Report on Survey of Satisfaction and Recommendations for Guizhou Tourism among Out-of-Town Visitors

: The global tourism industry is a key driver of economic growth and social development. Guizhou, a province in Southwest China, renowned for its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and unique cuisine, has seen a rapid growth in its tourism sector in recent years, attracting visitors from various regions. To enhance its competitiveness and appeal, it is crucial to understand the perspectives and expectations of out-of-town tourists. Visitor satisfaction and intent to recommend are vital indicators of a destination's success. This study presents findings from an extensive survey conducted among out-of-town tourists in Guizhou, covering diverse demographics such as gender, age, education, income, and place of residence. The results reveal overall satisfaction, areas for improvement, and recommendations for further enhancing Guizhou's tourism industry.


Introduction
The tourism industry has become a thriving economic sector globally, playing a crucial role in the economic growth and social development of various regions.Southwest China's Guizhou province is renowned for its abundant natural landscapes, diverse cultural heritage, and unique cuisine.In recent years, the tourism industry in Guizhou has rapidly flourished, attracting a significant number of tourists from other regions who come to explore its magnificent landscapes and rich cultural diversity.However, to further enhance the competitiveness and appeal of Guizhou's tourism industry, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives and expectations of out-of-town tourists.Visitor satisfaction and intent to recommend are typically regarded as vital indicators of the success of a tourist destination [1] .Understanding the degree of satisfaction among tourists with Guizhou as a tourist destination and whether they are willing to recommend it to friends and family is of paramount importance for the future development of the regional tourism industry.This study aims to conduct an extensive survey to delve into the satisfaction and intent to recommend Guizhou's tourist destination among out-of-town tourists.We will survey tourists with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including gender, age, education level, income level, and place of residence, among other factors.Through this comprehensive research, we hope to uncover the strengths and potential issues in Guizhou's tourism industry and propose recommendations to continually enhance visitor satisfaction and attract more tourists.

Survey Objects
This study uses literature analysis and focus group interviews to identify research variables.Considering that the focus of this study is to explore the impact of Guizhou cuisine on tourist satisfaction, our survey targets tourists who have visited Guizhou and tasted local cuisine.Our survey targets tourists from diverse backgrounds, including different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and income levels.

Survey Time and Location
Our investigation includes two channels: offline fieldwork and online surveys.The fieldwork will take place from July 30, 2023, to August 10, 2023, at Huaxi Commercial Street in Guiyang.The online survey will be conducted from August 11, 2023, to August 20, 2023.

Survey Methods and Tools
We use survey and data analysis methods to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of food image on destination image, tourist satisfaction, and tourist behavioral intentions.This study covers surveys and analysis in various aspects such as the tourism market, tourism products, tourism services, and tourism consumers.Considering the focus of this study on the impact of Guizhou cuisine on tourist satisfaction, we conducted offline field surveys at Huaxi Commercial Street in Guiyang, Guizhou.At the same time, we also used the online survey platform, QuestionStar, for online surveys.The questionnaire includes personal basic information such as gender, age, education level, place of residence, monthly income, and occupation of respondents who have tasted Guizhou cuisine and have visited Guizhou.In addition, the questionnaire also includes questions about the image of Guizhou cuisine and satisfaction with Guizhou tourism.In terms of traditional measurement variables, we used a Likert 5-point scale, where 1 represents "completely inconsistent," 2 represents "inconsistent," 3 represents "neutral," 4 represents "consistent," and 5 represents "very consistent." [2]

Investigation Process
First, design a survey covering Guizhou tourist destination satisfaction, tourist behavior intentions, and other aspects.Then, we distribute the questionnaire to respondents of different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and income levels to ensure diverse feedback and gain a comprehensive understanding of tourists' perspectives on Guizhou tourist destinations.Data collection is conducted through two methods: online, we publish the questionnaire to collect opinions of out-of-town tourists regarding Guizhou cuisine image and tourism satisfaction.At the same time, offline, we interview relevant tourists and conduct surveys to obtain another set of data.Throughout the entire process, a total of 300 questionnaires were distributed, of which 278 were valid questionnaires, achieving a response rate of 92%.During the data cleaning process, one invalid questionnaire was excluded, resulting in 277 valid questionnaires with an effectiveness rate of 96.2%.This comprehensive survey method enables us to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of tourists' perspectives on Guizhou, particularly regarding cuisine and tourism satisfaction, and helps us draw more representative conclusions.

