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NAME:

DEGREE:

TUTOR:

TITLE: A study of tourists’ buying behaviors: Implications for service important –

Improve on consumer buying behavior of tourist in Hong Kong)

DATE:

CAMPUS:

STUDENT NO:

Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the

BA (HONS) BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

of Northumbria University

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DECLARATIONS

I declare the following:-

(1) that the material contained in this Project is the end result of my own work and that due

acknowledgement has been given in the bibliography and references to ALL sources be they

printed, electronic or personal.

(2) the Word Count of this Project is: Part A ................. Part B 6,072

(3) that unless this Project has been confirmed as confidential, I agree to an entire electronic

copy or sections of the Project to being placed on Blackboard, if deemed appropriate, to

allow future students the opportunity to see examples of past Projects. I understand that if

displayed on Blackboard it would be made available for no longer than five years and that

students would be able to print off copies or download. The authorship would remain

anonymous.

(4) I agree to my Project being submitted to a plagiarism detection service, where it will be

stored in a database and compared against work submitted from this or any other School or

from other institutions using the service.

In the event of the service detecting a high degree of similarity between content within the

service this will be reported back to my supervisor and second marker, who may decide to

undertake further investigation which may ultimately lead to disciplinary actions, should

instances of plagiarism be detected.

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(5) I have read the University Policy Statement on Ethics in Research and Consultancy and

the Policy for Informed Consent in Research and Consultancy and I declare that ethical issues

have been considered and taken into account in this research.

SIGNED: ..........................................................

DATE: ................................................................

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Acknowledgement

For the timely completion of this research, I would like to thank my instructor for the kind

cooperation and timely response to my queries, alongside my friends and family for their

tremendous support throughout.

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Abstract

Tourism is a driver of how the world perceives a country or a state. Along the similar lines, it

can be said that image improvements for a country are mainly dependent on how tourism is

dealt and accounted for in the country.

Following the same pattern, this research is aimed at identifying the issues associated with

tourism in Hong Kong. Tourists for this research are identified as prospect customers,

consumers, and buyers. While setting the scene in this research, various issues related to

tourism in Hong Kong are identified and stated. The literature review then talks about

consumer behavior and how tourists purchasing practices can be identified and capitalized

on. Later, the same presents various models of consumer behavior, selects one and applies the

same to the case of Hong Kong, and the final chapter of conclusion and summary presents the

outcome i.e. how practices as mentioned in the literature review can be applied to the case of

Hong Kong.

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Table of Content

S. No. Topic Page #

I Declaration 1
II Acknowledgement 3
III Abstract 4
1 Chapter 1: Introduction 6
2 Chapter 2: Setting the Scene 8
3 Chapter 3: Literature Review 10
4 Chapter 4: Summary & Conclusion 26
Appendix A: Reflective Statement 29
References 30

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1. Introduction

1.1 About Tourism

Deaton (1980) states that one of the variables, in a country’s balance sheet, that has an impact

on everything within an economy is the tourism sector. Crotts (1994) states that tourism

sector for a country is similar to the marketing department of an organization, whereby the

efforts made by both the tourism and the marketing departments influence the repeated

purchases of products and services by the customer from the entity like the government or the

organization. The product or service purchased from the government is a tourism pass.

Tourism has a direct linkage to a number of variables in the economy. For instance the flow

of foreign exchange, the demand of net production within a country, the movement of

individuals/residents, establishment and maintenance of excursion and holiday places,

investments for developing hotels and resorts, investments and establishment of tourist areas,

development work in the natural rural areas, and so on. Other than these variables, the

economy in itself gets a direct push as tourism enhances within a country. The following

section of this chapter defines the topic of research undertaken:

1.2 Topic of Research

The topic of research is as follows:

A study of tourists’ buying behaviors: Implications for service important – Improve on

consumer buying behavior of tourist in Hong Kong)

The following section of this chapter presents the rationale for choosing the topic.

