The Heartland of the United States as Destinations for the Inbound Market from China

The proposed study develops an integrated multi-disciplinary framework for studying behavior of international business/convention travel market and provides research-based information about inbound Chinese business/convention travelers to the U.S. heartland. This study will focus on investigating market profiles, business/entrepreneurial behavior, use of websites and social media, expectations, destination image, and future intention to visit the U.S. heartland for business/convention and pleasure. Methods to achieve the objectives of the study include meta-analyses, focus groups, and onsite survey. Current and potential Chinese business/convention travelers to the U.S. heartland will be interviewed and surveyed in the U.S. and China respectively. Specific deliverable of the proposed study includes: 1. A behavioral framework of international business/convention travel. The framework delineates how behavior of business/convention travelers is influenced by information technology development and interrelated with external systems, such as business/ entrepreneurial network and social-economic environment. 2. A demographic profile of inbound Chinese business/convention travelers to the U.S. heartland. The demographic profile study will provide information about who they are, how they know about the U.S. heartland, and what their trip characteristics are. 3. A behavioral profile of current and potential Chinese business/convention travel markets. The behavioral profile study will provide information about expectations of current and potential Chinese business/convention travelers, experience of current Chinese business/convention travelers in the U.S. heartland, and their intention to travel to the U.S. heartland for business/convention or pleasure in the future. 4. Destination image of the U.S. heartland in the minds of current and potential Chinese business/convention travelers. Major features and components of the U.S. heartland travel brand will be identified through analyzing the categorical data and quantitative data from focus group interview and onsite survey respectively. 5. External factors influencing the travel behavior of inbound Chinese business/convention travelers to the U.S. heartland. This involves empirical examination of the impacts of business/entrepreneurial behavior, information technology use and social-economic system on travel behavior in the context of international business/convention travel.