign, or risks during their visit (Laurent & Kaperfer, 1985). According to this theory,

destination should endeavor to provide products that meet theses dimensions. First,

tourists would felt highly involved when they could gain pleasure from their travel

experience. Also, the destination should appear to be interesting and important to tourists.

Third, the image or symbolic of a heritage destination should be attributed by tourists.

Last but not least, tourists should be willing to take potential risks of making a poor

choice in making destination decision. All these dimensions would increase their

emotional involvement with a heritage destination. When tourists are more willing to get

involved, there would be more chances to satisfy them.

It is worth pointing out that those supporting facilities and services also contribute

to a satisfying travel experience. In order to truly satisfy tourists, destinations should be

able to provide qualified supporting facilities and services to meet the basic needs of

tourists. Taking the case of Nanjing as an example, the results of high mean scores of

destination attribute performance indicated that tourists were positively satisfied with

their experience. Tourists had the opportunity to enjoy the six major elements of tourism:

eating, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment

(Wikitravel, 2013). Nanjing’s well-developed transportation system makes the city easily

accessible to tourists by plane, train, bus, automobile, and even by boat. And the
 68

construction of metro and bus routes makes it convenient for tourists to visit tourism sites

in Nanjing. Nanjing also has a wide range of eating establishments (from local specialties

shops to fancy dining restaurants) that could meet the expectations of different tourists.

Additionally, Nanjing has a number of hotels to accommodate tourists’ budgets, from

hostels to luxury five-star hotels. Beyond basic facilities, Nanjing is also now officially

considered as the safest city in China. From these details, we can conclude that Nanjing

meets the basic requirements to be a tourism destination. This could be a good example

for other destinations to gain insight into the significant role of providing facilities (and

the most advantageous locations for their construction) and services.

5.4 Theoretical Contributions

The first conceptual contribution of this study was developing a conceptual model

depicting the relations among the four major variables, namely, travel motivation,

evaluation of attribute performance, and satisfaction. The model empirically revealed the

indicators of overall satisfaction with a heritage destination. The predicting role of

motivation for satisfaction was not a new topic in tourism studies. The literature has

proposed different theories to demonstrate the relationship (C. K. Lee, Y. K. Lee, &

Wicks, 2004; Crompton, 1979; Devesa et al., 2010). Traditionally, the performance of

destination attributes was singly considered as an antecedent of satisfaction by a pool of

studies (Bennett, Hartel, & McColl-Kennedy, 2005; J. Lee & Beeler, 2009; Kozak &

Rimington, 2000; Meng et al., 2008). However, the lack of an integrated approach to

include tourists’ affect in understanding their experience with a heritage destination

remained as an issue in theory. Departing from traditional studies of satisfaction, the

 69

results examined travel experience satisfaction by investigating both the cognitive and

emotional responses of tourists. The combination of the two variables and motivation

before visiting provided a more complete picture of travel experience with a heritage

destination. Figure 5.1 illustrates the conceptual model depicting the drivers of heritage

destination experience satisfaction.

Evaluation of
Attribute Performance

Motivation Satisfaction

Emotional Involvement

Figure 5.1 Drivers of Heritage Destination Experience Satisfaction.

Another contribution is that the study applied the SPSS macro PROCESS to test

the mediation effect of tourists’ involvement with a heritage destination and evaluation of

destination attributes between the relationship of motivation and overall satisfaction. In

the analysis process, involvement and the three dimensions of heritage attribute

performance were tested as parallel mediators in the same mediation model. Based on the

theory, the paralleling mediating model provided the indirect and direct effects of path

analysis to interpret how every variable affects tourists’ overall satisfaction. From the

statistical perspective, Preacher and Hayes (2008) stated that it is more convenient and
 70

precise to interpret the indirect effect by including all mediators in one model. The model

provides a theoretical insight into understanding the interaction of motivation,

involvement, attributes performance, and overall satisfaction in heritage tourism. By

revising the measurement scale, the proposed model can be generalized to future study in

tourism or to other specific settings. Also, the model allows new variables to be added to

form a chain mediating effect.

5.5 Limitations and Future Studies

The study has contributed to developing the conceptual model of predictors of

satisfaction and providing suggestions to destination marketing; however, there are still

limitations of the study. Recommendations summarized from limitations are proposed

here for future research.

The survey was undertaken during a 1-week period in January 2013. Though the

survey time was controlled with both weekdays and weekends, daytime and nighttime,

the procedure was still considered as a convenience sampling. To avoid the potential bias,

a longer period of data collection process is recommended. Besides, the data were

collected at only three selected heritage sites in Nanjing, as a representative case. Due to

the accessibility, a majority of the participants were residents from the region of East

China. The limited geographic setting indicates the findings could not be generalized to

all Chinese residents. For future studies, more heritage destinations with diverse cultural

backgrounds should be investigated to conclude more common findings. Comparison

studies of heritage destinations and general travel destinations could also be considered as
 71

a future topic to learn more about influential factors of tourists’ overall satisfaction under

certain dimensions.

