Huang, R., Tian, X. R (2013) An Investigation of Travel Behaviour of Chinese International Students...

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An Investigation of Travel Behaviour of ChineseInternational Students in the UKRong Huang & Xiaoran TianAccepted author version posted online: 14 Jun 2013.

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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

An Investigation of Travel Behaviour of Chinese International Students in the UK

在英中国留学生旅游行为的调查

RONG HUANG

XIAORAN TIAN

The aim of this article is to examine, from a tourism perspective, the experience of Chinese

international students in the UK. Three hundred and twenty-one usable questionnaires were

collected. This research suggests that the travel motivations of the students fall into the following

four categories: relaxation, self-improvement, experience culture, and adventure. Certain

similarities and differences of the travel behaviour patterns between Chinese international

students in the UK and their compatriots in Australia, New Zealand and the USA were identified.

Chinese students in the UK are generally satisfied with their travel experience in the UK.

Furthermore they are loyal customers which are illustrated by their high intention of repeat

visits and recommending the UK to friends/family. More than 42% of them had had visits from

their families back in China since they arrived in the UK to study; this provides strong evidence

for their importance to the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market in the UK. The

implications of these findings to educational institutions and the tourism industry in the UK are

also discussed.

KEYWORDS. Student travel, international students, China

本文从旅游的角度调查在英中国留学生的经历。研究人员分析三百二十一份有效问卷，把

在英中国留学生的旅游动机分为四类：放松、自我提高、经历文化和探险。在英中国留学

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1

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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 生与在澳大利亚、新西兰及美国的中国留学生有相似也有不同的旅游行为。他们普遍满意

在英的旅游经历；他们的忠诚体现在他们再次来英旅游的高动机和向他们亲戚朋友推荐英

国的偏高倾向。超过百分之四十二的在英中国留学生已接待了他们家庭的来英探望，可见

在英留学生在英国的探亲访友的市场重要性。这项研究对英国学校和旅游业也是有价值的

。

关键词：学生旅游，留学生，中国

Rong Huang is an Associate Professor in Tourism Marketing in the School of Tourism &

Hospitality at Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom (E-mail:

[email protected]).

Xiaoran Tian is a PhD candidate in the School of Tourism & Hospitality at Plymouth University,

Plymouth, United Kingdom (E-mail: [email protected]).


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Introduction

Huang (2008a) argued that the provision of higher education for international students has

become an important source of income for Western universities, and that these students have

attracted research attention. Considerable research has been conducted on educational issues

related to international students such as learning styles (Barron, 2002; Ramburuth &

McCormick, 2001), acculturation (Nicholson & Stepina, 1998; Shih & Brown, 2000; Zhang &

Dixon, 2003), and teaching problems and strategies (Briguglio, 2000). To date most other

research has concentrated mainly on the economic benefits of international students (Michael,

Armstrong, & King, 2003) and motivational decisions on place of study (Mazzarol & Soutar,

2002; Son, 2003; Taylor, 2001). However, in the field of tourism, relatively little research has

been conducted on the whole experience that international students have during their stay in host

countries (Huang, 2008a).

According to The World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSETC), the

youth and student travel market accounted for 20% of total international arrivals in 2010,

generating receipts of US$165 billion. Much of this money remains with locally owned

businesses and communities, thus contributing to poverty alleviation and sustainable economic

development (Tjolle, 2011). A review of relevant literature reveals that international students are

becoming important participants in the international tourism industry (Huang, 2006; Kim,

Jogaratnam, & Noh, 2006; Kim, Noh, & Jogaratnam, 2006; Michael et al., 2003; Ryan & Zhang,

2007; Sakakida, Cole, & Card, 2004; Shoham, Schrage, & van Eeden, 2004; Son & Pearce,

2005). China has become one of the biggest contributors to international student numbers in


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Britain (Higher Education Statistics Agency [HESA], 2012). As Huang (2006, 2008a, 2008b)

emphasised, international students are not only students in the UK, but are also tourists in the

UK. Furthermore, some researchers (e.g., Bischoff & Koenig-Lewis, 2007; Huang, 2011;

Michael et al. 2003; Tham Min-En, 2006; Weaver, 2003) recognised the importance of

international students to the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market. Hence, in order to

attract more Chinese tourists to visit Britain, better understanding of the travel behaviour of

Chinese international students is very useful (Huang, 2006). Given the economic importance of

the Chinese student market, it is imperative for both the education and the tourism sectors to

understand the expectations and experiences of Chinese students in the UK.

