Yang, X. Fiona; Lau, M. C. Virginia
2019
Family travel; Chinese tourists; Experiential learning; Children; World heritage site; Generation
Tourism Management, Vol. 72, 2019, pp. 1-11
p000172
Travel is the best education. There has been, however, a paucity of research investigating educational benefits for children that motivate family travelers, in particular for the burgeoning Chinese market. This paper develops a conceptual model to test hypothesized relationships leading from motivation for children's experiential learning to educational benefits, through engagement at world heritage site (WHS) locations. In addition, the joint moderating effect of the WHS′ brand awareness and generation of Chinese family travelers is investigated. The results indicate that family travel at a WHS brings positive learning outcomes. Furthermore, children's experiential learning is more effective at a well-known WHS, although this moderating effect is diminishing among Generation Y family travelers. These findings advance the knowledge of Chinese family tourists and their generational differences in educational practices during travel. Managerial and marketing implications are also discussed.
