Taiwanese Travelers Research Articles

Pretravel preparation and factors associated with willingness to seek pretravel consultation among Taiwanese travelers

BackgroundAlthough globalization promotes economic development, cross-border infectious disease transmission is still a serious threat to health. Taiwan is geographically close to Southeast and South Asia, but the needs and expectations of Taiwanese travelers with regard to travel medicine are still largely unknown. This study aimed to clarify the pretravel preparations, needs, willingness to seek pretravel consultation, and factors associated with willingness, in order to provide valuable information for improvement of healthcare service. MethodsData were collected with anonymous structured questionnaires distributed to 477 visitors who tried to get travel health information from New Southbound Health Center between June and November 2019. A multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was applied to identify factors associated with the visitors’ willingness to seek pretravel consultation. ResultsA total of 304 questionnaires (64%) were collected. Eighty-three percent of the respondents were willing to seek pretravel consultation. A higher level of education (odds ratio 3.6 [95% CI 1.58–8.22]), having a plan to obtain travel medical insurance (2.5 [1.18–5.28]), concern with gastrointestinal diseases (2.0 [1.04–3.94]), concern with mosquito-borne diseases (2.0 [2.07–3.95]), and concern with noncommunicable diseases (2.2 [1.02–4.96]) were independent factors associated with willingness to seek pretravel consultation.: ConclusionsWe found that most of the travelers were willing to seek pretravel consultation. Our study highlighted the need to enhance awareness about travel-related illness among these travelers. Strategies should be tailored according to these findings to help prevent epidemics and improve healthcare service in the future.

To return or not to return? Identifying VFR travel constraints during the pandemic

ABSTRACT Despite the prominence of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel to show strong resilience in the face of global crises, it has been one of the most underexplored tourism contexts in the literature. This study examined travel constraints of VFR travelers during the pandemic to enrich this tourism context. Using an inductive theory approach, thematic analysis of 167 online posts and 8,403 online comments from prospective Taiwanese VFR travelers living elsewhere unveiled a framework of VFR travel constraints that included six types of travel constraints for VFR tourists who have made travel-related decisions amid COVID-19. Specifically, fourteen travel constraints were identified and situated within a three (individual - family - community) two (tourist generating country - tourist receiving country) framework to understand their causes and natures. Theoretically, this study served as a pioneering attempt to link the concept of travel constraints with VFR tourism and enriched our understanding of VFR travelers’ related decision making. Practically, destination management organizations and tourism businesses should find the study findings insightful because they demonstrate ways of promoting VFR travel to foster tourism rejuvenation in the post-pandemic. Limitations and future research directions were discussed at the end of this study.

Pretravel Preparation and Factors Associated with Willingness to Seek Pretravel Consultation Among Taiwanese Travelers

Pretravel Preparation and Factors Associated with Willingness to Seek Pretravel Consultation Among Taiwanese Travelers

Motivation Factors Driving Travel Intention in the Controlled Pandemic Context: Perspectives from Malaysian and Taiwanese Travellers

Travelling is considered one of the best ways to escape one’s day-to-day routine activities. Tourists’ travel is driven by several motivational factors, which lead them to plan or continue on a travel trip. However, since the emergence of COVID-19, travelling has become a major issue for the whole travel industry. The recent spread of Omicron makes most post-pandemic studies futile. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of motivation factors that affect tourists’ travel intention in the controlled pandemic context. The mediating role of perceived value and the moderating role of perceived travel risk were examined as well. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory was adopted as the theoretical foundation of the research framework. A quantitative online survey was used to collect data from 388 Malaysian and Taiwanese travelers. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyse the data. The results show that escape, kinship, and people are direct and indirect motivation factors that influence tourists’ intention to travel via perceived value. Notably travel risk indicated no moderating effect. The results of this study provide useful insights into tourists’ post-pandemic behaviour that offer practical implications for Asian business.

