Perceived risk, travel preferences and style of tourists in selected tourist destinations at Nueva Valencia, Guimaras

Abstract

Island of Guimaras is trying to position itself to become one of the major tourist destinations in the country and aspires to be an alternative to the world-renowned Boracay. According to the record of Guest Assistance Center (2009), a total of212,938 local and foreign tourists have visited the island province. Despite the influx of tourists in the area, statistics about tourists obtained by the Department of Tourism (DOT) focus mainly on the number of tourists and their personal characteristics. If the DOT wants to improve its tourism programs, a more intensive study about tourists is needed. This study determined the profile of Guimaras tourists, their perceived risks, travel style and preferences. Moreover, the study also determined the relationship among study variables. Personal interviews with 355 randomly selected tourists were conducted in May 2011in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, the municipality with the most number of tourist spots in the province. Findings revealed that most of tourists were young adults, male, single, college educated and professionals. Eight in ten were from the Visayas region, while only 8.7 percent were foreigners. Most of the tourists reached Guimaras through non-package tour and learned about the place from friends and relatives, very few from other sources. Most have visited at least twice and usually travel in groups. The top preferences of the travelers are beaches and beautiful sceneries which Guimaras is known for. The two main risks perceived were physical and climate risks. Related with perceived risks is place of origin, while age, educational attainment, travel arrangement are significantly related with preferred amenities. Sex, age, civil status, place of origin and travel arrangement are related with travel style.