Brand Value: Excavating and Management of Tourism in the Rural and Village Region

黄 捷(译)

[Abstract] In the last few years the tourism in the rural and village region develops rapidly in our country, each major and medium city suburb village traveling rate of rise is in particular quicker. The Chinas tourism in the rural and village region started late, it is facing a more complex environment. Because the good brand means product quality and prestige, the modern commercial society has already been a society which a commodity brand ubiquitously. As a service product which can take to people the multi-positions enjoy, people will tend to choose those famous bands. At present, certain brands in tourism in the rural and village region has formed without unification thought. As a result of kinds of factor influence, those bands are scattered in disorder and disorder, which affected the further development of the tourism in the rural and village region 。This text is about the brand excavating and management in tourism in the rural and village region

[Key words] tourism in the rural and village region tourism band; band Significance; band management

Part I

The Conception of Tourism in the Rural and Village Area and of the Brand of Tourism

The development of China's tourism industry has entered the era of international competition which is deemed to be stiff and cruel. Due to the trends of the development of tourism in the rural and village region, the travel industry in the rural area, or as we define in this paper as “tourism in the rural and village region” (here the “rural and village area” are defined as a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined in the latter part of this thesis as R.A.C. for short) in China has matured gradually from the start. On this stage, viewed from the perspective of development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) the operators（here they may refer to the government，the enterprises，the personals or any nature or law person who is engaged in such an industry of travelling）are now facing a problem of how to absorb the city and how to absorb more people involved in tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), and how to increase tourism revenue and how to protect the ecological environment with organic combination. They are all very important issues. The key of the solution is to enhance tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and attach to its products with international competitiveness of the tourism in which brand is an important factor of international competitiveness. How to enhance brand awareness？ The usage of brand competition policy and the creation of the tourism brand of international standing should be mentioned as the key to the development of China's tourism industry that is always known to be having a strategy to focus on ‘key issues“, especially in tourism in the rural and the development of village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short).

I.The Concept of Tourism in the Rural and Village Region and the Related Status Quo.

In recent years, tourism in the rural and village region (alternatively called rural area or RA or village area of China or VAC for short) in China has developed rapidly, especially in the major cities outskirts where tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is growing faster than other places. Due to this fact that Chinas tourism in the rural and village region (alternatively called rural area or RA for short) starts late, the problems are more numerous and complex. Modern commercial society has the reputation to be a brand ubiquitous society; because a good brand means that the product quality and reputation are guaranteed. As the one to be able to bring people to enjoy multi-faceted service offerings, it is also bound to be selected and it tends to search and co-operate with well-known brands. At present, China's tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) also formed a certain brand, but due to various factors, the lack of a unified ideology is still a problem, by which the observers has pointed out that these brands have become scattered and disorganized, and the image of the brand is also very vague, affecting the further development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). We discussed the problem of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)and the development of brand, and try to make some suggestions of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) as soon as possible to embark on the road of mature development.

（I） The Concept of Tourism in the Rural and Village Region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and Tourism Brand

In recent years, with the new demands of urban residents travel, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has been in rapid development, in which the city residents to meet the entertainment for knowledge and a way to travel back to nature. The development of tourism in the rural and village region has broaden the channels of farmers' income and has led to the development of relevant industries in rural and village regions, which is of great significance to change the rural landscape, and promote urban and rural development, building a new socialist countryside.

A. The Concept of Tourism in the Rural and Village Region

The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is an important part of modern tourism (tourism as a beneficial part of integrity in the modern economy). The so-called tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) relies heavily on these tourist attraction tourism activities to attract tourists to the village. Broadly speaking, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is a general term for various tourism activities in the countryside.

All occurred in rural and village regions, natural bucolic rural characteristics of the rural folk culture, farming culture, cultural clusters, residential and cultural forms of tourism as a tourist attraction to attract tourists are tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short).

B. The status of Development of Tourism in the Rural and Village Region

The origin of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) can be dated back to the eightieth century（some scholars insist on nineteen century），to be more precisely，it was originated in France in 1885,and from the 1880s people around industrialized Europe has begun to witness a large-scale development in tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the United States, Japan and other developed countries all of which have undergone a growth in tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) by a considerable scale and on a standardized development track. Compared with these developed countries which we have mentioned in the above article, the development of China's tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has suffered from a relatively late start, but the good momentum of development. Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) development and construction, not only for the city residents a new tourism and leisure geographical space, opened up a new way for farmers to get rich and rural development. Local government attaches great importance vigorously to the implementation of government-led development strategy, as the resources of tourism and tourist attractions and development efforts play an inevitably important role in the increasing of infrastructure and its perfection, from which brands gain advantage in the formation of comprehension and at the same time benefits have also increased.

At present, all over the country the governments，the enterprises and the people all tend to carry out the practice of tourism and especially those in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) with the aim of financial watch and by means of study, learn, government participation, entertainment, shopping and vacation in the direction of an integrated development, in order to adapt the local economy to the modern city ，which is no doubt a representation of growing desire for the Chinese people and their government to get rid of a growing model of fast-paced complex, leading to the hustles and bustles of pollution such as the needs of the urban environment.

（II） The Concept about the Brand of Tourism in the Rural and Village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)

According to Philip Kotlar, an expert in Marketing from the United States, the brand can be defined as a name, a term, a sign, a symbol or a pattern, or be combined with each other to identify products or services of one seller or group of sellers, with the competition compared to the rival products and services to distinguish it.

Tourism needs many elements to build up a successful brand such as the brand name, the logo or symbol of the tour operator established by virtue of their products and services on behalf of their products and services image, and combined with each other. The unity of the corporate brand and product brand embodies the personality of the tourism product and consumer high degree of recognition. The tourism brand also gives tourists a wide range of selection to make a choice and bring them a unique spirit of enjoyment commitment of interest. It is built on the unique tourism resources or tourist area, associated with a specific tourism product or tourism product groups. Tourism brand can also contain two forms: one is a tourist attraction-based tourism, and the other is a provision of tourism services based brand. The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the building of its brand are based on the village main attractions including all aspects of a holistic awareness. The tourism in the rural and village region has a brand essence which is built on tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) resource base to fully show the good character of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), to form a good awareness so that they have been longing for a sense of the overall tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in the minds of the tourists. Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand serve as a carrier of culture which is the key and spirit of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and an accumulation of resources, facilities and services.

