Accommodation choice factors and the perception of summer cottage among Vietnamese travelers
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2020
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management
Language
en
Pages
87 + 10
Series
Abstract
Recently, Vietnam has witnessed an uprising trend in popularity of ecotourism and several new types of accommodation. Summer cottage, a popular type of lodging in Finland, can be considered an ecotourism accommodation but has not arrived to Vietnam. A better understanding of Vietnamese travelers’ perceptions and interest level towards this concept is vital for hospitality entrepreneurs to consider the feasibility of bringing this concept from Finland to Vietnam. The primary goals of this study are to (1) find the key factors that significantly affect Vietnamese travelers’ choice of accommodation, (2) define the difference segments of Vietnamese travelers and their typical characteristics, (3) assess the perception and opinions of Vietnamese travelers towards the summer cottage concept, and (4) identify the most important and valued services or facilities that are required to have in a summer cottage to be appreciated by Vietnamese travelers. The empirical part of the research consists of a questionnaire that was distributed only and received valid 220 responses in total. To identify importance different factors affecting accommodation choice and segments of customers, 35 items were compiled from different literature and asked in three questions of the survey. Exploratory factor analysis performed on the first 13 items about criteria affecting accommodation choice revealed that, for Vietnamese travelers, there are three main factor group called: Security, Staff, Comfort; Reputation, Style, Location; and Expenditure. Further analysis shown that different demographic characteristics significantly affect the importance level that Vietnamese travelers place on each of those factors. Furthermore, to classify travelers into different segments, cluster analysis was performed based on respondents’ responses to the importance of remaining 22 items about services, facilities and activities offered in an accommodation. Three different segments of travelers were identified. Combining three choice factors and three segments of travelers, the result revealed that there is significant difference between segments in their criteria when choosing an accommodation. The first segment, demanding travelers, has highest demand for all accommodation features and factors. The second group, average travelers, has the least demand overall while being less price-sensitive than the other two groups. The last group, budget travelers, consists of mostly young and lower-than-average income people. This group is price-sensitive and only value accommodation basic features. Lastly, correlation matrix analyses and three separate regression analyses were performed to measure the relationship between three choice factors, preferences to summer cottage attributes and demographic characteristics, with awareness, intention to try and willing price level of travelers for summer cottage concept. While the models were not reliable and unsuitable to use to predict outcome, it highlighted the significant effect that Security, Staff, Comfort factor and travelers’ appreciation level of summer cottage attributes have on their awareness of the concept. The level of concern travelers has on expenditure factor also significantly influence their willingness to pay more for staying in the summer cottage. Based on these results, hospitality entrepreneurs need to pay close attention to price and fundamental lodging factors of the accommodation if they want to successfully bring the summer cottage to Vietnamese market.Description
Thesis advisor
Chliova, MyrtoKeywords
travel accommodation choice factor, travel accommodation preferences, Vietnamese travelers, summer cottage perception, traveler segments