Destination Residents’ Expected Tourist Experiences of Unconventional Attractions and their Intention to Recommend

Destination residents have expertise in local products and services. Based on their place attachment, satisfaction, identity, and so on, they may recommend the destination or its specific elements to tourists. The lack of research on the role of residents in promoting destinations is thus surprising. This study selected the Hong Kong Star Ferry as a case to examine the expected tourist experience of unconventional attractions. The results showed that residents recommend the following aspects of the Star Ferry experience to tourists: ‘social interaction,’ ‘historical experience,’ ‘entertainment experience,’ ‘unique mobility,’ and ‘slow tourism.’ All of the factors except ‘historical experience’ were found to significantly affect residents’ intention to recommend. The residents were further segmented into four clusters, namely ‘entertainers,’ ‘slow-pace socializers,’ ‘passivists,’ and ‘normal mobility advocates,’ who held different views and expectations of the tourist experiences of this unconventional attraction. Recommendations were then generated to selectively leverage residents as a resource for destination and attraction marketing.