Secondly, the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) can help rooster the development and building of its brand value

Part II

The Value of Brand in Tourism

The conception of brand is to create a sustainable, stable and unique network with intangible benefits of competition and by means of good sales performance of the brand in the market and to set up a more stable relationship with the customer, in which they gradually accumulated brand value. The brand value is undoubtedly an important part in which the intangible assets of the enterprise come to combine themselves. Established good brand will give tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) what kind of positive effect? Brand is in favor of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) to attract business and expand the base of customers

The well-known brand is a complex of good quality in many fields from service to cultural meaning and it is a symbol of prestige, but a successful brand also means that it has a larger market share. When the consumer acceptance of the brand, the consumer word of mouth can often reflect the promotional effect is greater than the advertising and promotion. And tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in the face of the target groups are mostly urban population, brand awareness has penetrated in their lives. There is a point to brand them. Therefore, the brand development is conducive to tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) to attract business, expand our customer base.

Brand can help establish a good image, enhance the competitiveness of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)

The twenty-first century is the era of brand marketing, in which big brands or a strong brand are always serving and working as a powerful weapon or a complexion of powerful weapons of competition in the market in which the value of brand is viewed as the most valuable asset. Since China's accession to the WTO, China's tourism industry faced a global competitive market, as other industries have ever experienced, the brand has become an important means of competition in the tourism market. Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in the face of a vast market and fierce competition, to raise awareness and enhance corporate image, to form a competitive brand advantage. Distinctive brand positioning and unique brand image can effectively enhance the scenic market competitiveness.

Brand is in favor of the support of the media, government and other enterprises

Developing a well-known brand of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is conducive to all levels of media attention and actively spread and it is also conducive to positive help and support of the government, but also the development of a brand is able to get a good impression of the other related industries with the formation of brand cohesion to get more support. In order to better the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short),the development of brand is very in need.

Brand is conducive to the steady improvement of the level of tourism

Branding or the building of a successful brand should be a process which is in need to combine the study of knowledge universally with variable in-depth research process. From original scenic guide words, circuit diagram, planning, museum, organization, the reports and feedbacks to the value of brand can be seen clearly in the preparation of the report, which are treated and regarded as a result of the accumulation of knowledge through a theoretical process of sublimation. The power of brand will not only affect on a tourists resort of choices, and it will also gradually become more effective on relevant disciplines, such as scientific research, education and science base. Therefore, to build a tourism brand, we need to and we are able to improve the content of scientific knowledge of the tourism industry, tourism level has improved steadily.

Part III

The Problems in the Development

Of the Tourism in the Rural and Village Area in China

And Possible Solutions

At present, China's tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has unique tourism resources more formed a certain brand, but due to various factors, the lack of a unified ideology, these brands become scattered and disorganized, the image of the brand is also very vague, impact on the further development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short).

I Brand awareness, and the Serious Short-term Behavior

First of all, compared with the mature tourism products, the brand development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) with the development of level of products is both still in the time of infancy, with a lot of blind points that many people have ignore for such a long time. Although the brand has become the mantra of many tourism sectors, but the understanding and the views among the majority of people only stay at the promotional level, as there are inevitably some errors in brand awareness. Tourism, tourist attractions and tourism enterprises are all in lack of brand awareness, and this mode of operation has been difficult to adapt to the needs of the current tourism market competition, the inevitable result of a weak brand awareness is low-level low-quality tourism products to enrich the market, the high rate of tourist complaints. The indifference of the brand awareness is an important reason for restricting the development of the tourism industry. Secondly, serious short-term behavior. The successful development of a tourism brand is a long process, neither be achieved overnight, more than the development of the end of the end, the need to persist in the long-term efforts to maintain a tourism brand. The quick success of the short-term behavior in reality still exists, seriously restricted the development of tourism brand.

The development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is also a lack of awareness of the overall development, coordination is not strong.

With the accelerated process of urbanization in China, the suburban countryside has suffered from a symptom famous in China as a ‘serious urban bias phenomenon, and consequently it has been dragged in to the loss of many natural and semi-natural ecological environment and rural landscape. Part of the rural farmers to tourists garbage disposal improper hygiene conditions are not standardized, and caused great damage to the natural environment, especially water environment. Farmyard architectural style, entertainment, a variety of dishes, convergence, there are no outstanding characteristics, the overall attractiveness is not strong. Most people have not fully understood the core values of the brand and the real meaning and master the quick success of the short-term behavior in reality still exists, mostly from the level of understanding of the promotional "information dissemination" and "create the image, the focus is short-term direct marketing results, with little real high level of awareness of the brand "brand management" to create strategic significance. The Brand is not a Strong Player in the Market, and the Efforts in Brand Building Along With Necessary Promotion has Shown to be not enough

The lack of experience in the operation of the market, with brand positioning allowed, can not effectively use the comparatively（to the developed markets） limited resources and advantages. Meanwhile, in marketing, the positioning is vulnerable to the de-promotion of bringing greater cost disadvantage and poor promotion of efficiency. Promotional activities there are also arbitrary and temporary promotion efforts is not enough, and so on. At present, the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) resources and cultural content, the smaller ornamental value, the value of brand extension are not well reflected the impact of tourists on the culture of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand loyalty.

