Why Do Tourists Buy Culture? An Investigation of Demographic Differences in Cultural Souvenir Preferences among Chinese Tourists

Abstract

This study investigates how demographic factors shape Chinese tourists’ preferences for cultural souvenir design and influence their purchase intentions. Despite the significance of souvenir consumption in tourism, the role of consumer demographics remains underexplored, especially in the Chinese outbound market. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and semiotics, this research examines how gender, age, income, and education affect evaluations of three design attributes—aesthetic value, care & travel convenience, and uniqueness—and their moderating role in shaping purchase intention. Based on survey data from 620 domestic Chinese tourists, structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression reveal that all four demographic factors not only influence design preferences but also significantly moderate their effect on purchase intention. For example, women are more sensitive to symbolic aesthetics, older and higher-income tourists respond more strongly to design features, and higher education enhances design influence. The study extends consumer behavior theory by establishing demographics as key moderators and offers practical implications for segmented marketing and design strategies in cultural tourism.