Against the background of preceding perspectives, the purpose of this study is to examine, from

a tourism perspective, the experiences of Chinese international students in the UK. More

specifically, the study has three objectives:

1. To understand their travel motivation;

2. To establish their travel behaviour patterns; and

3. To determine the importance of Chinese international students to the VFR market in the

UK.

The remainder of this article is organised as follows. The next three sections provide the

background of this study by critically reviewing existing research on student travel in general,

and the travel behaviour of international students in particular. It also reviews literature related to

the importance of international students to the VFR market. In the section of methodology, an


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT empirical study of the experiences of Chinese international students in the UK is presented.

Findings are then presented detailing the profile of respondents, travel motivation and past travel

experiences, including modes of travel, types of accommodation used, and satisfaction with their

experience. The findings related to the importance of Chinese international students to the VFR

market are also addressed. Finally, managerial implications for the tourism industry, limitations

of this study, and plans for future research are discussed.

Student Travel

Jabaudon (2004) pointed out that the youth tourism industry plays a vital role in the development

of international tourism; 140 million young people travel internationally each year. It is

worthwhile to note that the educational tourism market has grown rapidly in recent decades,

whilst still retaining significant growth potential, there is now an increasing number of specialist

travel professionals offering specific products (Jabaudon, 2004; Kelly & Brown, 2004;

Townsend & Lee, 2004). University students, with approximately 20 weeks of free time during

holidays, have a high propensity for travel because they have few external commitments

(Richards & Wilson, 2004; Ritchie, Carr, & Cooper, 2003). Research by Fordham (2006)

suggested that foreign exchange students are embedded tourists; their time in the host country

and the depth of adaptation may make their form of tourism appear more authentic than other

kinds of travel. It has been argued that the university student population should be considered as

a significant market for the tourism industry (Carr, 2003, 2005). However, Field (1999) said that

despite the size and growth of the university student population, the student market has been


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT ignored because of the assumption of its low market value (Babin & Kim, 2001; Richards &

Wilson, 2004; Ritchie et al., 2003).

A review of relevant literature indicates that different aspects of the student market have been

investigated and researched in previous studies. These include:

1) the aspects and determinants of student travel behavior (e.g., Chadee & Cutler, 1996;

Gallarza & Saura, 2006; Morgan & Xu, 2009; Phau, Shanka, & Dhayan, 2010; Shanka & Frost,

1999; Shanka & Phau, 2008; Xu, Morgan, & Song, 2009);

2) student travel motivation and decision making process (e.g., Canally & Timothy, 2007;

Chen & Kerstetter, 1999; Heung & Leong, 2006; Kak-Yom & Jogaratnam, 2002; Llewellyn-

Smith & McCabe, 2008; Michael et al., 2003; Son & Pearce, 2005); and

3) the importance of international students to the VFR market (e.g., Bischoff & Koenig-

Lewis, 2007; Michael et al., 2003; Taylor, Shanka, & Pope, 2004; Tham Min-En, 2006).

Travel Behaviour of International Students

International students come from different backgrounds and cultures, have different values, and

might not regard the same products and services as adequate and satisfying (Babin & Kim, 2001;

Gallarza & Saura, 2006; Kim, 2008; Shanka & Phau, 2008), therefore successful international

tourism marketing depends upon the understanding of the cultural background of tourists whom

the marketers are attempting to target, and how this background determines the expectations of

these tourists (Reisinger & Turner, 2003).


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT From the early 1990s researchers were looking at culture as a determinant of student travel

behaviour. National cultures, as part of psychographic factors, have a moderating effect on

tourist behaviour (Chadee & Cutler, 1996; Frost & Shanka, 1999; Reisinger & Mavondo, 2004;

