Elements influence international tourists' satisfaction

Abstract

This study attempted to identify decisive factors having important impacts on international tourists' satisfaction in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). By conducting a survey of 2,073 foreign visitors in HCMC, this paper explored nine determinants and their effect levels on international tourists' destination satisfaction. Quantitative approach was mainly applied with statistical techniques used as exploratory factor, reliability, and multiple regressions analyses. The result indicated that eight out of nine factors significantly affect international tourists' satisfaction. The nine determinants of foreign tourists' satisfaction include cultural and historical attraction, tourist service infrastructure, local cuisine, safety and security, entertainment, destination image, negative attributes, perceived price, and natural environment; in which destination image had the strongest effect on satisfaction of international tourists in HCMC. These findings provide practical implications for practitioners, policy makers, and Department of Tourism HCMC.