The survey instrument was a self-administrated questionnaire. Though

participants were advised to answer the questions honestly, potential bias still might exist.

A previous study has indicated that Chinese people are less likely to select the extreme

response and more likely to give positive answers that they think most people will give,

rather than their real opinions (Si & Cullen, 2008). An in-depth face-to-face interview

survey instrument is suggested for future studies to investigate more about the real

perceptions of respondents. Also, it is expected that an interview with content analysis

might contribute more interesting findings to complement the conceptual model.

The conceptual model explained the influential effect of motivation, involvement,

and destination attribute evaluation on satisfaction. The research focused mainly on the

psychological perceptions of tourists. Future studies could explore the concepts in a more

macro perspective by examining the behavioral intention of tourists by comparing pre-

travel expectations with after-travel behavior. Besides, new construct could be added to

the model to make it more precise. Thus, a more thorough understanding of the cultural

dimension of a destination will be provided.

Although limitations existed, the study still filled the theoretical gap in the

heritage tourism research. A theoretical mediating model was developed and tested to

demonstrate tourists’ motivation and satisfaction with a certain heritage destination.

Future studies could build on the study and develop a more comprehensive theory in

heritage tourism study

 72

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APPENDICES
 87

Appendix A Survey Instrument in English

Survey of Cultural Heritage Experience in Nanjing

Dear participant,
I am a graduate student from Purdue University, majoring in Hospitality and Tourism
Management. I am doing a research on investigating tourists’ satisfaction based on your travel experience
in Nanjing. Your participations are subject to privacy policies. The survey is absolutely anonymous and will
be used only for this research. Your participation is highly appreciated.
Please mark the most appropriated answers with “√”, or filling the “____” with your answers.
I sincerely thank you for your collaboration.
Purdue University
January 2013
Part 1: Activities
1. Which of the following heritage sites have you visited in Nanjing? (More than one answer can be
applied)
□ Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum Scenic Area □ Ming Emperors Tomb Scenic Area □ Confucius
Temple and Qinhuai River Scenic Area □ Riverview Tower Scenic Area
□ Rain Flower Terrace Scenic Area □Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area
□ Nanjing Museum □ Presidential Palace □ Qixia Mountain
□ The stone Inscription of Tomb in Southern Dynasty
□ Memorial Hall for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Military Forces
□ Others , please specify ___________________________________________________
2．Which of the local traditional food have you had in Nanjing? (More than one answer can be applied)
□ Ya Xue Fen Si Tang □ Xiao Long Bao □ Chou Dou Fu □ Gao Tuan
□ Boiled Salted Duck □ Niu Rou Gou Tie □ Wu Xiang Dou □ Mei Hua Gao
□ Others, please specify
3. Where did you stay during your visit at Nanjing?
□ Luxury hotel □ Economic hotel □ Bed & Breakfast Inns
□ Hostels □ Stay with friends or relatives
□ Others, please specify
4. Which souvenir did you buy in Nanjing? (More than one answer can be applied)
□ Rain Flower Pebbles □ Boiled Salted Duck □ Jinling Folding Fan
□ Cloud-pattern Brocades □ Others, please specify
 88

Part 2: Travel Motivation

5. Your overall motivations to visit Nanjing.

□ I am not at all motivated to visit Nanjing.

□ I am not very motivated to visit Nanjing.
□ It is hard to tell.
□ I am motivated to visit Nanjing.
□ I am highly motivated to visit Nanjing.
My motivation to visit Nanjing was:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

6. I wanted to experience the rich culture in Nanjing.
□ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
7. I am interested in the famous heritage sites in Nanjing.
□ □ □ □ □
趣。
8. I was interested in Nanjing’ fame as a heritage Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
destination. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
9. I wanted to participate in the activities that related to
culture and heritage at the destination. □ □ □ □ □

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

10. I felt Nanjing is a part of my own heritage. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
11. I wanted to learn the history background of Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
12. I wanted to learn the history of ancient China. □ □ □ □ □
13. I wanted to learn the history of the period of People’s Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Republic of China. □ □ □ □ □
14. I wanted to enrich my knowledge about the current Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
15. I wanted to escape from stress in my daily life. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
16. I wanted to escape from the routines of life. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
17. I wanted to relax and rest while traveling. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
18. I wanted to entertain and make myself happy. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
19. I wanted to reunion with my family and friends. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
20. I am here because of business visit. □ □ □ □ □
 89