Ryan & Gu, 2007; Sakakida et al., 2004). However, when using cultural dimensions to analyze

behaviour, it is important to avoid stereotypes, as it is not only culture that influences behavior,

other sources of diversity, including demographic characteristics, also impact on international

students’ travel behaviour (Hsu & Sung, 1997; Xu et al., 2009). It is worth pointing out the

geographical allocation of previous research; little research has been conducted on the travel

behaviour of Chinese international students. Exceptions do exist. Ryan and Xie (2003) found

relatively high levels of independent travel by Chinese students in New Zealand; they tended to

travel in groups and use private cars, but spent relatively lavishly if only because they preferred

motel and hotel accommodation to cheaper alternatives like backpacker hostels; also, unlike their

northern European counterparts, there was low participation in adventure tourism activities, they

preferred more passive ones. A cluster analysis in the work of Ryan and Xie (2003) indicated

three main groups are labelled as being combined motivation traveller, social traveller, and new

experience explorer and adventure seeker. Ryan and Zhang (2007) assessed the extent to which

this market segment undertook travel within their country of studies, and the degree to which

they are motivated by features usually regarded as motivators for holidaying by visitors to New

Zealand. Wang and Davidson (2008) offered an exploratory assessment of the perceived image

of Australia in the Chinese student market. Based on an evaluation of international students as

tourists and by conceptualising international student experience in relation to different tourist

experiences theorised in the existing tourism literature, Huang (2008b) considered the experience


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT of international students from China at one British higher education institution. By looking at the

influence of students’ satisfaction with their role as hosts for the friends and family sector, while

also providing some data on students’ own holiday motives and assessments of New Zealand,

Liu and Ryan (2011) provided some insights into the role of Chinese students as hosts for

overseas travel. Zou and Tang (2011) investigated the differences of travel behaviours between

the Chinese students studying in the US and domestic students at a university in Midwestern

USA.

The Importance of International Students to the VFR Market

The importance of international students to the VFR market is gradually recognized by

researchers. Several studies examining the student-related VFR market were carried out in

Australia. Weaver (2003) noted that besides their education-related activities and expenditure,

international students also have a long-term impact on tourism in Australia. A study by Michael

et al. (2003) in Melbourne shows that even though international students play an important role

in initiating visits from their friends and family, only limited marketing of destinations have

occurred at universities. Taylor et al. (2004) investigated the significance of VFR visits to

international students in Western Australia and found that between 1-1.7% of international

tourist expenditure in 1999 can be attributed to this sector. Tham Min-En (2006) stressed the

importance of international students in generating repeat visits and choosing activities

undertaken during the visit.

Bischoff and Koenig-Lewis (2007) addressed this matter from a British perspective and

examined the overall volume and frequency of such travel, the extent to which student hosts are


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT involved in tourism-related activities, the differences between hosting friends and relatives and

between VFR visits made to the UK and international student hosts, and students’ expenditure

patterns while hosting guests. Bischoff and Koenig-Lewis (2007) stressed that this segment can

represent an important component of tourism demand and that it should arguably receive much

more attention from a marketing perspective than it had in the past; however, apart from their

work, very little attention is paid to international students from a VFR market perspective. As the

national tourism marketing agency VisitBritain (2012) gradually recognizes the importance of

British education as a tourism resource and also the quicker growth of visiting families market

compared to its visiting friends market, VisitBritain seems less certain of the linkage between

international students to Britain and its VFR market.

Methodology

This study elicited information regarding the demographic profile of respondents, their recent

travel behaviour, characteristics of the travel behaviour, and satisfaction in the UK. The

questions about the demographic profile of respondents and their travel behaviour and

satisfaction were developed based on a review of literature (Huang, 2006, 2008a; Ryan & Zhang,

2007; Xu et al., 2009).

The questionnaire measured 14 motivating push factors, such as “to seek adventure,” “to take a

rest/to relax” and “to try new food.” These were measured using a seven-point Likert scale (1

indicating “absolutely wrong” and 7 indicating “absolutely correct”). This measure was chosen

as a means to determine the respondents’ attitudes to a range of potential complex issues related

to their decision to travel in Britain. The seven-point Likert scale was adopted as Cooper and


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Schindler (2008) highlighted that “the advantages of the 7 and 9 point Likert scale are better

approximation of a normal response curve and extraction of more variability among

respondents” (p. 309). In order to establish the travel behaviour patterns of students, single

choice questions were used to identify preferred transport, accommodation and times of travel.