1.3 Reason for choice of topic

This topic has been chosen primarily because it is my topic of interest; I have always been

aspired by tourists and tourism and often thought how a government can influence or

encourage tourism because at most what is can do is improve on its infrastructure or beautify

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its land, reduce visa charges, reduce airport tax, but my thoughts matured and I realized that

there has to be more in it than the naked eye sees.

Beyond my personal interest, I believe choosing this topic actually assisted me in

understanding more the concepts and models associated to the consumer buying behavior

with particular reference to the tourists as in the case of this research.

The following section of this chapter presents the academic objectives of this project.

1.4 Academic objectives of Project

The academic objective underlying this project was to make students aware of the tourism

environment and how students of hospitality management, our futures can significantly

impact the occurrence in this industry.

The following section of this chapter defines the outline of the various chapters in this

research.

1.5 Outline of the Chapters

Following is the outline to the various chapters:

• This chapter has briefly presented the introduction to the various aspects of this

research.

• The second chapter is about setting the scene in which the tourism scenario in Hong

Kong is briefly discussed.

• The third chapter is about the literature review conducted extensively for studying

various models affecting consumer buying behavior, with much stress towards the

tourists assumed as the buyers.

• The fourth chapter is the final chapter that presents the summary and conclusion of

this research work done.

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2. Setting the Scene

This chapter mainly deals with setting up the scene i.e. providing background information to

what this research is about.

Reiber (2005) states that during the shift from 80s to the 90s, Hong Kong’s tourism industry

was shifted to a services sector model, and since then it has become a major contributor to the

economy of the state, along with trade (import/export) and financial services. Nicola (2004)

states that the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme during the year 2003 has witnessed

a sharp rise in the annual tourists visiting China, and this has also contributed significantly to

the numbers in Hong Kong. The number of tourists who visited Hong Kong in the year 2008

was over 25 million as the state today has over 600 hotels with accommodation facility of

over 52,000 rooms. The average occupancy rate for this accommodation has been over 80%

for the year 2008. Fallon (2006) states that the Hong Kong tourism board continues to

promote the state as a prime place for tourism, with massive marketing against its renowned

places such as:

• Victoria park

• International finance centre

• Soho

• Victoria harbor

• Repulse bay, etc.

Hong Kong is a shoppers’ paradise as almost everything is available here ranging from cloth

to an advance electronic appliance. Shopping in the state is not just a social activity, but at

times also quoted as a serious sport. It is rather a cultural aspect and a life style offered by the

state to the people. Consumerism is the dominant thought process in Hong Kong. Other than

shopping, Hong Kong is also renowned for its cuisines, watches, electronics, and jewelry.

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Aggressive marketing campaigns, convenience to the consumer, and reduced tax burden on

consumer, are three of the major aspects of Hong Kong that bring is closer to the consumer,

and therefore, individuals enjoy shopping in this state.

Fallon (2006) states that, here, at the same time, it is important to notice that Hong Kong state

has a global reputation for selling counterfeits and fake products that are look-alike many a

times. Following the same and to assist the consumers, particularly the tourists, in identifying

who is genuine, the Hong Kong tourism board has published a book known as ‘a guide to

quality shops and restaurants’ that identifies the reliable vendors. Fallon (2006) also states

that apart from counterfeiting, Hong Kong is also known as a tourist trap place, as a number

of stores offer attractive discounts and after accepting the payment, either they are out of

stock or the accessories are not complete as they should be. Such issues have been identified

at various places and the government along with the tourism board is making tremendous

efforts to save the customers from these issues, particularly the tourists because these are the

ambassadors of various states visiting a country and take back the word of mouth that can

tarnish or build the repute.

The next chapter presents an in-depth over view of the literature that has been studied for the

course of this research.

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3. Literature Review

3.1 Rationale for the Literature Reviewed

In a research, literature review holds extreme importance because it is the fundamental

research for the readily done search jobs to ensure that re-inventing the wheel is avoided and

the done research by far lays the foundation to move on rather than a chance to re-prove it.

Additionally, it also allows a review of various models and techniques developed over the

years for analyzing behaviors, trends, issues and other variables as identified from the case of

the study.

