THE INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL CULTURAL DIMENSIONS ON MIDDLE-EAST TOURISTS IN MALAYSIA
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Date
2014-08
Authors
FARAHANI, BANAFSHEH MASTERI
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Abstract
Tourism industry is becoming one of the main industries in many countries due to the high foreign exchange earnings it brings to a country. Thus, many researchers have been attracted to studying international tourists’ behaviour (preterit, on-site trip and post trip). Demographic profiles of tourists, especially nationality have been found as the influential factor that causes tourists to exhibit dissimilar behaviour. Thus, this study aims to find the on-site trip behaviour (trip behaviour Characteristics, tourist behavioural Characteristics) of Middle East tourists visiting Malaysia. Since culture is the foundation of a nation, the effect of national culture (power distance, individualism or collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity or femininity, and long-term orientation) on Middle East tourists’ on-site trip behaviour in Malaysia is the other objective of this study. Accordingly, Hofstede’s national culture model was used to define the culture of different countries as the most applicable model. Hofstede provided the index for several countries in which the score of every dimension of culture related to specific countries can be found.
Middle East tourists are considered as one of the valuable market segment for tourism industry of Malaysia, but there have been limited studies about Middle East tourists behaviour, if there are any. The issue of over-generalizing all Middle East countries as one group is noticeable. Moreover, the studies of on-site tourists’ behaviour, which compare it with the other stages of trip behaviour, are limited and there is no particular model or theory
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in that area. In this regard, 16 Middle East countries were chosen as the population of the study. Quantitative method was applied to collect the necessary data. A sample of 504 tourists from 16 countries of Middle East was chosen as the main sample size of the study. The tourists were divided into 4 groups by applying the stratified sampling technique. Self-administered questionnaires, which have been checked for the validity and reliability of the items were distributed among the tourists. Altogether, 504 usable questionnaires were returned. Then, the data were analysed using SPSS software. The results of data analysis were presented using descriptive analysis, cross tabulation, and factor analysis; they were used to answer the first research question of the study. One-way ANOVA was used to answer the second research question. The quantitative data were supported by qualitative data collected by interviewing 11 tour guides and conducting observations on the tourists. The study found the influence of each dimension of national culture on tourist on-site behaviour. Seven areas were defined to cover the tourist behavioural Characteristics as a part of on-site behaviour. The influence of each dimension of national culture on trip Characteristics and tourist behavioural Characteristics have been observed. Accordingly, power distance has influence on facilities and service perchant, reliance, and self-orientation, while individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and long-term orientation have influence on respectfulness, social interaction, facilities and service perchant, expenditure and self-presentation as an expert traveller. Moreover, uncertainty
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avoidance affects the respectfulness, social interaction, facilities and service perchant, and expenditure of Middle Eastern tourists.
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THE INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL CULTURAL DIMENSIONS