Investigating the motivations and preferences of Chinese cruise travelers amid COVID-19

Chu, Angela; Tung, Vincent

Abstract

The literature on cruise tourism is primarily Western-focused, which could differ compared to those in Asia Pacific. To address this gap, this study combines motivation and cruise preferences for a better understanding of repeated Chinese cruisers amid COVID-19 via the use of conjoint and cluster analysis. The findings revealed that shore activity is more important than cabin price and duration. Sight-seeing is the most strongly preferred shore excursion, followed by visiting natural scenery. This study contributes by providing insight into the current views of the Chinese travel market, and provides suggestions to cruise companies on target segments, product design, and marketing strategies in preparation for travel recovery.

Citation

Chu, A., & Tung, V. (2023). Investigating the motivations and preferences of Chinese cruise travelers amid COVID-19. Journal of China Tourism Research, 19(1), 92-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2022.2103606

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 27, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jul 22, 2022
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 15, 2023
• Journal: Journal of China Tourism Research
• Print ISSN: 1938-8160
• Electronic ISSN: 1938-8179
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 92-117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2022.2103606
• Keywords: cruise tourism, motivation, attributes, COVID-19, marketing strategy, China
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2890867