II Tourism in the rural and village region is still immature

The lack of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) leads to a lack of market influence and results in lasting attractive brand of tourism products to visitors. Travel products and services vary with invisible difference accompanied with the phenomenon of the synchronization of the production and consumption which can not be stored and thus has caused some difficulties to control the quality of the tourism products and services, concerning both tourism brand and the special nature of the tourism product, a factor of determination in which the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand should obey the principles of variability and complexity. Despite some of the villages rich in tourism resources, history, culture, landscape many of which have a higher value, but because of the development and the fact that publicity is not enough, and thus tourism flagship product is less influential, but also it can not produce strong brand radiation force. From the product structure, food, housing and line have formed a series of facts that "tourism product development is beginning to take shape, travel, shopping and entertainment." All the three elements of development are relatively backward, whereas the high degree of homogeneity in the tourism market shares a lower share of tourism products in the market that is less competitive. Tourism product development is not enough in China. Tourists have availably stored enough money for a trip to buy travel products and souvenirs. The cultural landscape is in lack of development and without the help of the rich resource of traditional folk culture. Judging from the quality of service and the external environment for the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) the services should be equipped with several different components rather than formed by a single-dimensional and non-standard serie of services. In lack of entertainment and leisure projects, a single product of tourism is deemed to be in lack of quality and it is not suitable for the needs of modern tourism (tourism as a beneficially economic part in the modern economy) market. It cannot meet the multi-level visitors, especially young people that are known to be a knowledge generation, whose needs include a wide range from music to cultural tradition. Their interests are not really from the green ecological tourism but come out of a point of view to increase the participation of visitors.

III The management system is incomplete, restricting the brand development

Industry issues have always been a problem in China's tourism development of heart disease. For a long time, tourism enterprises widespread investment diversification and the models of accounting are not unified. As swarm phenomena come and go, and the development of low-level and short-sighted profit-driven behavior, and even the vicious cycle of price-cutting competition, seriously restricting the establishment of the tourism brand. At the same time, some tourism brand established tourism brand users think that everything is all right, sit back and enjoy the lack of full use of the well-known brands, appropriate development and rational protection.

And the development of China's tourism brand is still in its infancy, for which the evidences are everywhere：from the market operation experience to the brand positioning allowance. All can not effectively turn the limited resources into advantage. Meanwhile, in marketing, the current positioning is vulnerable to the threat of bringing greater cost and thus disadvantage and poor promotion of efficiency must come later. Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand development and management system is not perfect, the lack of effective standardized management and enhance brand value means.

Part IV

The Source Market and Brand Communication

The development of any tourist attractions must rely on a stable source market, despite of the current tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) which also have some source as it is notorious for its poor stability and narrow market. Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) mainly rely on tourists from neighboring areas, while other parts of the little visitors are a comparatively less reliable but potential source. On the other hand, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is highly seasonal. Rural tourisms development has an initial period, for the majority of land outside the off-season visitors to the farm park, but definitely a very small amount; outside the tourist season, the tourists are mainly local tourists, while people can only find very few foreign tourists. This leads to the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development of building of its brand，which is difficult to form a long-standing brand. The problems mainly have been discovered in the process of how to expand the tourist market and to increase the amount of tourists, especially foreign tourists, so that the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and the building of its brand play the key role to help become a major step in the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short).

In the next paragraph，the author tends to talk about the excavation and management of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand

China has engaged in tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), is very rich in resources, our country have a strong cultural foundation, every place can come up with their own characteristics of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand. tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) can be combined with local development of rural industries, for example, the Huairou county in Beijing has engaged in most of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and is developing specialty in trout breeding, while the county of Pinggu has engage in a relatively different route to the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and peach industry, and the city of Fangshan has engaged in tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and has mountain specialties which is featured in the agricultural development. Every place is suitable for its own development of the industry. The county of Hengdian, a county located and being current1y an integrated and active part of Zhejiang, province in the East and a p1ace by the East China Sea, engage the National Farmers Tourism Festival, the positioning to the actual needs of farmers, its brand design worked out very successful. To good to explore the potential for development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) resources, its intention to return to nature, Song is still sentiment for the purpose. A good brand is always able to give consumers a rich and unique brand association. Lenovo first a psychological orientation, followed by the brand influence people's purchasing decisions. Who can hit a good brand, will have dominated the market of the capital, it can come out on top. Therefore, the management of the brand is particularly important. To explain and represent he excavation of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand，a follow framework has been spotted out.

1. Concerned with image design

The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) should have a brand image that is to establish a long-lasting, stable and reliable brand for tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), travel the minds of consumers, and establish the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) emotional cognitive, there is a certain sense of trust, and consumers there is a difference, is that the differentiation to attract tourists interested in improving their buying interest, and ultimately the formation of the intangible assets of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand.

(1) The development and building of its brand logo

Each brand has a flag; and this flag constitutes the main component of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand identity. Symbols, patterns, colors and related things are all to indicate the nature of something clever brand logo. For example, the logo of "Sea World” is the famous hippocampus, and Mickey Mouse is always serving as a Disneyland logo. In addition, by virtue of this flag, the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the relevant products featured some of the tourist areas to promote "green food" by signs to attract city people buying interest. Brand logo should have a kind of affinity propagation, brand strength. Such as Beijing Ecological Park, whose promotion of eco-products is the cultivation of agricultural products for green products, is stiffed by the fact that the ‘city people like tourism.

(3) And the development and building of its brand logo and related problems

In the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)the theme of tourism is unanimously the same which refers to a return to nature, but the methods are different and variable, which have a certain amount of imagination. Also there are hot springs, but the customers should also have the different characteristics of the service, unless it would be difficult to attract tourists. China，in the aging years, needs a type of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) that can be considered to meet the needs of special populations, with low cost and secured safety. And health and other methods can be used to attract some tourists. Shorten the distance, including psychological distance and the actual distance (trip distance). This can be designed for the elderly amount of brand logo.

(4) The image of the brand positioning

Let some get rich first, is the truth. Chinese people's consumption habits and lifestyles are changing. The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is something new has been accepted by more and more people, the pursuit of fashion, pay attention to comfort, self-perfection, the challenge naturally become the wishes and needs of the new era of young people. This purpose must be to make the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) characteristics, and these points lead the market to meet consumer demand by creating a brand image.