Part 3: Attributes Evaluation

Based on my experience in Nanjing, I think:
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
21. The historical sites at Nanjing are highly valued.
□ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
22. The cultural heritage is welled conserved in Nanjing.
□ □ □ □ □
23. The heritage sites are unique compared to other Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
heritage destination. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
24. The historical architectures are highly valued.
□ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
25. The cultural heritage sites are attractive to me. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
26. The cultural activities are very interesting to me. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
27. The cultural heritage is well interpreted in Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
28. The cultural heritage activities reflect the identity of Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
29. The heritage setting is authentic. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
30. I felt safe when I visited Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
31. Nanjing is easily accessible to me. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
32. The transportation is convenient within Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

33. I can get exotic food at Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □

34. I have the opportunity to buy souvenirs related to Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
cultural heritage. □ □ □ □ □

Part 4: Emotional Involvement

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
35. Nanjing is a very special destination to me. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
36. I got pleasure from visiting Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
37. I am very attached to Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □
38. I have a lot of interest in Nanjing as a heritage Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
destination. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
 90

39. Visiting Nanjing means a lot to me. □ □ □ □ □

40. I gave myself pleasure by getting involved in the Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
various things to do here. □ □ □ □ □
41. I would not substitute any other heritage destination Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

for the types of things that I did at Nanjing. □ □ □ □ □

Part 5: Overall Satisfaction

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

42. Nanjing is one of the best destinations for cultural
heritage tourism. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
43. My choice to visit Nanjing was a wise one.
□ □ □ □ □
44. I think I made the right decision to visit the Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
destination. □ □ □ □ □
45. I am satisfied with my overall experience during my Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
visit
□ □ □ □ □
46. My experience at Nanjing was exactly what I Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
expected. □ □ □ □ □
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
47. My experience at Nanjing made me happy. □ □ □ □ □
48. If I got another chance, I would be pleased to revisit Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
the destination. □ □ □ □ □
49. I would like to recommend Nanjing to my relatives Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
and friends as a travel destination. □ □ □ □ □

Part 6: Personal information

50．What is your gender?
□ Male □ Female
51. What is your age?
□ Below 18 □18-35 □ 36-55 □ 56-65
□ Above 65
52. What is the highest level of education you have completed?
□ Primary and under primary level □ Junior high school level □ Secondary level
□ College level □ Bachelor’s degree □ Master’s degree
□ Doctoral degree or higher
53. What is your occupation?
□ Agricultural producer □ Private enterprises employee □ Self-employed
□ Enterprise Manager □ Administrative institution officials □ Civil servants
□ Educator □ Unemployed □ Retiree
 91

□ Student □ Others
54. What is your current household income (per year) in RMB?
□ 30000 or under □ 30001-50000 □ 50001-80000
□ 80001-100000 □ 100001-150000 □ 150001-200000
□ 200001or over
55. How many family members do you have in your family? _______
56. Are you a residence of which region?
□ Jiangsu Province □ The region of East China □ Other regions of China
□ Oversea
57. How many times have you visited Nanjing?
□ First time □ Twice □ Three times □ Four times or more
58. What kind of party are you traveling with? (More than one answer may be applied)
□ Alone □ With wife/husband □ Family members
□ With children □ Friends/relatives □ Organized groups □ Others
59. How long will you stay in Nanjing during this trip? __________ days
 92

Appendix B Survey Instrument in Chinese

南京历史文化遗产体验调查

尊敬的参与者,
您好，我是普渡大学旅游与酒店管理学院的学生。正在做一个游客对于南京市历史文化遗产体验的
研究。您的合作对我们了解有关信息和研究工作有重要意义。答案不涉及是非对错，请您真实回答
问卷中的问题。您的回答仅用于本次研究，我们将严格保密。
答题方法：请在问卷中符合您情况的选项序号上打勾（“√”） ，或在“____”上填写您的答案。
对于您的合作与支持，我们表示衷心的感谢！
普渡大学
2013 年 1 月
第一部分：旅游活动：
1. 您在南京游览过一下那些文化遗产景点？（多选）
□ 中山陵 □ 明孝陵 □ 夫子庙秦淮河景区 □ 阅江楼
□ 雨花台 □ 玄武湖 □ 栖霞山 □ 总统府
□ 南京博物院 □ 南朝墓刻石景区 □ 南京大屠杀纪念馆
□ 其它 ___________________________________________________________________________
2. 您在南京吃下列哪些南京的特色小吃？
□ 鸭血粉丝汤 □ 小笼包 □ 臭豆腐 □ 糕团
□ 盐水鸭 □ 牛肉锅贴 □ 梅花糕 □ 五香豆
□ 其它
3. 您在南京住宿的地方是
□ 星级酒店 □ 经济型酒店 □ 家庭旅馆
□ 青年旅馆 □ 亲戚朋友家
□ 其它
4. 您是否在南京购买如下旅游纪念品
□ 雨花石 □ 盐水鸭 □ 金陵折扇 □ 云锦
□ 其它

