The Effects of Experiential Factors on Visitor Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions in Korea Travel Expo : An Application of the Experience Economy Theory (4Es)
Purpose -This study examines the effects of experiential factors on visitor satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the Korea Travel Expo by utilizing the Experience Economy theory (4Es). Research Design, data, and methodology -A survey was conducted on 330 visitors to the Korea Travel Expo, from which the final sample of 296 questionnaires was drawn from. The data collected were subsequently processed using simple and multiple regression analyses through the SPSS Windows Ver. 23.0 program, which yielded the following results on frequency analysis, validity and reliability analyses, and causal relations analysis between the factors measured. Result - The four experiential factors in the Experience Economy theory (4Es; esthetic, education, escapism, and entertainment) were found to affect visitor satisfaction typically associated with the Korea Travel Expo. The experiential factors of esthetic and education were found to affect visitor behavioral intention toward travel, but entertainment and education factors were not found to have any effects on it. In turn, visitor satisfaction with the Expo was found to affect the visitor behavioral intention toward travel. From these results, the following implications can thus be identified. First, given that the four 1) experiential factors of Experience Economy theory (4Es) were all found to affect the visitor satisfaction with Expo, an effort must be made for the equal development of the experiential factors to facilitate visitor satisfaction with the Expo. Second, the relationship between the aesthetic/educational factors and visitor behavioral intention implies that the development of the two aforementioned factors should be given more focus within the greater effort to develop the four factors equally. While the escapist and entertainment factors were not found to have an impact on visitor behavioral intention, they should nevertheless be developed further to facilitate greater visitor satisfaction. Third, visitor satisfaction with the Expo was found to have an impact on the behavioral intentions of the visitors toward travel. Conclusions - The Expo should strive to develop a variety of experiential factors that can appeal to the different perspectives of its visitors, which would enable Expo visitors to derive satisfaction from the event, encouraging them to recommend others to visit the travel destinations or visit the destinations themselves.