3.2 Background / Introduction

Swarbrooke (2007) states that tourism in the twenty-first century today stands much beyond

just a trip that is aimed for excursion or spending a holiday at a place of interest, which was

the initial definition of tourism in the earlier times. With particular regards to places that offer

a beautiful scenario/scenery, or a religious icon or history, or anything that attracts people to

come, stay, and come over and over again is what truly defines a place for tourism. Beyond

religious reasons, history and beautification, it can be a shoppers paradise like Dubai – UAE,

or an ancient valley like Egypt, tremendously beautiful heaven on earth like Malaysia, or

holding some wonder of the world like Paris or China; these are the most attractive sports for

individuals who wish to create memories during their tourism visits. In the similar regard, the

places that offer a wide variety of mix for visitors are the ones that have most attraction

within themselves. A wide variety of mix here implies that a place should be able to offer a

variety of tourism services such as religious, beautiful scenarios, some wonderful places,

unique stuff, shopping, etc. When talking about such stuff, the first place that comes to ones

mind is Malaysia that has been recently tagged as truly Asia. However, Hong Kong has

recently merged as another hot-spot for tourists globally.

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3.3 About Hong Kong as a Tourism Place

As Genzberger (1994) calls it, and it is also more commonly known as the gate way to china,

Hong Kong has established itself as a multi-cultural spot where tourists have all reasons to

enjoy. Hong Kong is moving quick with the fastest cars, but with a ‘leaping’ economy. The

roads of Hong Kong provide quick tracks, lovely for fast paced driving. Showing majority of

symptoms of a mega city, with smokes and blare across the city, there is a place that can keep

tourists cool i.e. Victoria Peak. Hong Kong offers everything to offer to its tourists when it

comes to shopping; from a type of cloth i.e. silk to antics and to the latest electrical

appliances, Hong Kong has it all and the rates are highly competitive as well, and the variety

is ample to make the buyers think…

With a covered area of approximately 1,100 sq. km and a population of approximately 6.4

million, the weather in this state is very tourist friendly throughout the year. Temples in the

state mark the presence of heritage, with a wonder of the world i.e. world’s largest outdoor

bronze Budha, and some modern architecture present too. Hong Kong is, in essence, a picture

of the past to the present, making the viewers think where the past would lead us. Hong Kong

offers other tourism attractions too such as foods, wine, and other essentialities that tourists

look for. All in all, Hong Kong can be considered as another tourists paradise, and a must

visit place for those who wish to see all these fascinating things in the heart of Asia.

3.4 What is Consumer Behavior?

Consumer behavior is an interesting phenomenon in the science called Marketing, as

Hawkins (1994) calls it, because in this, marketers aim at understanding the consumer

behavior so that they can have their products and services appropriately priced, placed,

promoted and developed to cater to their precise target market. The text of marketing is piled

up with tons of definitions of consumer behavior, while some authors agree that a one liner is

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not an ample space to define this two-term-word. Following the same argument, many books

have been written trying to cover the deep meanings of this term. This section looks at some

definitions of consumer behavior, and analyzing them to develop a unary outcome, with a

statement that can summarize some definitions and provide one outcome.

Consumer behavior is a science within itself, as stated by Mowen (1998), that asks certain

questions about consumers buying or not buying a product or service, and these questions

include the famous W’s listed as below:

- when

- why

- how

- where

- what

Answering these questions lead to understanding the various elements related to behavior i.e.

sociology, anthropology, economics, and psychology. The underlying aim of this science, in

accordance with Mills (2005), is to determine and comprehend the decision making process

for a buyer. It is noticeable here that a buyer may not necessarily be the end-consumer. The

study is also aimed at understanding the impact of demographics towards the behavioral

variables for an individual. Alongside demographics, it has also been found that there is a

certain influence of various groups on a buyer or consumer, the study of which is also

included in consumer behavior. The detail of the science goes much deeper, which is beyond

the scope of discussion here.