2. To improve the quality of the product

An important determinant of the brand is its quality that can be observed. Those brands of high-quality products work well than the brands of low-quality products. And the investment or the income are more efficient than sales revenue by surpassing by twice or more. High-quality products can bring higher profits mainly in two ways: First, high-quality improved market share, and resulted in lower unit costs through economies of scale. The difference mainly comes from the advantage in the grade of commodity. Therefore, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) urges the operators to improve brand value, for it is necessary to further improve the quality of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the quality of products. The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) needs to improve or upgrade the quality of products with state-of-the-art intrinsic quality and appearance quality. Property refers to the basic utility of the tourism brand for tourists, that is, the value in use, such as high-quality tourism products, quality service, rich experience experienced care. Brand level is higher than the product, but the brand is based, to reflect the value of the products. So a successful model for tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand to focus first on the quality of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) products. For tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in order to obtain create a good brand image, for it is necessary to improve the quality of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and to provide high quality products to the travelling consumer. Many models and patterns of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has urged the operators to come back to choose the original farm experience equivalent to the reduction without modification, unsanitary, non-standard as a selling point, thinking that would give tourists honest feeling. This is not an error conception but rather hinder the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). A brand of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is built on good product quality, it is necessary to attach importance to tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) standardization of business, pay attention to the improvement of the quality of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) products.

3. Improve the service system

The quality of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is totally tied to the products only through tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)when operators need to provide quality services to tourists who are involved in the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and for consumers and the feelings and awareness could be so that consumers are willing to purchase and use of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)the quality of relevant products and get the most satisfaction. To create a high-quality brand service system, the authority has increasingly becoming an important weapon of the brand strategy to provide customers with satisfactory service. The competition in the future is competition, and the degree of perfection of the service system whiles the service quality of the degree and the resulting customer satisfaction of the brand, which will become the biggest touchstone for future competition. The classical service system has become a successful brand is the most important sustainable differential advantage. Products can be easily imitated by competitors, while services are mainly depending on the attitude of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) which is a good lesson to the operators and the formation of cultural, and it is difficult to competitors to imitate. tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) for consumers have the desire to purchase a tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand, in essence, buying a service quality and meeting the need of consumer safety commitments or credit guarantee. Of rural areas the tourists start on the expectations of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand once to form a contract between the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand strong relationship of the tourists, and this phenomenon is an invisible guarantee. The development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has urged that the operators must establish their own quality in all respects, to improve the quality of services, we continue to meet the expectations of consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short).

4. Maintain brand loyalty

Consumers in a period of time even for a long time tend to repeat the selection of a brand and a tendency to repeatedly purchase a certain product or to follow loyally a certain brand of services, showing brand loyalty as it is called in this paper. Enhancing the brand value of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) should continue to establish and maintain brand loyalty. As the market continues to expand, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) operators have found that does not mean the same direction of the profits into increased market penetration. tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). The marketing focus should be turned to the pursuit of the quality of the market share, that is to say, the creation and strengthen its brand position, to cultivate consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has been a part of the development and building of its brand recognition and tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand loyalty, in order to improve the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand value. First of all, attention should be paid to tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand loyalty systematic training and coherence. Not only attach importance to consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the activities on a tour brand loyalty culture, and strengthen their sense of loyalty. After exploring even beyond their satisfaction with the services and care, such as by providing satisfaction and timely communication tourists, understand their new needs and ideas to further improve service levels. Secondly, we should pay attention to play the role of advertising in the process of building brand loyalty. Finally, it should be noted that to maintain the brand loyalty of consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). Winning a brand loyalty of consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is a gradual process that requires full use of direct marketing resources to nurture tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the consumers of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development have both paid attention to the building of a stale sense of brand loyalty, especially among the tourism consumers in the face of a number of selectable tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand competition in the market environment. The maintenance of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the consumer-attracting brand loyalty of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) are particularly important.

(II) Recommendations for the management of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and its brand value

1. Strengthen brand awareness and make out a clear strategy of brand development

The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is relying on the strengthening of brand awareness and the development and building of its brand management which is a systematic engineering, requiring the integration and co-ordination of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)and all relevant resources. Based on the status quo of the development of the tourism industry, the scientific development of tourism needs relevant brand development strategy and the strategy of brand awareness is the primary focus of the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand building is also concerned. This strategic framework should be based on local tourism resources characteristics, infrastructure conditions and market development status, through scientific argumentation analysis, to determine the future direction of the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand, target, size and speed, overall construction of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand development strategy the system. Further，the strengthening of brand awareness is seeking similarity in the product differentiation characteristics, aiming to establish their own brand personality and brand positioning based on the needs and motivations of tourists, as far as possible the needs of tourists are met, so that the tourists in the selection of similar tourism products exclusive choice of their own products. The value of proposition is to seek the interests of the brand which is consistent with the pursuit of the interests of the core values of tourists, so that tourists can get what they expect from the brand, product and service price anatomizes, allowing tourists to get the value of the brand, products and services meet to improve brand management of economic benefits.

2. Strengthen the brand innovation, to achieve the sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short)

Tourism brand development involves all aspects, both with regard to the government, attractions, tourism enterprises and residents, also related to the legislative, the executive and the administrative factor; which are all related to the comprehensive development and utilization of tourism resources and also related to the natural environment and ecological protection and sustainable development aspects. Brand building, brand management is a long-term, systematic, scientific work; it must be in accordance with the method, step-by-step stages, scientific planning and management of the brand.

The well-designed recreation projects should be set up as good examples. Since the main source for the local area are comparatively distributed in some certain areas, to ensure quality of service at the same time, we need to focus on tourism projects that should be of the value of high quality entertainment, participatory mainly to do the changing more often. tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) activities should be based to carry out the activities of hiking, horseback riding, camping barbecue, fishing, farming, harvesting, farm access to day trips or day tour. The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) should focus on different market segments, to further tap the advantage of their own resources, high starting point, high-grade, high-level development and combination of design have a comparative advantage, their own distinctive characteristics of the tourism product, brand innovation, attention to social ecological and economic benefits of harmony and unity, to achieve the sustainable development of the brand.