As for their satisfaction and loyalty, five-point Likert scales were used to indicate their opinions

as Finn, Elliott-White, and Walton (2000) argued that this type of scale is good enough for the

respondents to place themselves and make a difference between the responses. Furthermore,

other studies on student travel and the VFR market have also used such scales (e.g., Bischoff &

Koenig-Lewis, 2007; Llewellyn-Smith & McCabe, 2008; Xu et al., 2009).

The following steps were undertaken to ensure a high response rate. Firstly, a questionnaire in

English was designed and the questionnaire was then translated to Chinese. A back translation

method (Sperber, 2004) was used in order to avoid any misunderstanding. Secondly, a pilot

study with 30 students was undertaken. Polit, Beck, and Hungler (2001) defined this as a test-run

for the questionnaire in quantitative research. Hair, Money, Samouel, and Page (2007)

commented that a questionnaire should not be administered without first being evaluated or pre-

tested by a small group of respondents. After the pilot study, the wording of two of the questions

was amended, and the placing of demographic questions was moved from the end of the

questionnaire to the beginning of the questionnaire. Furthermore, two questions (“After finishing

your study, will you come back to visit Britain?” and “Will you suggest Britain to your

friends/relatives as a vacation destination to visit?”) were deleted as the piloted students thought

the two questions were repeats of the questions which asked them to indicate their likelihood to

return and recommend. Thirdly, the authors uploaded the revised questionnaire to Renren (a


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Chinese social media website) as the 285 friends of the authors in this website are all Chinese

international students who studied or are studying in the UK. Through this channel, 186

questionnaires were returned. For those friends who did not reply, the authors sought their

support via e-mail and asked them to pass the questionnaire to their Chinese friends who also

studied or are studying in the UK. Through this effort, a further 158 questionnaires were

returned. The questionnaire survey was carried out between 1st May 2011 and 30th June 2011. In

total 344 questionnaires were returned but only 321 of them were usable.

Responses to the questions were analyzed with the use of SPSS Version 18.0. Descriptive

statistics were first computed, followed by the principal component factor analysis using varimax

rotation to determine whether distinct dimensions of motivation exist among Chinese

international students in the UK. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) statistic and Cronbach’s alpha

values were referenced to confirm the results of the factor analysis.

Findings and Discussion

The profiles of the sample are summarised in Table 1. The respondents were predominantly

female (62%); their ages mainly ranged between 22 and 26 (48%) and under 22 (38.9%).

Approximately 55% of the respondents hold an undergraduate degree and 38% of them hold a

master’s degree.

(Insert Table 1 here)


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Travel Motivation

When Chinese international students were asked to indicate their travelling motivation in Britain

(as summarised in Table 2), it is clear that the most popular motivations for travelling in Britain

are “to take a rest/to relax” (mean=5.89), followed by “to discover new places” (mean=5.79),

and “to learn about culture and ways of life” (mean=5.31). The highest level of agreement in the

motivation of “to take a rest/to relax” seems to be consistent with the finding reported by Ryan

and Zhang (2007)’s research of Chinese students’ travel motivation in New Zealand. This also

confirms Huang (2008a)’s research of Chinese students in Britain, namely that “to relax” was

also an important reason for students’ travel.

A desire “to discover new places” and “to learn about culture and ways of life” were two other

important reasons given for taking a vacation by the Chinese students, thereby confirming the

findings of Clarke (1992) that young travellers are typically looking for a novel experience.

The least popular reasons are “to escape” (mean=2.47), “to seek adventure” (mean=2.96), and

“to visit friends/relatives” (mean=3.75). The low score on seeking adventure is consistent with

Xu et al. (2009)’s research of travel motivation of Chinese students in China. The relatively low

score on “to visit friends/relatives” seems to support the findings of Ryan and Zhang (2007).

Such low scores imply that these motives have little importance as reasons to take holidays in

Britain.



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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT A factor analysis was conducted on the 14 motivational items so as to discover the underlying

motivational dimensions. The principal component factoring method with a varimax rotation was

used to uncover the motivational dimensions. Varimax rotation was used because it

“redistributes the variance among factors more evenly and produces less complex factors” (Kass

& Tinsley, 1979, p.134). Furthermore, to determine whether the factoring procedure was

appropriate, the KMO statistic (.704) was referenced. According to Kaiser (1974), the measure

was marvellous, indicating that it was safe to proceed with the factor analysis. Based on Child’s

(1970) recommendation, only those factors with eigenvalues equal to or greater than 1.0 were

extracted. Results of the initial analysis indicated that 4 factors with eigenvalues exceeding 1.0

existed. Factors having eigenvalues less than 1.0 were not further processed because these

factors were considered no better than a single variable (Tucker, Koopman, & Linn, 1969).