User Behavioral Intentions toward a Scooter-Sharing Service: An Empirical Study

This paper proposes an innovative shared scooter service whereby scooter owners can authorize the rental of their scooters to others through a mobile service platform. It constitutes a public short-distance mobility service for travelers and increases the efficient utilization of each private scooter. The study examines the adoption of scooter-sharing services by travelers and adapts the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, attitude, and user experience (UX) to investigate the factors that may influence traveler acceptance of scooter-sharing services. The data were collected from Taiwanese travelers who used the shared scooters provided in this study and completed pre- and post-use subjective ratings of the scooter-sharing service (n = 99), analyzed using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that the model constructs of habit, social influence, and environmental protections may positively affect users’ behavioral intentions toward shared scooters, while performance expectancy and effort expectancy may negatively affect intention to use. Attitudes and UX had no direct effect on intention to use. In light of the findings, recommendations for improving the design of scooter-sharing services, implications for service providers, and a reference basis for the development of future shared micro-mobility services are provided.

Use and Cost-Effectiveness of a Telehealth Service at a Centralized COVID-19 Quarantine Center in Taiwan: Cohort Study.

BackgroundTelehealth is a recommended method for monitoring the progression of nonsevere infections in patients with COVID-19. However, telehealth has not been widely implemented to monitor SARS-CoV-2 infection in quarantined individuals. Moreover, studies on the cost-effectiveness of quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce.ObjectiveIn this cohort study, we aimed to use telehealth to monitor COVID-19 infections in 217 quarantined Taiwanese travelers and to analyze the cost-effectiveness of the quarantine program.MethodsTravelers were quarantined for 14 days at the Taiwan Yangmingshan quarantine center and monitored until they were discharged. The travelers’ clinical symptoms were evaluated twice daily. A multidisciplinary medical team used the telehealth system to provide timely assistance for ill travelers. The cost of the mandatory quarantine was calculated according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan.ResultsAll 217 quarantined travelers tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 upon admission to the quarantine center. During the quarantine, 28/217 travelers (12.9%) became ill and were evaluated via telehealth. Three travelers with fever were hospitalized after telehealth assessment, and subsequent tests for COVID-19 were negative for all three patients. The total cost incurred during the quarantine was US $193,938, which equated to US $894 per individual.ConclusionsTelehealth is an effective instrument for monitoring COVID-19 infection in quarantined travelers and could help provide timely disease management for people who are ill. It is imperative to screen and quarantine international travelers for SARS-CoV-2 infection to reduce the nationwide spread of COVID-19.

Measles immunity gaps in an era of high vaccination coverage: A serology study from Taiwan

BackgroundRoutine vaccination for children drastically reduces measles cases. Nonetheless, the global resurgence of measles since 2018 highlights the need for evaluating vaccine-induced immunity in an era of high vaccination coverage, especially in international travelers. This study aims to identify high-risk persons via analyzing the impact of age and different vaccination schedules on seroprevalence of measles in a country with high vaccination coverage, attempting to provide suggestions regarding pre-travel measles vaccination in highly immunized countries. MethodWe retrospectively collected serological results of measles from Taiwanese travelers during 2008–2017 and middle-aged subjects from community during 2007–2009. Participants were classified by age groups and cohort based on the national immunization program: cohort I (pre-mass vaccination), cohort II (suboptimal measles vaccination), and cohort III (2-dose MMR in childhood). The effects of age group on seropositivity was shown by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) in a logistic regression model. ResultsThe overall measles seroprevalence was 74.5% (N = 1096, mean age = 31.7 ± 12.3 years), with adolescents having the lowest seropositivity (65.9%) and participants ≥50 years having the highest (89.4%). Seropositivity was significantly higher in cohort I (pre-mass vaccination) compared with the other 2 cohorts (P < 0.0001). The effect of aging on seropositivity was only significant in cohort II (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.13–2.99, P = 0.014 for 30–39 years vs. 20–29 years). ConclusionsWaning immunity to measles in adolescents and young adults is a dominant issue in highly vaccinated cohorts. Enhancing pre-travel vaccination against measles can effectively fill the immunity gaps in highly immunized countries.

