Thursday, March 28, 2024 - Login

Non-gaming key to visitor IR attachment: study


A new study has found that gaming has little to no role in getting a visitor to feel “attached” to a particular integrated resort, Macau Business reports.

The study was conducted by two scholars from the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), based on a questionnaire answered by 500 tourists to Macau. Most of these came from the Greater China area, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

“It is interesting to note that gaming was found to have no significant impact upon any dimension of place attachment, suggesting that casino-resort visitors’ participation in gaming did not affect their emotional bond with the place,” they wrote.  

Instead, the scholars concluded that “positive emotions, particularly the ‘light pleasure’ emotions,” were the “most effective factors shaping visitors’ place attachment.”

“This finding suggested that the operators of casino resorts should continue to develop more and better non-gaming hedonic activities and facilities for visitors,” they stated.

The full research paper is called “Relationships between Tourism Experiences and Place Attachment in the Context of Casino Resorts” and was published earlier this year in the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism.

The scholars include Yan Io Man U, an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) and IFT visiting Assistant Professor Penny Wan Yim King.

Asia Gaming Brief is a news and intelligence service providing up to date market information for worldwide executives on relevant gaming issues in Asia.

Contact us

ASIA GAMING BRIEF
PO Box 1139, Macau SAR
Tel: +853 2871 7267
Fax: +853 2871 7264

Asia Gaming Brief