National differences between domestic and international tourists visting Australia: A comparative study on resort hotel tourists

Resorts continue to contribute significantly to the social and economic aspects of the tourism – leisure industry. Previous research contributions have focused on resort locations, life-cycle stages, service quality and management. Few researchers have investigated resort guests. Inbakaran, Jackson and Chhetri (2004) completed a cluster analysis on resort guests. Using demographics and reasons for choosing resort destinations, four cluster groups were identified with discriminating variables involving age, family life-cycle, patronage and resort choice motivation. These four cluster groups were compared on resort selection preferences, satisfaction on resort services, opinions regarding resort holidays, and preferences on resort activities. In the current study, nationality of resort guests was used to complete a similar comparative analysis. The national groups were: Australia; U.S.A.; Canada, Japan; New Zealand; and, the United Kingdom. These national groups were selected because they provided the largest visitation to the resorts. The results showed statistically significant differences in cluster group membership, all demographics except patronage; reasons for resort selection, satisfaction with service quality, opinions on resort holidays, and, preferences regarding resort activities. These differences were discussed in terms of domestic versus international resort visitors and culture value differences. Further research focusing on these cultural differences was also outlined. Keywords: resort tourism, nationality, national groups, resort patronage, service expectation, ANOVA