訪沖縄外国人旅行者数の増加のための現状と課題―台湾人旅行者の旅行地選択動機について―

訪沖縄外国人旅行者数の増加のための現状と課題―台湾人旅行者の旅行地選択動機について―

Destination familiarity and favorability in a country-image context: examining Taiwanese travelers’ perceptions of China

ABSTRACTBuilding on international marketing research on the country-of-origin image effect, this research examines how people evaluate a culturally familiar country as a tourist destination. Derived from a sample of 710 Taiwanese travelers, research findings showed that when evaluating China as a tourist destination, respondents relied on both their general image of the country (country image) as well as tourism-specific perceptions (destination beliefs), while a few respondents with low familiarity with China relied only on their general image of the country to evaluate the destination. The research also showed that respondents with high levels of familiarity with China had more positive destination beliefs, resulting in more favorable destination evaluations; however, country image was found to be persistent and difficult to be changed by destination promoting materials and/or actual visits. The paper concludes with recommendations for destination marketing in the context of international tourism.

Segmenting Taiwanese Travelers on Cruises in North America: Comparing the Involvement and Cluster Approach

The cruise industry is the fastest growing category within the leisure market. Asia is a large market and a potential growth area for the cruise industry. Within Asia, the Taiwanese cruise market has grown substantially since 1997. The involvement construct is an important psychographic facet of consumer behavior. Involvement is defined as a person's perceived relevance of the object based on inherent needs, values, and interests. Past research has linked the level of involvement to travel motivation for leisure choices, including travel. Cluster analysis is a classic market segmentation approach that has been extensively used in the tourism literature. The cluster approach has been used to understand travel motivations, satisfaction, dining choices, etc. However, no studies have presented a comparison of the two methods. There are only a few research studies on cruise vacations. Furthermore, no studies have identified the involvement levels of Taiwanese cruisers and segmented the Taiwanese cruise market to offer valuable marketing insights. This study aims at filling these gaps in the literature. Data were collected from 352 Taiwanese cruisers. The questionnaire was developed in English and translated into Chinese. This study found only two distinct categories of high and medium involvement cruisers. The cluster segmentation approach resulted in two distinct clusters, each with its own characteristics. Analysis showed that cluster segmentation provided a more nuanced definition of the segments in the context of Taiwanese cruisers.

VACATION LIFESTYLE AND TRAVEL BEHAVIORS

In marketing research, tourism scholars have often developed a variety of scales and integrated them into segmentation studies. Since vacation lifestyle variables, which could be utilized as a base for marketing research, have not received much attention from market researchers, this article attempts to further purify the extant scale and use Taiwanese travelers as a case study. The study survey was conducted of 443 tourists staying at least one night at the Ken‐Ting National Park in Taiwan from April to May, 2002. This study collected 420 useful samples. Three groups of users merged from the cluster analysis: (a) Family Oriented Travelers, (b) Social Oriented Travelers, and (c) Stylish Travelers. The study shows that the differences in trip characteristics are the frequencies of domestic travel, the frequencies of international travel, the hotel preferences, and the average expenditure on accommodations. The variations in demographic characteristics relate to age, family life cycle, education, and household income. This study on vacation lifestyle subsequently renders a new assessment tool to tourism professionals in Taiwan to grasp the lifestyle profile of their customers and develop strategies to entice the travel market.

Understanding Ethnic Chinese Travelers on North American Cruise Tours: Motivations, Perceptions, and Satisfaction of Cruisers

