The role of sociodemographic characteristics in the travel motivation and satisfaction of tourists in forest protected areas in South China

Sociodemographic characteristics, travel motivation and satisfaction have long been suggested to be the predictors of travel behavior and intention of tourists. Meanwhile, most studies focus on tourists from Western countries and researches on Chinese tourist is largely inadequate. Questionnaire surveys were conducted in the well-known Nanling National Forest Park and Dinghushan National Nature Reserve in South China to investigate the role of Chinese tourists’ sociodemographic characteristics in their travel motivation and satisfaction. Several important findings have been resulted: 1) Tourists’ satisfaction on the management and the educational value of the forest protected areas in South China was negatively correlated to their level of education; 2) The motivation of relaxation and nature exploration was positively correlated to age; 3) Motivation in terms of social influence was negatively correlated to education level. Various Chinese cultures in relationship with sociodemographic characteristics were suggested to be the main influence that shape the motivation and behavior of tourist. These cultural differences have marked the discrepancy between Chinese and Western tourists, showing that traditional studies conducted in Western society may not have direct implications on Chinese tourists. The findings of our study provide clues for the management of nature-based destinations to accommodate the escalating number of Chinese tourists. Copyright © 2018 The International Conference on Sustainable Tourism and Innovation.