Schiffman (2006) states that marketers aim at understanding consumer behavior so as to

mould their efforts in the right direction, i.e. for ultimately making the consumers choose

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their products and services. Branding and similar techniques have been bound effective in

this regard, in accordance with Schiffman (2006).

Clark (1995) stated that consumer behavior, in its linguistic meanings, is all about

determining and understanding the behavior of a consumer, and this definition of a consumer

includes a buyer in it as well, though this may not be the case necessarily. The consumer

behavior in terms of buying or choosing a product or service, impacts of various variables,

and so on, are very much the factors around which the study of consumer behavior evolves.

In short, it can be stated that consumer behavior is all about reading and understanding the

mindset of the consumer so as to develop ways and means to affect them and make them feel

that the product or service presented is the one they are looking for.

Advertising is another factor that plays a major role here but its discussions is very much

beyond the scope of discussion at this point of the research.

3.4 What is Tourists Buying Behavior?

The three word term i.e. tourists buying behavior can be divided into three major sections

based on its word count i.e. tourists, buying, and behavior. First, it is essential to understand

these three terms independently.

Buying here implies the process of making a purchase, while behavior is the aspect defining

the various aspects leading to the purchase and the completion of it alongside the feedback.

Having defined buying and behavior independently, it is essential to focus lights on defining

tourists as buyers.

Pizam (1999) states that for various marketing researches, vendors define various kinds of

customers but fundamentally there are two; one is a walk-in and the other is a regular. Within

the category of a walk-in customer, there are many other categories but mainly, there are

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residents of the same area or city or country and there are tourists. This categorization is

shown in the figure as below:

As visible from the categorization depicted as above, tourists are categorized as walk-in

customers. Robertson (1970) describes walk-in customers as irregular or in-frequent visiting

customers, who are not expected to come back always but their referrals matter as they share

their experiences, while regular customers are expected to visit every now and then and their

frequency of visit defines their experience. Researches reveal that more than half of the sales

of any product other than fast-moving-consumer-goods, is attributed towards walk-in

customers, and other than this, an important research also reveals that walk-in customers tend

to share their experiences with others more than any regular customers. Both these

researches, as referred to in the previous sentence, have presented this outcome particularly

with reference to tourists visiting various regions.

Having defined the three terms separately, it is important to define what tourism buying

behavior is, and alongside the variables that impact the tourists buying behavior.

Robertson (1973) states that tourists buying behavior is defined as the series or sequence of

steps that tourists take for purchasing a product i.e. behavior of tourists while purchasing a

product or a service. It is worth-mentioning here that it is very difficult to target the tourist

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customers because each customer is unique within himself, and it is difficult to form

segmentations in them. For example if a vendor targets tourists with heritage products and

mementos, such product may attract tourists from the UK, for instance, and may not be of

much attraction to those coming from Asia, since they have access to such stuff locally.

Additionally, it is not possible to target multiple segments simultaneously like if there is a

Chinese restaurant, it would definitely attract people from the west, but Asian tourists will not

be much attracted. Subsequently, studying the tourist buying behavior becomes important,

and coming up with conclusions is compulsory for having successful sales deals, for instance,

a conclusion may be that to attract the youth amongst all tourists or to attract the women

amongst the tourists or single men or something along similar lines. Schiffman (1997) states

the Following as some of the variables that have a significant impact on the tourist buying

behavior:

- The multi-linguistic skills of the vendor i.e. if the seller can speak multiple language,

and the buyer is comfortable with any of those, then the comfort level enhances

between the buyer and the seller.

- For tourists, the point of selling is the unique proposition that the items hold within

themselves, something that cannot be replicated; for example, selling a model of Taj

Mahal near the venue in India would definitely inspire the tourists to buy it as a

memento.

- Giving off a visiting card is often an effective tool, as the tourists, as they go back,

can share it with those who would be visiting the place very soon.

- Giving a free gift that creates memories to the venue is also very important as it

develops memories for a long time, and word of mouth recommendation can also take

place.

