Title: Intercultural competence, memorable experiences influence on Asian tourists' decisions

Authors: Rashmi Ranjan Panigrahi; Avinash K. Shrivastava

Addresses: Department of Operations and Supply Chain, GITAM School of Business, GITAM Deemed to be University, Visakhapatnam, 530045, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Department of Operations Management and Quantitative Techniques, International Management Institute Kolkata, West Bengal, 700027, India

Abstract: Cultural tourism is a vital part of the tourism industry, where travellers explore and experience the unique culture, heritage, traditions, art, history, and lifestyle of a place or community. This research aims to investigate the relationships between tourist intercultural competency (TIC) and the quality of their memorable cultural tourism experience (MCTE) during their visits to the Asian countries of India and Nepal. Additionally, the study also investigates how this MCTE influences tourist decisions (TD). This study employed structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the connections between the constructs TIC and MCTE along with MCTM influences on TD. The research identified three crucial factors within TIC and six factors within MCTE that have a substantial impact on the cultural tourist experience and play a significant role in travel decisions. These findings create opportunities for the tourism industry, event managers, and tour planners to develop innovative and highly effective destination marketing strategies.

Keywords: Asian tourist; cultural tourism; intercultural communication; intercultural competency; tourism industry; tourist decision.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2024.140952

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2024 Vol.14 No.5, pp.461 - 478

Received: 13 Jun 2023
Accepted: 08 Mar 2024
Published online: 04 Sep 2024 *

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