Another two criteria were used to determine the viability of each dimension. First, only items

with factor loadings of at least .40 were retained (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001). Each dimension

was subject to reliability testing. Items that reduced the reliability of a dimension were

eliminated from further analysis, and only factor dimensions with Cronbach’s alpha values

greater than .60 were deemed acceptable. After these criteria were applied, the optimal number

of factor dimensions was found to be 4. The final four tourist motivational dimensions/factors

were named as relaxation (F1), self-improvement (F2), experience culture (F3), and adventure &

excitement (F4). The motivational dimensions are presented in Table 3.



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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT From the analysis, it is clear that the most important motivational dimension is relaxation. This

finding seems to suggest that the desire for relaxation is shared by Chinese international students

in the UK and also Chinese international students in New Zealand, as reported by Ryan and

Zhang (2007). In that sense it can be argued that Chinese international students have few

differences from many other tourists. Hence they should be an important tourist group to be

targeted by local tourism businesses and organizations. However, it must be noted that the

processes of relaxation among Chinese international students are generally those of social

interaction with their peers, rather than engagement in adventure or visiting friends/relatives.

One factor that might account for this is that as international students they face significant

pressure to succeed, and travelling is a good way for them to relax.

Furthermore, it is important to recognize that the self-improvement dimension becomes the

second most important dimension which includes “to meet new people,” “to integrate myself into

society,” and “to improve my English level.” Nowadays many Chinese international students

enrol in popular subjects in British universities (HESA, 2012), and some Chinese students

complain that they seem to be studying in China instead of in Britain (Spencer-Oatey & Xiong,

2006). This really goes against their original intention of gaining knowledge and communicating

with people from other cultural backgrounds and understanding other cultures (Huang, 2006).

Therefore, travelling around the UK to meet people may be a necessary supplement for them if

they are to achieve their original goals. Findings from the current research support Starkey’s

argument (Bright, 2004) and warn higher education institutions in Britain to rethink their

recruitment and customer service strategies and what exactly they want from Chinese students.


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Previous Travel Experience

As for the number of occasions of previous travel experience in the UK (as shown in Table 4),

42% of the respondents reported more than five times, 21% of them reported 4-5 times and 35%

reported 1-3 times. Only six students (less than 2%) reported no experience. From the above, it is

clear that the majority of Chinese students did/do travel when they were/are studying in the UK.

This result is consistent with Huang’s (2006, 2008a) emphasis to consider international students

as tourists.


Regarding the mode of transport during their travel, travel by train has been rated highest

(47.7%), followed by coach/bus (30.2%) and own car (13.4%). This result confirms Huang’s

(2006) research of travel mode used by mainland Chinese students in the UK. However, this

finding does appear to contradict most studies done in America (Chadee & Cutler, 1996; Field,

1999; Hsu & Sung, 1997; Sung & Hsu, 1996) and Australia (Frost & Shanka, 1999) which

suggested that the automobile was the most frequently used transport by international students

during their travel. Such difference might be due to the fact that outside of a few big cities, there

are very few passenger trains in the US and Australia.

The result of this research indicates that more than a quarter of the students travelled by bus or

coach during their travel in the UK. These figures bode well for the future of the public

transportation industry, with the younger generation showing such a high usage. These figures

are also useful for transport providers such as National Express, railway franchise operators or


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Stagecoach because it is demonstrated that the international student market is using their

services. The needs of international students could be considered when developing future

transport strategies, given the potential significance of international students’ travel. However,

many transport operators may be unaware of the size of the international student market, given

the limited market research and promotion of this valuable sub-sector of the British tourism

industry.

As for the nature of accommodation chosen by the Chinese international students in the UK

when travelling, the main types of accommodation used were as follows: 36.4% of them

indicated that they would stay in hotels, 24.6% would stay with friends and relatives, 19% would

stay in bed and breakfast inns (B&B), and 18.7% would stay in hostels.