3. To achieve the sustainable development of tourism as a core concept to guide the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand management

Sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand management are the core concept of all our efforts. From such a concept and characteristics of rural, tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is a kind of emphasis on rural resources, and the environment, no matter in economic, cultural and other forms of tourism development can be vivid in harmony and coordination. Therefore, the concept of sustainable development of tourism in the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand management strategy have all been integrated into the system, and the practice of brand management in the implementation of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short),for the development of this concept, an implementation of sustainable tourism pathway. On the other hand, sustainable tourism is not limited to tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), rural communities can not do the sustainable development of tourism can not be called tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short), tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is an integral part in the system of sustainable tourism, both part and whole, the relationship between means and ends. Sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) is an ecologically sound, economically viable, appropriate social tourism activities, is a highly effective and low consumption, pollution-free tourist activities to promote tourism development forward at the same time, to maintain the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the resources within the area rationally according to the principles of sustainable use（or sustainable growth）, protection and improvement of the ecological balance of the countryside. Sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) but also led to the development of rural economy, increase farmers' income, poverty and backwardness of rural and village regions, added new impetus to the continued growth of the rural economy in the future. Change the traditional concept of development, to eliminate the short-term behavior, is the fundamental guarantee for the implementation of the sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). Rural development and the related development of tourism in the rural and village area have turned out to get out of the road with its own characteristics in the implementation of the sustainable development of tourism.

4. Step up publicity efforts to expand the tourist market

The rural folk tourism is a new fashion in the pursuit of Chinas tourism and among foreign tourists. The implementation of brand strategy in the brand market has a decisive and final approval of the tourists travel desire and ability to buy the basic starting point, in order to improve the quality of tourism products as the core and to make full use of a variety of ways to strengthen branding efforts, active the whole society to vigorously promote their brand. The expansion of the influence of tourist loyalty and tourism brand awareness which is considered to be positive for the urban consumer market, as all promotional opportunities have been using a variety of promotional methods, and vigorously carried out market promotion, and continued to expand market coverage. The focus of promotion and advertisement should be placed on the health benefits of the environment, to stimulate people's desire to travel, some urban entertainment diverted to rural natural environment. With the introduction of the characteristics of rural folk tourism "and other brands, do a good job in highlighting the characteristics of the internal construction of individuality and the use of the Internet, and the outdoor publicity to expand its influence in order to attract more tourists and to obtain greater benefits.

IV. Strengthen integration, with shaping the tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and related brand personality

Tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand is the same project with integrity, within which the surface and the regional characteristics are bonded together, so as to pay attention to the overall coordination of the development should achieve the tourism brand's overall aesthetic coordination. The development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand development are both aiming to capitalize on the trend, step by step, in the correct understanding of the local tourist market features and changes in the law on the basis of the limited resources of the advantages. After market segment, the selection of target markets and specific location should follow the previous steps, in the market to determine the most tourist theme needs to have a competitive advantage in the market segments to expand the scope of marketing. The current development Fully reflects the basis of rural natural features, cultural background, according to the main source of aesthetic requirements, from a macro on the image of tourism to the overall layout, the image of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) in the tourism market more attractive. Enhancing the cultural quality and highlighting the cultural characteristics of rural folk. An important measure is to seize the psychological needs of the tourists, according to the local agricultural resources rational development of the tourists on the part of the local tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) to make sure of the products of interest to set up tourism projects, according to local conditions, in order to meet a variety of tourist consumer demand, formed its own unique competitiveness in the market.

At the same time, the strengthening and integration of tourism can also help booming socio-economic environment. Tourism market competition, not only is the competition of tourist attractions and quality of tourism services, including competition in the tourism environment quality. But also it can help improving tourism environmental quality, for tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) shares a market in particular that should be noted to solve these problems. Management departments at all levels need to furtherly establish and enhance service awareness, and take the initiative to do a good job services to adapt to the situation of rural development efforts to create a favorable external environment for tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short). Scientific plans along with the need starts to improve environmental construction and protection within the countryside, ensuring that the tourism in the rural and village region standardized and in order. The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) needs to be implemented in an eco-virtuous cycle. At the same time it grasps the ethical and legal affairs, the environmental construction, the improvement of the environmental quality of the image and taste of the tourism market, and all of these are combined to get the potential advantages of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) to achieve a market competition.

Part V.

Conclusion

The demand characteristics of Chinas tourism market are undergoing a series of changes, mainly for the diversification of demand, personalized, features, and branding. Urban suburban tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand have been becoming the two biggest impacting factors in the tourism market according to which the demand trends and broad market at home and abroad switch themselves to provide a basis for the development and fertile soil.The tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand has been proven to be in the long-term a beneficial business practice, which has accumulated a wealth of experience and is rich in brand strategy has not yet been properly developed. To some extent, the restriction of the sustainable development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) has restricted the potential of tourism industry in the rural area of China. With the development of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand management and related issues solved step by step, there will be more of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) and the development and building of its brand through a series of brand-name competition has successfully turned into being a strategic business development as a tourist brand, when the resource advantages into economic advantages, the promotion of tourism in the rural and village region (a geographic and socio-economic conception alternatively named as rural areas in China or coined as R.A.C. for short) ecological sustainable development, sustainable development of human resources, and the sustainable development of the rural economy and core competitiveness can be continuously improved.

