A Cross-Cultural Research on Natural Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

Comparative research on park patrons with distinctive cultures or ethnicities has been one line of cross-cultural research in the recreation field in recent decades. The critical issue for such research is between-group homogeneity as most cross-cultural studies use culture or nation as their unit of analysis. This study employed the between-group comparison approach to identify different perceptions of service quality among three major socio-culture groups, Hoklos, Hakkas, and Mainlanders, in the context of outdoor recreation in Taiwan. A total of 2,433 respondents, 1,719 from Hoklos, 499 from Hakkas, and 215 from Mainlanders, were collected from an outdoor recreation visitor survey conducted in the Huisun National Forest Recreation Area and Taroko National Park. The findings revealed that the differences in service quality perceptions, satisfaction judgment, and behavioral intention derived from the between-group examination. A discussion of cultural heterogeneity across the subgroups and its implications for park and recreation management is included.