The finding seems to be contrary to popular beliefs that students typically look for cheap

accommodation. Instead the results suggest that the student market is no different from other

markets in demanding higher quality standards than in the past. Nearly 20 years ago, Bywater

(1993) already noted that the trend in the student and youth market was moving towards greater

demand for fewer hostel beds per room and more private facilities. This appears to run contrary

as well to Sung and Hsu’s (1996) and Field’s (1999) findings that international students are more

likely to stay at friends’/relatives’ house when travelling. However, this result agrees with Ryan

and Xie (2003)’s research of Chinese students in New Zealand that they prefer hotels to cheap

alternatives. Three factors might account for such findings. First, a lot of hotels are listed on

different websites and it is easy to find affordable places through the Internet. Second, as very

few students have relatives or friends in Britain, it is impossible to stay with them. Third,


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT students do not have much experience of B&B or other similar accommodation in China.

Therefore when they are in Britain, they are more comfortable in choosing “hotel-type”

accommodation, with which they are more familiar.

When the students were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their travel in the UK (1

indicating “very dissatisfied” and 5 indicating “very satisfied”), their experience seems to be

positive as the result shows a mean of 3.91 and a standard deviation of only .507. When they

were asked the possibility of coming back to visit the UK after their study (1 indicating “very

unlikely” and 5 indicating “most likely”), the result is also positive, with a mean of 3.90 and a

low standard deviation of .873.

The Importance of Chinese International Students to the VFR Market in the

UK

When the students were asked whether their family/friends would visit them during their study in

the UK, 42.1% of them said yes. Furthermore, when they were asked whether they would

suggest their friends/relatives to visit the UK (1 indicating “very unlikely” and 5 indicating

“most likely”), the result is very positive, with a mean of 4.25 and a standard deviation of .792.

These results are certainly consistent with studies done in Australia regarding international

students-generated VFR (Michael et al., 2003; Taylor et al., 2004; Tham Min-En, 2006).

Furthermore they confirm the findings of Bischoff and Koenig-Lewis (2007) that international

students studying in the UK have attracted, and can attract, their family and friends to visit, and

they should be considered as an important segment of international tourists to relevant cities.


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT A recent report on China market and trade profile by VisitBritain (2012) suggested that 28% of

Chinese tourists were extremely likely to recommend Britain for a short break or holiday;

however, this response was not overwhelming when compared to the 39% of all international

tourists who were extremely likely to recommend Britain for a short break or holiday.

Comparing the findings from VisitBritain and the current research, it is worthwhile to note that

Chinese international students seem to be more willing than their compatriots who visit Britain

for leisure or business purposes to recommend Britain. The findings from this research can be

strong evidence to support the development of a VFR niche market based on Chinese

international students. Given the large number of Chinese international students who studied or

are studying in the UK, a range of specific research questions concerning the nature and

characteristics of student-generated VFR tourism should be investigated by VisitBritain as well

as other destination management organisations in the UK in order to gain opportunities from this

market.

Conclusions and Implications

To summarise, this exploratory study suggests that the travel motivations of students fall into the

following four categories: relaxation, self-improvement, experience culture, and adventure. The

research identifies some similarities of travel behaviour patterns among Chinese international

students in the UK and their compatriots in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Most of them

seem to be frequent travellers and prefer hotels to cheaper alternatives. However, Chinese

students in the UK tend to frequently use trains instead of either rental cars or their own cars

during their travel when compared with their compatriots in other continents. Results show that


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Chinese students in the UK are generally satisfied with their travel experience in the UK.

Furthermore, their loyalty as customers is illustrated by their high intention of repeat visits and

recommending the UK to their friends/family. More than 42% of them had had visits from their

families back in China since they arrived in the UK to study; this provides strong evidence for

their importance to the VFR market in the UK.

The aim of this research is to examine the experience of Chinese international students in the UK

from a tourism perspective. The results have suggested that educational institutions and the

tourism industry have influenced the student travel experience; therefore, practical implications

for these two important stakeholders are discussed below.

It has been noted that Chinese international students in the UK are frequent travellers. Apart

from relaxation, self-improvement is a very important consideration for their travel. Hence, if

educational institutions want to attract this group of customers, they should emphasize not only

their teaching excellence but also other educational experience from non-mainstream educational

activities. They may introduce the cultural and historical background of the cities where the

institution is based; they may also provide some case studies on local people’s life and culture.