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- Convincing behavior showing the seller’s concern for buyer’s worth for money and

word of mouth.

- Asking for a cup of tea or a cold drink also affects the buyer behavior and forces him

to buy something from the seller.

Following is a pictorial representation of characteristics of tourism buying behavior:

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Having described the tourist buying behavior at stretch, it is essential to look at some

academic models that describe various aspects of consumer behavior and are discussed in the

following section.

3.5 Conceptual Framework:

This section is devoted to the understanding of the model provided by Howard-Sheth (1969)

more commonly known as Howard-Sheth model of buyer behavior (1969), as it is the most

frequently quoted amongst all models of consumer behavior. In accordance with Keller

(2003), this model has been found highly effective since the time it was formulated, decades

back in 1969. This model is critical in understanding consumer behavior because it defines

how important is the inputs given to the consumer prior to the buying decision is made i.e. to

the decision making process, and also recommends ways and means for ordering of these

variables for a consumer prior to making the decision. Following is the pictorial

representation of the model:

Likewise any model that tries to replicate a happening or an event or a relationship, this

model too has certain limitations, as it fails to explain all buyer behavior. However, it is

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essential to realize that this is a comprehensive framework that has been developed and

formulated using research that was empirical in nature. The most recent researches have been

aimed at analyzing the exchange perspective, i.e. more from a marketer’s perspective.

3.6 The Three Models

This section aims at describing three other models related to consumer behavior, followed by

their strengths and weaknesses and comparative analysis.

3.6.1 About the Models

a) Engel, Kollat and Blackwell (EKB) (Engel, Black-well and Miniard 1993) model of

consumer behavior

Consumer behavior, as mentioned previously too, is all about how people make

purchasing decisions and the factors that influence the same. In the similar context,

Engel, Blackwell and Miniard presented their idea about consumer behavior in 1993

stating that the variables that define consumer behavior broadly fall in three major

categories:

i. Environmental influences

ii. Individuals differences and influences

iii. Psychological processes

Furthermore, in accordance with Keller (2003), Engel and his fellow researchers

stated that the ‘need’ that eventually leads to thinking about a purchase must exist no

matter how dormant or un-recognized it is, and there is absolutely no chance for any

marketer to create a ‘need’. However, it is true that the communication led by the

marketing individuals can stimulate the desire for the purchase of a product or service

but the existence of a need is much beyond the factors of affluence for any business.

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This model is a very strong statement within itself as it clearly embarks the categories

of variables defining or leading consumer behavior in the direction, and later on states

that marketers can only influence these categorized variables, with not much that can

be done about creating a need.

b) Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) (1989)

Goldberg (1990) defines structural equation modeling as a modeling test conducted to

test for the invariance of parameters across groups, achieved by placing some

constraints on some or all parameters. More commonly known as SEM, it is a

statistical tool to be precise that is aimed at testing-and-estimating relationship that are

causal in nature; this requires utilization of statistical data on the quantitative aspect

and assumptions on the qualitative side to formulate its mix. SEM is the form of a

model that encourages the utilization of confirmation rather than exploration thus is

used for testing theories rather than developing them. Fundamentally, it is based on a

hypothesis that is actually testing a model, and then SEM moves on to test it. SEM

has a few special cases like Regression, Factor Analysis and Path Analysis. The steps

followed for conducting SEM are as follows:

i. Specifying the model

ii. Free parameters estimation

iii. Fitness assessment

iv. Modification to the model

v. Interpretation and Communication

vi. Replication and validation

SEM is often used as a tool for analyzing consumer behavior based on the data

collected in a primary research format. These models are often used in the studies

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related to consumer behavior due to the presence of several variables creating and

establishing a cause and effect relationship.

