A cross cultural comparison between Chinese international and Australian domestic visitors on evaluation of luxury seaplane services

Abstract

This research examines the effect of perceived luxury and novelty on tourists’ evaluation of and behavioural intention toward luxury seaplane services, in particular, the moderating role of self- and other-directedness. Data were collected via a self-administered online survey questionnaire and involved Australian and Chinese respondents who intend to visit Western Australia. Findings indicate that consumers’ perceived luxury and novelty of the service influence service evaluation, where Australian respondents showed stronger intention to experience the luxury seaplane services than Chinese respondents. Furthermore, Australian (Chinese) consumers’ perceived self-directedness (other-directedness) enhanced their positive relationship between perceived luxury (novelty of the service) and service evaluation. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating that self- and other-directedness may serve as a mechanism that underlies the cultural differences in the motivation, perception, and intention toward luxury services in the tourism recreation context.