Cruise travel has become more popular than ever, and the numbers of cruise vacations are growing worldwide at a high rate. The cruise industry is the fastest growing category within the leisure market. International travel within, into, and out of Asia and the Pacific has experienced strong growth. Asia is a large market and a potential growth area for the cruise industry. Increasing numbers of Asians are availing themselves of cruise vacations in Asia. This generates awareness and interest in cruise travel, providing opportunities to promote cruises in Europe, Australia, or North America to Asians. There are large communities of ethnic Chinese all over Asia, including Taiwan. Taiwanese travelers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their traveling standards and they seek to enrich their experiences by taking trips abroad. Cruise trips have become a favorite of the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese cruise market has grown substantially in the past decade. There are only a few research studies on travelers' motivations to experience a cruise vacation and their subsequent satisfaction with that experience. Because Asian travelers are an emerging segment of the cruise industry, there is need for cruise operators to better understand the needs of the ethnic Chinese segment and the Taiwanese traveler in particular. The purpose of this article is to address this gap in the literature. The study surveyed 400 Taiwanese travelers who have been on North American cruise ship tours in the past 10 years. Both genders were evenly represented. An overwhelming majority of the respondents were over 40 years old. About half of the respondents had bachelor's degrees or higher. Over 75% were first‐time cruisers, with approximately 85% reporting vacation/leisure as their primary trip purpose. Alaska was the cruise destination of choice for over 60% of respondents. Push motivational factors were identified as Discovery, Enjoyment, Social/Esteem Needs, Escape, and Family Time. Pull motivations were unifactorial. Respondents were influenced by recommendations from media and from family, friends, and colleagues. Respondents were satisfied with tangibles, cleanliness, food choices and selection, and responsiveness of staff. They were less satisfied with the entertainment, Chinese food, and communication skills of the staff. An overwhelming majority of the respondents would revisit and recommend the cruise experience to others. Implications for researchers and practitioners are suggested. 近年来，邮轮旅游的风气日益兴盛，参加邮轮旅游的全球人口显著增长。在休閒旅游市场中，邮轮产业的发展最为迅速。亚太地区在全世界的旅游市场上佔有重要的地位，因此亚洲地区被视为广大且有潜力的邮轮市场。亚洲邮轮旅游人次的增长，使欧洲、澳洲和北美洲极为重视亚洲市场。而台湾在亚洲旅游市场上佔有一席之地;；这几年来台湾旅客追求更好且更多的国外旅游经验，因此邮轮旅游亦成为台湾旅客最喜爱的旅游方式之一。 以往的相关文献仅有少数是着重于邮轮旅客的动机及满意度的。然而，基于亚洲游客的不同喜好，邮轮经营者必须了解华人旅客的需求。本文乃针对台湾搭乘邮轮的旅客进行研究，进而深入透晰华人市场。 本研究是根据十年内曾经搭乘过邮轮的400位台湾旅客进行问卷调查，受访者的男女比例均等，大多数的年龄超过四十岁，且受过高等教育;百分之七十五的受访者为第一次搭乘邮轮，其旅游之目的是以休閒及渡假为主;超过百分之六十的受访者以阿拉斯加为旅游的目的地。 旅游动机的推力因素有探索、享受人生、追求声望、逃离压力和享受天伦之乐。受访者会受到媒体或朋友的推荐所影响;受访者的满意因素为设备、环境整洁、食物的可选择性和员工的反应;较不满意的因素为娱乐、中国菜的提供和员工的沟通能力。总体而言，受访者表示会再次搭乘邮轮，并且推荐亲朋好友搭乘邮轮之旅。因此，学术界及业界可以本文的研究结果为参考依据。

"To be Japanese for a Day": The Influence of Colonial Nostalgia in Taiwanese Seniors' Travel Decision-Making Behavior

Tourism scholars have studied the phenomenon of senior travelers' decision-making behavior. However, few studies have paid attention to the role of colonial nostalgia in senior travelers' decision-making behavior. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the importance of colonial nostalgia in senior travelers' decision-making behavior in hot springs tourism in Taiwan. The findings revealed that colonial nostalgia is indeed one of the major reasons for Taiwanese senior travelers to visit Japanese-style hot springs. Taiwanese senior travelers' fascination for Japanese-style hot springs suggested their nostalgia for the Japanese colonial period. Interestingly, the study partially implied that generally reported antipathy of Mainland Chinese towards Japan does not apply to Taiwanese, or the feeling is even opposite. The study highlighted the unique characteristics of Taiwanese holidaying in Japanese-style hot springs as cultural practices and as a total experience of the foreign culture without actually visiting the destination. Hence, future efforts to understand senior travelers' decision-making behavior should consider the importance of colonial nostalgia.

Predicting behavioral intention of choosing a travel destination

Studies on travel intentions have been one of the foci of tourism research for years, but the complex decision-making process leading to the choice of a travel destination has not been well researched. This study attempted to test the applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model using its core constructs (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control), with the addition of the past behavior variable, on behavioral intention of choosing a travel destination. The study sample comprised 299 potential Taiwanese travelers to Hong Kong. The data fitted the TPB model moderately well. Attitude, perceived behavioral control, and past behavior were found to be related to behavioral intention of choosing a travel destination. Theoretical and marketing implications were derived.

