Abstract
AbstractShopping Festivals are being promoted as tourism products, thus attracting large number of tourists. Recent years have seen the growth of shopping festivals and shopping gaining greater significance in tourism, given its contribution to the retail and tourism sectors of a destination. This empirical study discusses the shopping experience of international tourists visiting the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). Data was collected from 603 international, English speaking tourists, using the mall intercept technique, during the XVIII edition of the DSF from January to February 2013. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to delineate seven factors which suggest that tourists do not shop independent of the shopping environment. Shopping experience involves much more than the acquisition of goods. Store Attribute, Mall Atmospherics, Safety, Mall Amenities, Product Attribute and Staff Service positively influence tourists’ shopping experience. The findings of this study will help the stakeholders in desi...
Highlights
Shopping is inherent to tourist behaviour and is a growing component of the tourism value chain (UNWTO, 2014)
There has been no study far on the shopping experience of tourists travelling to a shopping festival, and this study aims to address this gap
This study points out that tourists do not shop independent of the environment; mall amenities, staff service, product attributes, atmospherics, cleanliness and spaciousness, store attributes and safety contribute to overall shopping experience
Summary
Shopping is inherent to tourist behaviour and is a growing component of the tourism value chain (UNWTO, 2014). The relationship between shopping and tourism can be understood in two ways— Tourist Shopping and Shopping Tourism. In the first case, shopping constitutes an activity on the tourist’s itinerary. In the latter, shopping constitutes the primary motive for travel (Timothy, 2006). In the context of Shopping Tourism, shopping and retail facilities serve as tourist attractions. Shopping Festivals may be viewed as a type of Shopping Tourism. They have come to be promoted as tourism products by the destination marketing organization (DMO), as they attract tourists and contribute to the local economy. A few examples of shopping festivals are Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), The Great Singapore Sale, Ankara Shopping Festival, Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival, Amazing Thailand Grand Sale and 1 Malaysia Year End Sale
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