They could help mainland Chinese international students integrate into the local community so

that the students will have a better understanding of the local and British culture. This may

include organizing field trips to heritage centres nearby such as National Trust sites. The

educational institutions can join the National Trust at a very low annual price, they can then

bring as many students and many times as they want to the properties owned by the National

Trust.


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT With the changing demographics of international travel, international students will represent a

growing proportion of international travel. Therefore, the tourism industry needs to pay more

attention to this group and certainly detailed research on the characteristics of this group would

be very important for the tourism industry when setting up a proper plan to attract these

profitable customers. Destination management organizations (DMOs) such as VisitBritain could

collaborate more actively with universities with a view to targeting international students and

their VFRs more effectively as a market segment. One approach could be the provision of

information kits about Britain and relevant travel information at the time of students’ enrolment

or at orientation. This could enhance the motivation of students to travel around the UK.

Whenever possible, VisitBritain should make staff available for presentations to groups of

international students. This research has identified a range of preferences of Chinese

international students concerning travel. Progressive tour operators, destination cities and local

chambers of commerce may utilize the results to develop strategies that will capitalize on

opportunities presented by the market while overcoming potential barriers. Airlines,

accommodation and vendors of products and services targeted at the international student market

may find the knowledge helpful in tailoring their services to the needs of this market.

There are obvious limitations to this study. The sample is restricted to friends of the two

researchers in a British university. Given the different characteristics among British universities,

the results may not be applicable to Chinese students in all British universities. However, as very

little research has been done on the travel behaviour of Chinese students in the UK, this study

lays a foundation for future research. China will continue to be a growing source of both students

and visitors in the coming years, therefore more research related to Chinese travel behaviour


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT should be done. Issues for future research include the kind of tourism activities that Chinese

students will engage in during their travel. Regarding Chinese students-generated VFR, a range

of questions could be asked such as seasonal distribution, types of visitors, length of stay, and

expenditure by hosts and visitors.

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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Table 1. Profile of Respondents.

Categories Frequency %

Gender

Male

Female

122

199

38

62

Age

Under 22

22-26

Above 26

125

154

42

38.9

48

13.1


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Education

Undergraduate

Postgraduate Taught (PGT)

Postgraduate Research (PGR)

Others

177

123

14

7

55.1

38.3

4.4

2.2


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Table 2. Travel Motivation.

Travel motivations Mean Standard

Deviation

to take a rest/to relax 5.89 1.552

to discover new places 5.79 1.447

to learn about culture and ways of life 5.31 1.600

to seek diversion and entertainment 5.28 1.765

to alleviate stress 5.25 1.701

to explore historical and cultural heritage 5.13 1.710

to try new food 4.69 1.806

to live exciting experiences 4.66 1.874

to improve my English level 4.56 1.606


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

to meet new people 4.08 1.597

to integrate myself into society 4.04 1.732

to visit friends/relatives 3.75 2.165

to seek adventure 2.96 1.884

to escape 2.47 1.830

Note: a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 is used (1 indicates “absolutely wrong” and 7 indicates

“absolutely correct”).


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Table 3. Travel Motivation Dimensions.

Travel motivations

Relaxation

Self-

improvement

Experience

culture

Adventure

&

Excitement

To take a rest/to relax .809

To seek diversion and entertainment .783

To alleviate stress .778

To try new food .513

To meet new people .796

To integrate myself into society .795

To improve my English level .762


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

To explore historical and cultural heritage .815

To learn about cultures and ways of life .776

To discover new places .692

To seek adventure .858

To live exciting experiences .683

Eigenvalue 4.231 2.203 1.558 1.298

Variance explained (percentage) 30.219 15.734 11.125 9.273

Cumulative variance explained (percentage) 30.219 45.952 57.078 66.351

Cronbach’s alpha .738 .821 .851 .553


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Table 4. Past Travel Experience.

Categories Frequency %

Past travel experience

Never

1-3 times

4-5 times

More than 5 times

6

113

67

135

1.9

35.2

20.8

42.1

Mode of travel

Rental car

Own car

Coach/bus

Train

Other

19

43

97

153

9

5.9

13.4

30.2

47.7

2.8

Type of accommodation


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ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT


Hotels

Bed & Breakfast

Youth Hostels

Friends/relatives’ place

Other

117

61

60

79

4

36.4

19

18.7

24.6

1.3

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