Selection of Gaming Destinations among Mainland Chinese

Abstract

With mainland Chinese outbound tourism on the rise, visiting casinos while abroad has become a major attraction. The influx of mainland Chinese to casinos in overseas countries and regions has made them one of the main markets and revenue source. However, scientific reports and discussion on mainland Chinese??casino visitation and gaming behavior have been limited. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that influence the selection of gaming destinations among mainland Chinese. A questionnaire was designed based on a review of destination choice literature and expert interviews. The draft questionnaire was reviewed by a panel of experts, and revised accordingly. A pilot test via e-mail was conducted with 48 valid responses. Further revisions were made on wording and scale. The finalized questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of 400 mainland Chinese who had visited or were visiting gaming destinations. Of the questionnaires, 200 were distributed on the borders of Macao and Vietnam. The other 200 were distributed through travel agencies based in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. The two data collection methods resulted in 149 and 74 usable questionnaires, respectively, for a total response rate of 55.8%. Descriptive statistics were calculated to provide a demographic and gaming behavioral profile of respondents. About half of respondents (52.5%) visited casinos for sightseeing and participated in gaming in passing. Only 12.0% visited casinos for the purpose of gaming. The most popular information source for gaming destination was the Internet (31.1%), followed by TV/radio (16.9%) and family/friends (16.1%). A factor analysis was conducted on the 46 destination selection items, resulting in 9 factors. The most important determinant of gaming destination selection was accessibility, followed by tourism development status and personal characteristics. The least influential factors were ease of communication/past experience and destination image/promotion. Marketing implications will be discussed during the presentation.