Modeling Travel Expenditures for Taiwanese Tourism

This study develops a travel expenditure model using sociodemographic and travel characteristics to identify the important determinants affecting travel expenditure for Taiwanese travelers visiting the United States. Stepwise regression is used to accurately interpret independent variables. LInear Structural RELations (LISREL) is used for analyzing the Structural Equation Model (SEM) that is fit to a sample (n = 1,097) of Taiwanese travelers using the variables from the stepwise regression as exogenous variables and expenditure and length of stay as endogenous variables. The overall model is found to be robust and individual relationships are found significant as well. The results of this study provide a first step in studying travel expenditure using sociodemographic and travel characteristics for the Taiwan travel market. Implications and recommendations for the travel and tourism industry are provided and suggestions for future research are made.

Marketing Hong Kong to the Taiwanese Visitors

Due to the constraints of the cross-strait official relationship between Taiwan and China, Taiwanese nationals are not able to land directly in mainland China. This makes Hong Kong the most popular destination by in-transit Taiwanese visitors. This paper investigates the historical background for the Taiwanese visitors to Hong Kong. The investigation scope covers both the periods of pre-handover and post-handover of the political sovereignty of Hong Kong. This paper also analyzes the rationale for the decrease in demand for Taiwanese visitors to Hong Kong after the political handover. Using time series tourism demand forecasting models, the number of Taiwanese visitor arrivals in Hong Kong for the period 1999 to 2008 is forecasted. On the basis of the forecasted demand for Taiwanese visitors to Hong Kong, implications and recommendations are provided for marketing Hong Kong to Taiwanese travelers.

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

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.

Expenditure-based segmentation: Taiwanese tourists to Guam

Progressive destination marketers try to expand their market share by seeking travelers who will spend money, and not just time, on their tourism products. Marketing researchers have found that heavy users of consumer products account for a large percentage of sales. Tourism researchers report mixed results when using travel expenditures as a segmentation variable. Earlier studies were unable to distinguish heavy users from light users in terms of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics but more recent studies reported very different results. Based on these results, it seems that segmenting visitors based on travel expenditures may be a useful alternative to the more common approach of segmenting on the basis of travel activities. These studies were conducted in the United States and the consumers under study were Americans. There are relatively few reports in the tourism literature about Asian tourists’ spending behavior. In view of the extravagant spending behavior and unique spending patterns of Taiwanese tourists, this paper applied and assessed the potential usefulness of an expenditure-based segmentation technique in marketing Guam to the Taiwanese travelers. Results from this study show that heavy spenders were distinguishable from the other segments in terms of age, party size, length of stay, trip purpose, travel mode, and their spending pattern.

Distinguishing the Destination Choices of Pleasure Travelers from Taiwan

This study examined whether the destination choices of Taiwanese outbound travelers could be differentiated by their so-ciodemographics, travel characteristics, and benefits pursued. Using discriminant analysis, the results revealed that the choice of outside of Asia-Pacific region destinations was positively related to income level, education background, length of trip, party size, trip expenditure, inclusive package, and the benefit of ‘Value and Lifestyle’ of a Taiwanese traveler. ‘Safety Net,’ ‘Cost and Experience,’ and ‘Budget Travel’ were benefits pursued by within-Asia travelers. These findings can assist travel and tourism related organizations in developing marketing programs.

International Travelers from Taiwan

Abstract Taiwanese outbound travel market has been continuously growing but little in-depth research has investigated this market. This study uses discriminant analysis to examine Taiwanese outbound travelers whose travel philosophy is strongly oriented toward inclusive package vacations versus those who are not through their sociodemographics, travel characteristics, and benefits pursued variables. The results indicate that philosophy is a useful way to separate groups and that Taiwanese inclusive-package travelers tended to be female, older, with lower incomes, and less well educated. They usually seek a ‘Show and Tell,’ ‘Cost,’ and ‘Environment and Scenery’ benefits, spend more money on trips, and travel in larger groups. These findings can assist travel and tourism related organizations in developing packages and marketing strategies.