Experts outline three scenarios whereby the effectiveness of SEM is immense:

- When there are chances of error in measurement of the observant variables

and some unique relationship is present within the true variables

- When the observed variables show signs of interdependency or simultaneous

casual symptoms

- When explanatory variables that are significant are excluded from the analyses

c) Model of Souvenir Purchasing Behavior (1990)

This model details a layout on the analysis of purchasing behavior of tourists in

particular as the buyers of souvenirs. Souvenirs are mementos or memories that a

person carries with him for a life time. Similar to the concept of shields or certificates

for participation in a certain program, tourists tend to collect such items from the

places they visit as a memorable item, keeping them reminded about the times they

had spent in the particular state. In accordance with Goldberg (1990), model of

souvenir purchasing behavior defines the way people behave and act or their behavior

towards purchase when they are looking to buy mementos. The model gives simple

and common sense theory but very important since common sense is not always very

common. In accordance with a model, a souvenir defines itself the way it will be sold,

because the value it will bring to the buyer would hold importance in their own eyes.

In accordance with the model, such items need not to be openly marketed because it’s

the need that drives the buyer towards the product in this case because the value of

this in the sight of the buyer, and its cost is not very much on a general note. As the

model moves further, it defines that souvenirs should be sold near the actual or in the

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proximity of a similar thing. For example, as Taj Mahal signifies love, the souvenirs

i.e. its model should be sold in the same area or someplace where there is another

similar memory of lovers. The model states that the unique feeling that a place has in

the heart of a visitor is what derives the will to buy a memento. Furthermore, it states

that souvenirs are the items that are most preferred by visitors as they give a direct

affiliation. For example, if there is a certain cultural cloth in a particular region, a

similar thing can be found any and everywhere by one means or the other but the

importance of a souvenir is directly from the heart and more often than not their

supply is driven by the demand.

3.6.2 Strengths & Weaknesses of the Models

Posterior to the brief explanation about the models, following are the strengths and

weaknesses of each of the three models:

a) Strength and Weakness in EKB model

The major strength of this model is that it defines the categories of variables that can

affluence the consumer behavior in the buyers.

The major weakness of this model is that it rather de-motivates the marketer

confirming that a marketer cannot create needs but only simulate demand by

illustrating that the product or the service satisfies the need.

Thus, it lays stress on marketing communication for creating awareness of how needs

are fulfilled by a certain product or service.

b) Strength and Weakness in structural model

The major strength of this model is its accuracy in terms of providing the outcome

attained after the inputs are placed.

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The major weakness associated with this model is the fact that it involves extensive

application of statistical tools and techniques giving rise to any chances for human

error leading to type I or type II error, i.e. increasing chances of rejecting a true

hypothesis or accepting a false hypothesis.

Thus, appropriate validation and re-performance of the tests becomes an essentiality

many a times.

c) Strength and Weakness in souvenir model

The major strength of this model is that it directly relates to a specialized point of

concern i.e. for tourism and tourists, because neither of the above-mentioned models

are directly associated to the study of tourism and tourists. Thus, the specialization of

this model is its greatest strength.

At the same time, the fact that this cannot be generalized to a greater degree or extent

remains the major most weakness of this model.

Thus, restrictive application is the major concern of this model.

Following section provides a brief comparison of the three models, based on variables of

reliability and validity to show its direct impact on the topic of research.

3.6.3 Comparison of the Models

Comparison on a general note defines the differentiation amongst the variables under

consideration. However, in this case, it is essential to define the fact that despite having

different backgrounds, the utility of these models is what brings them on the same grounds

i.e. their utilization in the study of consumer behavior.

EKB is a model that talks about consumer behavior from the perspective of need and its

stimulation stating that need cannot be created, and its only the stimulation of purchasing that

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can be created by the marketer. Thus, its application is towards the whole mass scale

consumer behavior study, indicating that its generalization is easily possible.

SEM is a model that talks in a mathematical language, aimed at identifying, rather confirming

and testing a causal relationship between variables of interest, and has a generalized scale of

application. Thus, indicating that its generalization is easily possible.

Model of Souvenir Purchasing Behavior is strictly limited in scope and particularly focused

towards buying behavior of tourists in particular towards items that create memories.

Therefore, the fundamental point of differentiation here is the ability of the model to be

applied in general on the study or otherwise.

