Souvenir attributes and purchase intention by international higher education students

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study to investigate the Australian souvenir purchasing intentions of international higher education (IHE) students and their perceptions of souvenir authenticity. The findings indicate that characteristics of authentic souvenirs may include representation of traditional culture, being hand-made, purchased locally and being unique. A convenience sample of two hundred and sixteen (N=216) IHE students at a Western Australian university revealed that demographic characteristics such as age, gender and country of origin, showed statistically significant differences in intention to purchase authentic souvenirs. Whilst female IHE students may tend to buy arts, paintings or jewellery, IHE students from Asian countries may tend to buy collectibles or accessories. Older IHE students would more likely purchase authentic souvenirs as gifts for others. Overall Australian souvenirs made in Australia were considered as being of high quality, expensive, authentic and prestigious compared with Australian souvenirs made elsewhere. Additionally, the results showed that features influencing souvenir purchases could be grouped according to four attributes being innovativeness, portability, symbolic and popularity. Results are discussed and future research directions are proposed.