第二部分：旅游动机：
5.您到南京的旅游动机：
□ 我一点也不想来南京旅游
□ 我到南京旅游的动机不是很强烈
□ 说不清
□ 我想到南京旅游
□ 我非常想到南京旅游

让我到南京旅游的动力是：
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
6. 我想领略南京丰富的历史文化积淀。
□ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
 93

7. 我对南京著名的历史文化景点非常感兴趣。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
8. 南京是著名的文化遗产旅游目的地。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
9. 我想亲身参与到文化遗产旅游目的地的各项
活动之中。 □ □ □ □ □

非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

10. 我觉得它是我个人文化传承的一部分。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
11. 我想了解南京的历史文化背景。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
12. 我想了解中国古代的历史文化。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
13 我想了解南京民国时代的历史文化。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
14. 我想增加我对于当代南京的认识。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
15. 我想缓解我日常生活的压力。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
16. 我想逃离我的日常生活。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
17. 我想在旅游过程之中放松与休闲。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
18. 我想在旅游过程之中使自己愉悦。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
19. 我想跟我的家人或朋友团聚。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
20. 我来南京为了公务出差。 □ □ □ □ □

第三部分：旅游目的地概况：
基于我在南京的经历，我认为

非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

21. 南京的历史文化古迹非常有价值。
□ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
22. 南京的历史文化古迹保留的非常好。 □ □ □ □ □
23. 南京的历史文化古迹跟其他城市相比是独一 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
无二的。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
24. 南京的历史建筑非常有价值。
□ □ □ □ □

非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

25. 南京的历史文化古迹是非常有吸引力的。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
 94

26. 南京的传统文化活动是非常有趣的 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
27. 南京的历史文化现在被解读的非常到位。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
28. 南京的历史文化活动反映了南京的城市特色。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
29. 南京历史文化重现非常真实。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
30. 南京的安全设施状况良好。
。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
31. 到南京来旅游非常方便。。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
32. 南京内部交通十分便利。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
33. 在南京可以吃到特色小吃。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
34. 我可以买到与历史文化相关纪念品。 □ □ □ □ □

第四部分：个人参与
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
35. 南京市对我来说是非常特别的旅游目的地。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

36. 我的南京之行非常愉悦。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
37. 我感觉我与南京有很深的渊源 □ □ □ □ □
38. 南京作为一个历史文化旅游目的地我非常感 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
兴趣 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
39. 到南京来旅游对我来说意义深远。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
40. 在南京所参与的旅游活动让我非常愉悦。 □ □ □ □ □
41. 我在南京所参与的历史文化活动在其他地方 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
无法替代。 □ □ □ □ □

第五部分：整体满意度：
您对于南京之行的整体满意度

非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

42. 南京是最好的文化遗产旅游目的地之一。
□ □ □ □ □
43. 我选择到南京来参观历史文化遗产是明智 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
之举。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
 95

44. 我觉得我到南京来旅游是非常正确的决 □ □ □ □ □
定。 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
45. 我十分满意我的整体的旅游经历。
□ □ □ □ □

非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意

46. 在南京的旅游经历跟我所期待一样。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
47. 在南京的经历使我非常愉快。 □ □ □ □ □
非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
48. 如果有机会，我会再来南京。 □ □ □ □ □
49 我愿意将南京作为旅游目的地推荐给我的亲 非常不同意 不同意 一般 同意 非常同意
友。 □ □ □ □ □

第六部分: 个人信息
50． 您的性别：
□男 □女
51. 您的年龄：
□ 18 岁以下 □ 18-35 岁 □ 36-55 岁 □ 56-65 岁
□ 65 岁以上
52. 您的受教育水平：
□ 小学及以下 □ 初中 □ 高中 □中专
□ 大学本科 □ 研究生 □ 博士及以上
53. 您所从事的职业是：
□ 农业生产者 □ 私营企业工人 □ 个体经营者
□ 企业经营管理者 □ 事业单位职员 □ 公务员
□ 教师 □ 待业 □ 退休人员
54. 您家庭的年收入：
□ 30000 元以下 □ 30001-50000 元 □ 50001-80000 元
□ 80001-100000 元 □ 100001-150000 元 □ 150001-200000 元
□ 200001 元以上
55. 您家庭内部共有几位家庭成员？_______位
56. 您家庭的现居住地是：
□ 江苏省其他城市 □ 华东地区（沪、浙、皖、闽、赣、鲁）
□ 中国其他地区 □ 海外
57. 您到南京有玩过几次：
□ 这是第一次 □ 两次 □ 三次 □ 四次及以上
58. 您是和什么团体来南京旅游的？（多选）
□独自旅游 □ 配偶 □其他家庭成员 □带孩子游玩
□朋友/亲戚 □旅游团体 □其他_________________________
59.您此次南京之行要在南京待多长时间？