Other than this, SEM model is based on mathematics, while qualitative-ness is restricted

towards the assumptions aspect only. At the same time, EKB and Souvenir Purchase

Behavior model is also qualitative in nature and has almost no application of quantitative

numbers.

Following section is devoted towards analyzing further points within the literature review

based on one of three models discussed in this section.

3.7 Further Elaborations Using Models

For the purpose of further elaboration and application towards the scenario under

consideration, the model chosen hereby is the model of souvenir purchasing behavior. Prior

to resuming with the elaborating, it is essential to justify the choice.

This model has been chosen as a tool for further discussion because:

i. This model is primarily aimed and specialized at determining and understanding the

tourists buying habits, and this research is about tourist buying habits. Therefore, in

accordance to this match, the said model is expected to provide effective outcome

herewith.

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ii. Apart from this match, it is worth stating here that the purchasing behavior of tourists

is highly variable in comparison to the purchasing behavior of any other consumer.

Therefore, a specialized model can respond the best to a research.

Posterior to the justification, now the elaboration of the buying behavior shall be made using

the adopted model.

Firstly, it is essential to understand the tourist as a consumer. At this point in time, the term

consumer includes in its meaning the term buyer. As previously mentioned, tourist is similar

to a walk-in customer, who walks in once, not frequently, and may or may not come back, but

that one visit is the time for the store to make an impact on the tourist because this impact

will not just be the impact of a sales person or a shop but in actuality, it would be an impact

of the whole nation, heritage, and the culture created on this individual. This opinion would

eventually derive the tourist’s opinion about the people of the country and about the country

itself a courteous call from the shop keeper or the sales person can create a lifelong impact, so

much so that the tourist would be bound to re-visit when he visits that state again, and beyond

that, the word of mouth would definitely spread across various sections of this tourists sitting.

Therefore, the sales person should have the art to do this. This art would be actually aiming at

affecting the consumer behavior towards the purchase.

On a general note, a sales person or a marketer has open doors to tons of opportunities for

targeting, affecting and driving the consumer behavior in the direction towards the purchase

of the respective product or service, but a tourist is a non-resident and it is difficult to target

such individuals with advertisements in either ways. For example, as Yu Tony Fu-Lai (1997)

states that if a restaurant in Hong Kong plans to advertise its products in the UK, it may be

quite useless because not many would recall the restaurant address and even name at times

when visiting Hong Kong. Even the internet does not provide a very good platform. Though

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there are tourism websites that tourists check prior to travelling, and it gives them a great deal

of information about various places, but the issue is that recalling places to visit in terms of

cultural heritages or unique places may be simple, but recalling any particular restaurant or

any shop selling mementos, is quite difficult by all means and an acceptable point.

In the similar context, the sellers need to create an impact. The model of souvenir purchasing

behavior assists in this regard and respect. It clearly makes the point that a unique item would

market itself, and the point of differentiation should be unique enough to create an impact in

the memory. Subsequently, it invites the various vendors involved in selling such and similar

products to the tourists to think in terms of creating an impact.

Mathews (2001) states a very positive example of the application of this concept and

‘creating an impact’ is witnessed in Dubai – UAE, whereby Souks (market places) are

established during the festival times, in which vendors selling similar products place stalls

and prices are rather fixed since the market place is common within a given piece of land.

Mathews (2001) gives another example of the same is the presence of a market place near Taj

Mahal, in the state of Agra – India, whereby the market place sells various mementos related

to the wonder of the world, by one means or the other such as statues, pictures, art pieces, etc.

all defining the greatness of the place and such items create a flair of association in the hearts

of the tourists who take these items back home as decoration pieces, associating their

memories of the visits or presenting them to their dear ones as a token of love and friendship.

These examples are the perfect placement of the model of souvenir purchasing behavior

alteration as applicable in this regard.

The following chapter presents the application of this to the case of Hong Kong, in the form

of summary and conclusion.