Problem Design
First, a survey questionnaire containing 14 questions was created, dividing the questions into two main parts: demographic basic information and questions regarding satisfaction and intention to recommend.The demographic basic information section includes 8 questions covering gender, age, annual income, and place of residence.Regarding satisfaction and intention to recommend, we designed a total of 6 questions.In terms of measuring tourist satisfaction with Guizhou as a destination, it includes 3 questions: (1) Overall, I am relatively satisfied with the tourism development in Guizhou.(2) Compared to other tourist destinations, I am relatively satisfied with Guizhou.3. Compared to my expectations, I am relatively satisfied with the tourism development in Guizhou [3] .For measuring the intention to recommend Guizhou as a tourist destination, it also includes 3 questions: 1.I would share positive opinions about Guizhou cuisine with others.2. I would recommend Guizhou cuisine to my family or friends.(3) When others inquire, I would recommend Guizhou cuisine [4] .

Analysis of Personal Situation of Tourists Visiting Guizhou
Table 1 shows a summary of the personal characteristics of the sample.In terms of gender, males accounted for 47.2% and females accounted for 52.8%.The age distribution is wide, with 25.0% of the individuals below 18 years old, 22.4% aged between 18-25, 31.1% aged between 26-35, 13.3% aged between 36-50, and 8.2% aged 51 years and above.The educational level of the respondents is diverse, with 12.7% having a junior high school education or below, 30.2% having a high school/vocational education, 12.3% having an associate degree, 38.9% having a bachelor's degree, and 6.0% having a graduate degree or above.The income distribution is relatively even, with 19.1% earning less than 1500 yuan per month, 20.7% earning between 1500-3000 yuan per month, 29.9% earning between 3001-6000 yuan per month, 20.3% earning between 6001-10000 yuan per month, and 9.9% earning more than 10000 yuan per month.The occupations are diverse, with 17.9% being students, 20.7% being self-employed, 14.0% being civil servants or employees of public institutions, 34.8% being employed in the private sector, and 12.7% engaged in other occupations.The Southwest region has the highest proportion of residents, reaching 71.0%, while other regions have smaller proportions.The information sources are diverse, with 46.8% obtaining information through internet media, 24.6% through recommendations from relatives and friends, and the rest from news, books, brochures, and other channels.It is important to note that all respondents have been to Guizhou.These data provide demographic background information for subsequent research.

Analysis of tourist satisfaction for tourists coming to Guizhou
As shown in Table 2, overall, tourists to Guizhou's tourist destinations are quite satisfied with the development of tourism in Guizhou.40.2% of respondents chose "compliant" and 39.9% chose "very compliant".The total proportion of the remaining three options is less than 20%.This indicates that tourists to Guizhou's tourist destinations generally have a positive impression of Guizhou.However, in the second question, when respondents were asked to compare with other tourist destinations, 34.3% chose "very compliant", 36.2% chose "compliant", 25.5% chose "average", and the total proportion of the remaining two options was 4.2%.The results of this question show that compared to other places, Guizhou's tourism development faces a significant gap.This may be due to the gap between Guizhou and certain cities in terms of tourism resources and infrastructure, highlighting some problems in the development of Guizhou's tourism industry.The third question involves comparing with personal expectations.37.6% of respondents chose "very compliant", 40.2% chose "compliant", 18.6% chose "average", and the total proportion of the remaining options was 3.4%.This indicates that although some people do not have high expectations for the development prospects of Guizhou due to its relatively backward economy, overall, most respondents still hold a positive attitude towards the development of tourism in Guizhou.It should be noted that this question involves comparing with personal expectations, and some people may not have high expectations for the development of Guizhou tourism in the first place, so even if the result is positive, it reflects their actual level of expectation  This section focuses on the attitude of tourists towards promoting Guizhou cuisine.According to the results in Table 3, firstly, in the first question, respondents were asked whether they were willing to share positive views on Guizhou cuisine with others.The results showed that 44% of the respondents chose "strongly agree", while 37% chose "agree".Only 14.4% of the respondents chose "neutral", and the total percentage for the remaining two options was 4.3%.This indicates that many people who visit Guizhou have a high opinion of its cuisine.Considering the diversity and rich taste of Guizhou cuisine, tourists from other regions are willing to share their positive views on Guizhou cuisine with others.Secondly, in the second question, when asked whether they would recommend Guizhou cuisine to their family or friends, 46.1% of the respondents chose "very appropriate", while 35.4% chose "appropriate".Only 15.1% of the respondents chose "neutral", and the total percentage for the remaining two options was 3.6%.This indicates that Guizhou cuisine is recognized by a large number of tourists and meets their expectations in terms of taste and nutrition, suitable for people of all ages.Finally, in the third question, when respondents were asked whether they would recommend Guizhou cuisine when consulted by others, 48.8% of the respondents chose "strongly agree", while 32.5% chose "agree".Only 16.2% of the respondents chose "neutral", and the total percentage for the remaining two options was 2.6%.Guizhou cuisine is highly popular for its unique flavor, and after tasting it once, tourists usually find it unforgettable.As shown in Table 3.

