Abstract:
Sri Lanka has been identified as a booming tourist destination in the world. Although,
Sri Lanka is receiving an increasing number of Chinese tourists’ arrivals annually, it
does not capitalize on the higher spending opportunities. Therefore, maximum
profitability cannot be taken by the Chinese market to Sri Lankan tourism industry.
Hence, the objectives of the study were to identify the Chinese inbound tourists’
current spending pattern on accommodations selection and shopping and to identify the
reasons for lower spending patterns of Chinese inbound tourists on accommodations
selection and shopping. Primary data were collected from 22 tourism stakeholders who
are dealing with and knowledgeable person about the Chinese market. Structured
interviews were conducted for data collection under the qualitative research approach.
Collected data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Purposive
sampling technique was adopted. The findings of this study revealed that product
attributes, salesperson service, trip-related attribute, store policy, service of the staff,
travel party type, length of stay, food habits under the parental theme to identify
current spending patterns and language barriers. Lack of staff and service quality, price
and payment method related issues, product-related issues, bad perception about tour
operate the system, lack of facilities, time factor, lack of government support, and
Chinese residents’ involvement were the reasons for lower spending patterns of
Chinese tourists in Sri Lanka. Further, increasing Chinese language skills of the shop
owners and local community, government support, service quality, payment method
facilities, effective promotional programs, shopping information and facilities related
to shopping and accommodations, etc. will be beneficial to enhance the profitability of
the Chinese market.
Keywords: Chinese inbound tourists, Spending patterns, Accommodations selections,
shopping
