Segmenting Mainland Chinese residents based on experience, intention and desire to visit Hong Kong

The general consensus among marketers is that the People's Republic of China will have an enormous impact on the world's economy. However, much of this discussion is centred on China's strength as a centre of manufacturing and exports. The increase in affluence in pockets of China's 1.3 billion residents has also been the focus of firms interested in this large and virtually untapped consumer market. However, relatively little attention has been given to this market as potential sources of tourists. The purpose of this study was to profile the important visitor segments from mainland China who had previously visited, had the intention to visit or desired to visit Hong Kong—a destination traditionally priced and positioned for Western markets. Based on a sample of 470 Chinese from three cities in the mainland, the distinctive characteristics of tourists who had previously visited Hong Kong and who had strong intentions or interest to visit in the future were identified. It is hoped that this information will help tourism marketing professionals not only gain insights as to the potential of China as a source of visitors, but also highlight a useful approach to the market segmentation process.