Tourist Shopping Behavior in a Historic Downtown（known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area （or HDA for short，taking the city of Shenyang in the Northeast China as an example in which the studies are undertaken)

Abstract

Shopping is one of the most important activities for tourists. The purpose of this study is to describe and predict tourist shopping Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) in a downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) historic center. Reported routes of tourists in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area of Shenyang, located in the Southern part of the China, are used. A model of tourist shopping behavior is estimated to investigate differences in Route choice behavior (route choosing strategy or RCS) of various types of tourist shoppers. The results indicate that shopping supply and accessibility, some physical characteristics, and the history of the route followed are important factors influencing Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). Furthermore, it can be concluded that shopping motivations, familiarity with the area and planning of the route affect tourist Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). The model allows investigating the effects of environmental characteristics on Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) and assessing various future planning scenarios, such as changes in physical aspects of links in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area, or changes in supply of shops.

Keywords: Tourists; Shopping; Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS); Downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area; Shopping motivations

1. Introduction

Shopping is one of the most important activities for tourists. To date, research has focused on diverse themes such as: shopping as a destination attraction, cross-cultural shopping behaviors, involvement of tourist shoppers, tourists use of a shopping space, souvenir purchase intensions, and tourist expenditures. However, knowledge about actual shopping behavior of tourists is still quite limited.

As tourism is important for economic development, destination marketers and planners have the challenging task of maintaining and creating destinations and cities that provide an attractive environment for tourists and residents alike. To attract tourists and to extend their stay, a better understanding of the specific shopping behavior of tourists is important. The environment of shopping locations at a destination must be pleasing and induce approach behaviors for the retail sector to be successful. Attractive downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) historic centers are recognized as potential magnets for tourist shopping.

To better understand tourists' shopping preferences and Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS), models of pedestrian movement may be helpful in predicting likely consumer response to managerial and planning decisions. However, models of pedestrian movement often assume that pedestrians choose an optimal route from an origin to a destination or a set of destinations. This assumption of tourists optimizing their Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) might not hold as tourists act often in a non-routine role. In this paper we assume that tourist shopping behavior is related to the motivation for shopping, the familiarity with the shopping area, and whether or not the shopping route was planned in advance.

The present study applies a model of pedestrian behavior developed by Borgers and Timmermans. This model assumes a network of nodes and links representing a shopping environment. Links correspond to street segments and a sequence of connecting links represents a route. Research in the field of cognitive mapping and way finding suggest that pedestrians walk forward until some choice point is reached. At this point, a direction is chosen and the pedestrian walks forward again until the next decision point is reached, and so on. The decision points typically occur at street intersections. In other words, pedestrians walk from node to node. Although environmental psychologists propose a node-to-node route choice decision making process, we observed pedestrians turning around in a link as well. Therefore, we adopted a link-to-link approach: at each link, a pedestrian can choose one of the (usually six) adjacent links. We assume that the choice of a link depends on the relative attractiveness, which in turn depends on shopping supply and other features of the link. Other aspects that may affect the attractiveness of a link are the history of the route walked so far and the fact that eventually the pedestrian leaves the shopping area at or near his/her entry point.

The model is used in this study to describe and predict tourist shoppers' Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) in a downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area, and allows testing the effects of shopping motivation, familiarity with the destination and whether the shopping route through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area was planned or not before the start of the trip. Reported routes of tourists in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area of Shenyang, located in the Southern part of the China (see Fig.?1), are used to investigate hypotheses related to their shopping behavior. Shopping is an important reason for a day trip to Shenyang as there are a large number of shops, department stores, restaurants and cafes in the city-center region, and the majority of the city's stores are located in historical streets.

The purpose of this study is to provide more insight into tourist shoppers' Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) in downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping areas and to provide information for urban tourism planners and managers to optimize the development of the city, and specifically the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area as an attractive competitive tourism destination. The model results allow various future management and planning scenarios to be assessed.

This paper is organized as follows. First, hypotheses are formulated based on an evaluation of previous research. Next, the data collection procedures will be outlined. Subsequently, a model of tourist shopping behavior is specified, followed by the results. The paper is completed by a conclusion and implications.

2. Hypotheses

The aim of this study is to describe and predict tourist shopping behavior in a downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) historic center. After tourists enter the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area at entry links near car parks, bus stops, bike sheds, railway station, or other locations, it is assumed that a tourist walks some circuit through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area network. After having entered a specific street segment (also called link) of the area, a tourist has to choose one adjacent link to proceed. This process of choosing links from a set of adjacent links continues until the tourist reaches the entry link where (s)he leaves the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area. See Fig.?2 for a map of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area in Shenyang with the network of streets and links. Note that most shopping streets are pedestrianized areas and that streets with a sidewalk on both sides have two links, one on each side.

The existing literature suggests that tourists' decision where to shop is by most influenced by the mix of shops and services available at a shopping destination. We assume that the results from these macro-scale studies on tourist destination choice also can be applied to the much finer level of detail in tourist's route choices in a shopping environment. In case of a downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area, we expect that the supply of shops along each link is an important variable. Specifically, we assume that the choice for a particular segment or link of a shopping street is affected by type of shops and the size of the shops (indicated by the amount of floor space). Thus, our first hypothesis can be formulated as follows.

H1. Tourists' shopping Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) is affected by the supply of shops, in the sense that tourists prefer a link over other links in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping network when the link provides a larger amount of shopping floor space.

In addition, global characteristics of links might be important as well. One such global variable is the accessibility of other links. If one link provides good access to other, attractive links, the link will be attractive itself as well. This leads to the second hypothesis as follows.

H2. Links in a downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping environment that give good access to attractive shopping streets will have a higher probability to be chosen by the tourists.

Previous research suggests that the potential for shopping to develop into a tourism resource depends largely on the quality, attractiveness and safety of the environment involved. The physical design of the shopping environment is strategic as it is the first set of cues normally seen by a tourist. Examples of physical characteristics of network links are dimensions like width and height, transport modes allowed, type of pavement, indoor/outdoor, architectural design and so on. provided planning strategies to improve the environment for pedestrians such as widening sidewalks and separating pedestrians from vehicular traffic. stated that understanding whether shopping tourists can be induced to behave in certain ways based upon the physical characteristics of a shopping district should be beneficial to retail management at tourist destinations and if these variables are not managed well, the rest of the atmosphere may not matter. Based on these studies, the following hypothesis is defined.

