The influence of tourists’ perceived value and demographic characteristics on the homestay industry: A study based on social stratification theory

Abstract

The development of the homestay industry has helped Chinese consumers to diversify their consumption of accommodation products. This paper examines the impact of demographic variables, such as tourists’ age, gender, level of education, occupation, and discretionary income, on their perceived functional, emotional, and social values via a multi-layered hierarchical approach. Using a sample of 472 homestay guests from 45 homestays across six provinces, we used cluster analysis to test whether there are significant differences between demographic groups in terms of functional perceived value, emotional value, and social value.In general, age plays an important role in the classification of homestay guests. Male students and male business owners pay more attention to the emotional value of the hotel than do other types of guests. Female business owners and employees of enterprises and institutions pay more attention to the social perception value brought to them by staying in homestays. This study has useful implications for the management of homestay accommodation.