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4. Summary & Conclusion

4.1 The Relationship between Literature Reviewed and the Question

This final section of this research presents the relationship between the knowledge gathered

in the previous chapter to the subject of research. The topic was initiated from the point of

importance of services for improving the present scenario of consumer buying habits in Hong

Kong i.e. pertaining to the tourists who visit the region.

It has been found through the research and analysis of various literatures that the sellers of

various tourist items, and particularly those who run their businesses as a derived product of

the tourism in the country, should look forward to developing their service levels to such a

point whereby they gain customer loyalty of the tourists. This would lead to tourists coming

back to the same shop when they re-visit or recommend the same to the people whom they

know would be visiting thus creating a word of mouth. Such a service level is not difficult to

attain or manage however an easier mechanism for the same can be traced back to the model

of souvenir purchase behavior that clearly embarks giving the tourist an unforgettable

experience, which they would love to share with their families, friends, and with other

tourists. This sharing of experience is what the sales persons should look for because this

shall truly mark the success of the marketing or sales individuals involved in the process

herewith. The service levels of sales persons or marketers should be able to create an impact.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are examples of such impact in various parts of

the world, who wish to retain their memories in the eyes and minds of the tourists. Hong

Kong should look for a solution within the similar lines for improving the purchasing

behavior of tourists coming to Hong Kong for tourism purposes and to make sure they get an

experience worth sharing and worth pushing them to come over again.

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The following section of this chapter is about the limitations realized during the course of this

research.

4.2 Any shortcomings and limitations

There were some limitations to this research. First and foremost was the availability of data

as not many websites or books shed light upon the tourism aspect in Hong Kong, and the

availability of the limited books that do shed some light was a crucial limitation. Other than

that, the limited time and cost was another critical line for research.

The following section of this research sets the stage for further research work or study

keeping this research as a foundation.

4.3 Suggestion further works or study

As a researcher, one would always acknowledge and appreciate their research used as a

fundamental to move on and build upon for further research study. Carrying on from this

research, it is suggested to study how in actuality the various concerned stakeholders are

targeting tourists, the efforts that they are making, and the outcome of these efforts and

calculating its ROI (Return on Investment) is an important aspect which I would really want

to be covered, and this research can prove to be a vital foundation in that regard.

The following section of this research presents in brief form how this work can be utilized

and applied to cases other than that of Hong Kong as discussed in this research.

4.4 How work can be used or applied in other cases

The work that has been done in this report can well be applied to other countries that are

looking to monitor and audit their tourism industry efforts, in terms of the revenues and other

variables that determine the effectiveness. Other than that, another point of concern is that not

just monitoring and auditing is important, but improvements are the utmost important aspect,

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and comparing to the literature studied in this report, a benchmarking can be obtained on how

the world is going about these practices and how a nation in itself is doing this work.

The following section of this research provides a brief over view of the personal opinions

developed during the course of this research.

4.5 Any personal opinions you developed

The personal opinion I formulated in this regard is that the tourism industry of any country

holds extreme importance, as it can influence the opinions of the tourists who visit their

country, and subsequently, have them come over again and again, and gain in terms of

revenues from tourism. I realized that it is all in the hands of marketers and sales individuals

about the impact they create and the impression, and the values that they communicate to the

tourists.

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Appendix A: Reflective Statement

Research is nearly always a tremendous experience to enhance the class room learning from

the text books and instructor experiences, and this research was no different. It provided me

with a unique experience of exploring the tourism industry within Hong Kong and a brief

global perspective added a brilliant touch to the same. The most interesting parts of this

research for me were the point of choosing the topic and the point associated with the

literature review. Choosing a topic as interesting because I had to hunt information, dig

around opinions of the gurus and people close to me to see what topic would enhance my

understanding about the topic. Other than this, I really enjoyed the literature review. While I

was doing this assignment, the real learning for me came at the point where I gather

information on the various models included in the literature review, and one of them had to

be chosen and applied to this given case, and the justification was also mandatory. I must

acknowledge the fact that the analyses have truly shaken my analytical skills and made me

think in various directions to come up with the conclusive remarks.

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