H3. Tourists prefer links/streets that are physically attractive, having a good visibility, and are pedestrian friendly.

Another set of aspects influencing tourists' Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) is related to the history of the tourist's trip through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area. First of all, distance will be an important variable. In the beginning of the trip, we expect tourists to prefer moving away from the entry link into the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area. This desire to move away from the entry link likely diminishes when the tourist moves further away from the entry link. At some moment, the desire to move back to the entry link will become apparent. Ultimately, the tourist just wants to return to the entry link.

H4. In the beginning of the trip tourists tend to choose a link in the network that will increase the distance from the entry link, while after traversing some distance, tourists tend to decrease the distance to the entry link. Consequently, the probability the trip will be ended increases with the distance walked and the time spent in the shopping environment.

Apart from these distance effects, other variables are expected to be relevant. It is assumed that ceteris paribus, tourists do not like passing twice the same link during their trip. However, it is possible that people prefer to walk back to the entry link the same way they walked away from the entry link. In this case, passing a link for a second time induces no negative impact, while passing a third time might do so. If a tourist enters a link at one side, it might be expected (s)he will leave the link at the other side. Of course, tourists can make a turn in their current link and leave the link where they entered. We expect that the utility of a turn will be negative. However, this negative effect will decrease if the distance back to the entry link is relatively long. Then, tourists might prefer to return to the entry point, possibly implying a turn.

H5. Tourist do not prefer a link that has been passed before or to make a turn in the current link.

In other fields such as retailing and consumer behavior a substantial body of research exists regarding types of shoppers and shopping motivations developed a two-dimensional scale of perceived personal shopping value, recognizing that consumer value is indicated in both utilitarian and hedonic terms. Utilitarian shopping means the acquisition of products in a purposeful and efficient process while hedonic shopping refers to the enjoyment and pleasure that consumers may receive from shopping. Therefore, it is assumed that hedonic shoppers are inclined to explore more possibilities rather than being more selective in making their choices compared to utilitarian shoppers. This leads to the following hypothesis.

H6. Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of hedonic tourist shoppers differs from Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of utilitarian tourist shoppers, such that hedonic shoppers spend more time per shopping trip, walk a longer distance and are more likely to visit links with shops for fun than utilitarian shoppers.

Furthermore, the familiarity with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area is supposed to affect the Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of tourists. Tourists who are unfamiliar with an area find it probably more difficult to find interesting shops and places.

H7. Tourists unfamiliar with the shopping area spend more time in the area and walk a longer distance.

Therefore, it may very well be that tourists can use information sources to improve their knowledge about the shopping destination, implying that they are better aware of the shopping possibilities when planning their route choices. argued that data on planned and unplanned tourist shopping activities may be significant in designing future shopping centers, and for determining how to structure the lease rates for various types of tenants.

H8. Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of tourists who planned their shopping trip in advance differs from Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of tourists who did not plan their trip, in the sense that they spend less time in the shopping area and walk less far.

3. Data collection

The data used in this study were collected to investigate various aspects of pedestrian behavior in downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping areas. Data were collected in Shenyang, located in the south of Chinas northeastern region(known as the northeast China or Dong Bei Di Qu or 东北地区 in Chinese characters)) on three consecutive days in November 2003: Thursday (late night shopping) from 18.00 to 21.00 h; Friday from 10.30 to 18.00 h and Saturday from 10.30 to 17.00 h. Five hundred and eighty two respondents were interviewed (response rate just over 40%), of which 436 provided useful data. For this study only tourists were selected (N = 176), based on the postal code of their home address (outside the Shenyang region). Data were collected during a relatively quiet period of time to avoid crowding.

Data were collected by means of personal interviews. Interviewers were positioned at nine exit points of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area of Shenyang. They were instructed to invite only pedestrians who left the shopping area to participate. The interviewer filled out the questionnaire that consisted of the following items: mode of transport to city center, destinations (shops) visited, time spent, and personal characteristics. Each respondent was asked to reproduce his or her route on a map of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area (see Fig.?1). Main buildings and all streets were identified on the map. First, the respondent had to indicate where (s)he left his or her mode of transport (car, bike, bus, train). Starting from this point, the respondent had to draw (assisted by the interviewer) his or her route through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area on the map, also indicating all outlets visited. The interviews lasted on average 10 min.

In addition to the interviews, the numbers of pedestrians leaving the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area were counted at each exit point during specific time intervals. These counts were used to estimate the total number of respondents leaving the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area at each exit point during periods of the day. These estimated numbers were used to weigh the interviews.Finally, the respondents were asked for the main motivation for visiting the shopping area, whether they were familiar with the city of Shenyang and whether they largely had planned their route through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area before they started their shopping trip.

The profile of the respondents is presented in Table 1. The results show that a larger proportion of respondents are females (54%). Only 1% of the respondents is in the age group of 18 and younger, while 37% of the respondents belong to the 25-44 years group, 41% is in the 36-55 years group, and 21% of the respondents were over 55 years of age. Most respondents visit the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area with 2 adults (48%) and also a large percentage (39%) visit the area alone.

For 34% of the sample, the main motivation is utility-driven, while 47% reported a hedonic motivation, and 19% reported the combined motivation. Overall, 34% of the respondents was well familiar with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area of Shenyang, 35% only moderately and 31% not at all. The route was planned by 37% of the respondents before they started the shopping trip, meaning that 63% of the respondents did not plan their route beforehand.

