An Exploration of Service Quality of Package Group of Mainland Students Taking SAT in Hong Kong.

Specialized tours are increasingly important to sustain the development of destinations. Specialized tours can rejuvenate established destinations, particularly those with traditional tour products that are being challenged by more recent local and regional competitors. They can also promote tourist revisits therefore securing market segments for the destinations in a sustainable manner. Tours offered to Chinese mainland students to take the SAT exams in Hong Kong are an excellent example. These tours are expected to bring 100,000 visitors and 1 billion yuan of receipts to Hong Kong annually. Moreover, planning and development of such tours is consistent with the broad strategic objectives of the Hong Kong government, which aims to brand Hong Kong as an educational hub in the near future. While the significance of these tours is widely acknowledged, their service quality is still lacking. Analyzing the relevant tourism service quality literature, this paper develops a theoretical model to evaluate service quality. The model examines package groups of mainland students taking their SAT exams in Hong Kong. It applies theory and method to the structural equation model to explore six identified dimensions of service quality of this specialist travel mode and its consequences. We further evaluate the relationships of variables in the model, which are in accord with proposed hypotheses. This paper fills important gaps in the study of package group tours, focusing on the group tours of mainland students taking their SAT exams in Hong Kong. It also offers practical insights into better developing and operating these specialist travel products. This study is one of the first research endeavors exploring such tours, thus establishing a solid foundation for further research into other important aspects of these tours. Our research also has practical applications that will benefit tour stakeholders, such as travel agencies and schools organizing the tours. It will enable them to tailor their products and services to cater more effectively to the needs and requirements of students taking the tours. Importantly, more innovative measures should be initiated to enhance interactions amongst group members. This will catalyze the smooth operation of the tours and assist word-of-mouth promotion for the tour organizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]