Pan-Pacific Conference XXXIV. Designing New Business Models in Developing Economies

An Exploratory Study regarding Moderating Effects of Festival Quality on the
Relationship between Tourism Experience and Tourism Satisfaction
Kim Sang Jun
Department, Kindai University Associate professor of Business Administration
3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka City,
Osaka JAPAN,577-8502
ksjum@bus.kindai.ac.jp
81-6-6721-2332
Abstract
Various festivals are being held throughout the year
at different regions of Japan. This study is an
exploratory study verifying “tourism experiences”
and “tourism satisfaction” tourists had through
tourism activities in regions when they visited the
particular region purely for the purpose of
sightseeing as well as of effects of participation to
local festivals from among tourism activities. Data
obtained through a questionnaire survey targeting
on visitors to the Ueno Tenjin Festival in Iga City,
Mie Prefecture of Japan were used for analyses.
A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed
that there are positive correlations in both, the
relationship between tourism experiences and
tourism satisfaction as well as the relationship
between festival quality and tourism satisfaction.
However, in confirming interactive effects of
tourism experiences and festival quality, the effect
is mutually opposing rather than mutually
enhancing. In performing a simple slope analysis
using significant interactive effects, the effects of
tourism experiences were halved when the festival
quality exceeded a certain level.
The present study revealed the possibility that
success of a festival might rather have a negative
effect on local tourism industry when planning a
festival for the purpose of tourism promotion or
development. Accordingly, people in charge of
local tourism marketing and policies are required to
diversify tourism experiences of visitors while
considering both of local festivals and other tourist
attractions.
1. Introduction
Evaluation of tourist sites generally made by
tourists indicate evaluation of experiences of
tourists themselves (tourism experiences) including
activities experienced, events participated and
services provided (Oh et al, 2007). While evaluation
criteria of tourism experiences differ depending on
various purposes set by tourists, it might be possible
to perform evaluation based on some common
criteria upon categorizing features of tourist sites or
visited regions.
The present study aims to clarify roles of effects
festival or event qualities as moderators have on
processes during which tourism experiences lead to
satisfaction of tourists, and to consider effective and
efficient strategic directions to improve tourism
experiences and local festival qualities.
2. Theoretical background of the study
2-1. Tourism Experience
The concept of tourism experience has first been
advocated by researchers in the field of tourism in
the 1990s which is the era of post-modern tourism.
They defined this concept as “experiences different
from those of daily lives” (Uriely, 2005). However,
it needs to be redefined before it can be used as a
concept of current tourism experiences since
activities at tourist sites and regions as well as
consumption patterns largely differ between those
of tourists in the 1990s and current tourists.
2-2. Festival Quality
Many of the prior studies related to festival quality
have emphasized verification of their effects on
satisfactions and behavior intentions of visiting
participants. However, studies for proving more
complex structural relationships are now being
made upon considering effects of parameters such
as “festival value” (Lee et al, 2007; Yoon et al,
2010), “experience quality of festival participation”
(Cole and Illum, 2006) and “effects on festival
acknowledgement” (Yuan and Jang, 2008).
3. Hypotheses of the study
3-1. Tourism Experience and Tourism
Satisfaction
Since service is almost all that is provided to
tourists at tourist sites and regions, it is not too
much to say that evaluations related to tourism
experience are evaluations tourists give to various
services they have been provided with.
On the other hand, while Barnes et al (2014)
advocating destination brand experience have
identified four factors (sense, affection, behavior
and intellect) of destination brand experience having
positive effects on tourism satisfaction, they
revealed that these factors do not directly affect
revisit intentions and words of mouth. This indicates
that another variable, i.e. tourism satisfaction, needs
to mediate to make destination brand experiences
positively affect revisit intentions and words of
mouth. Based on the above, hypothesis 1 is set as
follows:
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