A cross-cultural study of destination attributes: impact on sustainability of island tourism

Fathilah Ismail, . and Roseliza Mat Alipiah, . and Noraien Mansor, . and Wan Hafiz Wan Zainal Syukri, . A cross-cultural study of destination attributes: impact on sustainability of island tourism. pp. 1-14. ISSN 2672-7226

Important issues in sustainable development of tourism include the knowledge of the host and tourist needs and constraints. Since tourism is now global in nature there is a need to study these two issues from a cross-cultural context. This paper investigates a cross-cultural exchange between hosts and guests and the potential impact of cultural differences on selection of destination attributes. A cross-cultural approach involves the grouping of the sample according to the spoken languages: Malay Chinese English and non-English (Continental European). This study is quantitative in nature with survey data collected from three island destinations in Malaysia reprenting small islands (Perhentian and Redang) and a large island (Langkawi). The main method used in the survey is a self-administered survey collected as a convenience sample. Altogether there were 1285 respondents involved in this study. The study locations were divided in such a way to permit a meaningful comparison between island settings and to indentify unique criteria and issues for small island tourism. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used in analysing the data. This study found that hosts and guests from different cultural groups behaved differently with regard to destination attributes. This study contributes to the literature related to consumer behaviour in a cross-cultural context. Additionally this study enriches knowledge on service and destination attributes and stresses the importance of cultural differences in providing quality services for sustainability of island tourism.

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Abstract

Important issues in sustainable development of tourism include the knowledge of the host and tourist needs and constraints. Since tourism is now global in nature there is a need to study these two issues from a cross-cultural context. This paper investigates a cross-cultural exchange between hosts and guests and the potential impact of cultural differences on selection of destination attributes. A cross-cultural approach involves the grouping of the sample according to the spoken languages: Malay Chinese English and non-English (Continental European). This study is quantitative in nature with survey data collected from three island destinations in Malaysia reprenting small islands (Perhentian and Redang) and a large island (Langkawi). The main method used in the survey is a self-administered survey collected as a convenience sample. Altogether there were 1285 respondents involved in this study. The study locations were divided in such a way to permit a meaningful comparison between island settings and to indentify unique criteria and issues for small island tourism. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used in analysing the data. This study found that hosts and guests from different cultural groups behaved differently with regard to destination attributes. This study contributes to the literature related to consumer behaviour in a cross-cultural context. Additionally this study enriches knowledge on service and destination attributes and stresses the importance of cultural differences in providing quality services for sustainability of island tourism.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Islands
AGROVOC Term:	Tourism
AGROVOC Term:	Sustainable development
AGROVOC Term:	Nature reserves
AGROVOC Term:	Quantitative analysis
AGROVOC Term:	Surveying
AGROVOC Term:	Data collection
AGROVOC Term:	Sampling
AGROVOC Term:	Cultural behaviour
AGROVOC Term:	Consumer behaviour
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8809

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