The problems in the development of tourism in Guizhou.
1) Lack of competitiveness compared to other tourist destinations: Surveys show that a considerable proportion of tourists perceive a significant gap in the tourism development of Guizhou when compared to other tourist destinations.This may be attributed to the investments made by other regions in tourism resources, infrastructure, and promotion.Guizhou needs more investment and strategic planning to enhance its competitiveness against other tourist destinations.
2) Relatively low expectations of tourists towards Guizhou tourism: Although tourists express overall satisfaction with Guizhou, a significant proportion of them indicate lower satisfaction when comparing it to their personal expectations.This suggests that the tourism image and attractiveness of Guizhou may need further enhancement to meet higher expectations of tourists.This may require improvements in tourism services, promotional strategies, and the provision of more diversified tourism experiences.
3) Need for improved promotion and visibility: Survey results indicate that although Guizhou cuisine is highly recognized by tourists, there is still a portion of tourists who are not familiar with or have not heard of Guizhou as a tourist destination.This indicates the need for improved promotion and visibility of Guizhou to attract more tourists.Increasing the region's visibility may require more proactive marketing and promotional activities to attract more tourists to explore the unique aspects of Guizhou.

Reason Analysis
1) Guizhou is located on the Yungui Plateau, with no plains and mostly mountains.Its economic development is relatively backward, and the government finds it difficult to allocate funds to build large-scale tourist areas.In recent years, Guizhou's development has been slow, and the government's finances are relatively poor.Therefore, Guizhou has invested less in public services, resulting in less than ideal regional development.
2) The government and the tourism bureau lack sufficient promotional efforts and fail to seize tourism hotspots.The tourism bureau is not good at identifying local characteristics for promotion to attract more tourists.Lack of innovation and promotion have led to slow development.
3) Guizhou's local cuisine and red tourism resources have to a certain extent promoted the development of the tourism industry, attracting many tourists from outside the region.However, the infrastructure has not been perfected, and there is insufficient regulatory oversight of tourism services, resulting in overall low service quality.

Conclusion
1) Positive overall satisfaction: Tourists to Guizhou generally have a positive attitude towards the tourism development in Guizhou, indicating the region's potential to attract tourists.2) Need to enhance competitiveness: Tourists believe that Guizhou lags behind other tourist destinations in terms of competition and requires increased investment, improved infrastructure, and promotion.3)Mismatch between expectations and actual experience: Despite the high overall satisfaction, tourists have lower satisfaction in comparison to their individual expectations, highlighting the need for improvement in tourism experience and service quality.

Development Suggestions
Firstly, Guizhou should enhance its competitiveness.This can be achieved by improving the quality of tourism infrastructure, including transportation, accommodation, and tourist facilities.At the same time, organizing various tourism activities, festivals, and cultural experiences is also an effective way to attract more tourists.Secondly, meeting higher tourist expectations is crucial.To do so, Guizhou can further improve tourism services and provide more diversified tourism experiences, including improving food and accommodation conditions, optimizing tourist routes, providing better tour guide services, and promoting cultural exchanges, among others.In addition, strengthening publicity and marketing efforts are necessary steps to increase regional visibility.This can be achieved through collaboration with travel agencies, increasing online advertising and social media promotions, actively participating in tourism exhibitions, and so on.
Guizhou should also explore its local characteristics and fully utilize its abundant local cultural and culinary resources to promote its unique culture and cuisine and attract more tourists.Lastly, continuous improvement is the key to ensuring a sustained increase in tourist satisfaction.Guizhou should regularly monitor tourist feedback and continuously improve tourism experiences and services to maintain attractiveness and promote economic development.By implementing these suggestions, Guizhou can better promote the development of the tourism industry, attract more tourists, and drive regional economic prosperity.

Table 1 :
Descriptive statistical analysis of individual characteristics of the sample.

Table 2 :
Satisfaction Level of Tourists towards the Tourism Development in Guizhou Destination

Table 3 :
Attitudes and Practices of Tourists towards Guizhou Cuisine