Examining Asian Outbound Travelers' Consumption Patterns After the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis

Abstract

This research delineates the change of Asian outbound travelers' consumption patterns due to the effect of the economic crisis prevailing in Asian countries since late 1997. The study populations are Japanese, Taiwanese, and South Korean travelers to the U.S. between 1997 and 1998. Four consumption patterns are examined by logit analyses. The resulting data reveal that Japanese travelers have significant changes in information acquisition; Taiwanese travelers exhibit significant change in the length of trip; and South Korean travelers show the changes of consumption patterns in three categories, including information acquisition, transportation mode, and length of trip. Tour package is the only consumption pattern that has not changed among the three groups of tourists after the crisis. In the conclusion, marketing strategies are provided for international tourism practitioners focusing on Japanese, Taiwanese, and South Korean outbound travelers to the U.S.