The Role of Perceived Value in Shaping Word-of-Mouth for Health Tourism in Different Ethnic Minority Areas

Abstract

There are numerous studies on the satisfaction of the tourism industry and the intention to revisit, which have always been important research topics in this industry. However, there are relatively few studies on its application in health and wellness tourism. Moreover, research on health and wellness tourism in ethnic minority areas is even scarcer. As health and wellness scenic spots in ethnic minority areas generally face problems such as insufficient awareness, identity and word-of-mouth, it is necessary to verify the formation paths of word-of-mouth for health and wellness tourism in ethnic minority areas. This study aims to examine how tourists’ perceived value influences word-of-mouth, mediated by satisfaction and place identity, and to offer practical recommendations. This study obtained 320 valid data through questionnaire surveys and analyzed the variable associations through correlation analysis and regression analysis. Research has found that in health and wellness tourism in ethnic minority areas, not every perceived value can directly affect word-of-mouth. Moreover, different ethnic groups (the Ethnic minorities and the Han) may have different paths for predicting word-of-mouth. The minority samples focus on self-expression value and place identity. Satisfaction may be a mediating variable between perceived value and place identity. The Han sample focuses on hedonic value and satisfaction, and satisfaction may be the mediating variable among hedonic value, social value and place identity. Finally, this paper puts forward research suggestions for reference in future studies.