4. Tourist shopping behavior model specification

Random utility theory is used to model Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). As described in Section 1 of this article, tourists are assumed to choose one link from the set of links adjacent to their current link. Consequently, a route involves a series of consecutive choices made by the tourist. According to random utility theory, the probability an alternative will be chosen from a set of alternatives depends on the utility of each alternative: a relative high utility induces a relative high probability to be chosen. Thus, links with a relative high utility have a relative high probability to be chosen from the set of adjacent links. The utility of an alternative (link) consists of a structural part and a random part. The structural utility is directly related to the characteristics of the alternative. In general, the structural utility is a weighted sum of the scores of the alternative on the selected variables. If we assume independently and identically distributed random utilities, the well-known multinomial legit model can be estimated. Based on choices made at each link and the scores of the adjacent links on the explanatory variables, we can statistically estimate the weights of the variables. These weights can be used to predict the probability that each of the adjacent links will be chosen.

The model specification is based on Borgers and Timmermans . Given a current link l, the tourist has to choose one alternative link from the set of adjacent links. The set of links adjacent to link l is represented by Ll. However, if the current link l is equal or adjacent to the link of entry (e), the tourist has the opportunity to STOP his/her trip. Hence, in general, the choice set of a tourist in link l, who started at entry link e, will be represented by Sel. Formally. The probability If alternative j induces the end of the trip (j = STOP), the structural utility is defined as(2)Vel,j=α1DWwhere DW is the total length of the path traversed by the tourist from the entry link to the current link, including the current link itself (also referred to as ‘Distance Walked).

Note that according to Eq. (4), the effect of distance is positive if the walked distance DW is less than the threshold distance DT. This effect, however, is decreasing with increasing DW. If DW is larger than DT, the distance effect will be negative, implying that the tourist will prefer links heading to the entry link. This effect will increase with increasing DW.

According to Eq. (5), the effect of turning back in a link decreases if the tourist is further away from the entry link. Note that the value of Tj will be relatively high if the tourist just started his trip or is about to finish his trip. At these instances, it does not make sense to turn around. So, we expect a negative parameter value for this variable.

The S-variable represents the total length of sight the link provides. If a link is part of a long straight line of connected links, the link is probably preferred over links in a short line. If there are no other links connected in a straight line to link j, the value of Sj is equal to the length of link j itself. So, even if a long link is not connected in a straight line to other links, the Sj value can be relatively high.

The other physical characteristics of the links are represented by the X-variables. These variables are defined as follows: (1) motorized traffic involved, (2) link in indoor shopping environment, (3) link through a shop, (4) link with a flight of steps, (5) link along or across the river, (6) link is pedestrians-only area, (7) link is crossing a square. All X-variables are dummy coded (yes 1, no 0), except the variable fa?ade which measures whether a link has building on one (1) side, on two (2) sides, or none (0) at all.

Finally, shopping supply is likely to be an important variable in choosing a link. The supply of shops per link is measured in square meters per branch. The following types of stores are distinguished: (1) food products and personal care; (2) fashion and shoes; (3) household articles and appliances; (4) department stores; (5) other shops; (6) restaurants and cafés; (7) services and entertainment. The latter two categories do not represent shops, although we expect these outlets to influence Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). The floor space for these outlets was arbitrarily set to 100 m2 each.

Apart from shops located along the link, the link may provide access to other links with lots of shops. Therefore, shopping supply Qjk is a composite of two variables: the floor space per branch in that link (Fjk) and the accessibility (Ajk) to floor space per branch in other links (see Eq. (6)). Links providing no or few shops might still be attractive for tourists in the sense that links also provide access to shops in other links. The A-variables are defined as the sum over all other links of the floor space in a link divided by the distance from the current link to that link. Of course, the store types are defined similar to the F-variables.

It is hypothesized that Route choice behavior (route choosing strategy or RCS) is related to the motivation of the tourist shoppers, the familiarity with the destination, and whether the shopping trip was planned in advance or not. To test for these hypotheses, contrast effects of each of the effect coded variables, ‘motivation (utilitarian 1, both utilitarian and hedonic 0, hedonic 1), ‘familiarity (poor 1, moderately 0, good 1), and ‘route planned (no 1, yes 1), with the variables related to the history of the tourist's trip, and the physical characteristics and supply of shops of the links were included in the estimated model. The corresponding contrast parameters (if significant) indicate differences between the various groups of respondents.

5. Results

To estimate the parameters of the tourist route choice model, the routes reported by the 176 tourists in Shenyang were used. Each selected route was used to create choice sets. For each link in a route, one choice set is generated. The respondents on average chose 39 links resulting in 6839 choice sets in total. This number allows reliable estimation of the parameters included in the model. The mean number of alternatives per choice set is approximately 5. In a perfect grid-network, each link would have six adjacent links. As might be expected, downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) networks are not perfect, resulting in less adjacent links on average.

Another operational decision is related to the value of the threshold variable DT. The DT-variable and the D-variable are interdependent: the α2 parameter seems to compensate, at least partially, for an increasing threshold. Therefore, after testing for different values, the value for DT was set to 5.0.

The estimation of the multinomial logit model was successful as the goodness of fit of the model is rather high (ρ2 = .57) and most estimated parameters are significant. For a number of variables, there is an effect of motivation, familiarity and route planned on Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS), as indicated by significant contrast parameters. For reasons of clarity only significant parameters are presented.

First, we will discuss the set of generic parameters (second column of Table 2) related to the supply and accessibility of shops in particular branches, the physical characteristics of the shopping environment, and the trip history. These parameters hold for all tourists. Subsequently, the results of the contrast parameters that indicate the effect of shopping motivations, familiarity with the area, and planning of the route on tourist Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) are presented. All the hypotheses will be addressed in the proposed order.

5.1. Supply and accessibility

It was hypothesized (H1 and H2) that tourists' shopping Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) is affected by the supply and accessibility of shops. These hypotheses are supported by the positive parameters for the variables related to the various types of branches and it can be concluded that shopping supply and accessibility of shops have a positive effect on choosing a link. However, tourists do not prefer links with restaurants, lunchrooms, bars and the like. These types of shops have a negative parameter.

5.2. Physical characteristics

It was assumed in hypothesis 3 that tourists prefer streets/links that are physically attractive, having a good visibility, and are pedestrian friendly. Links that are part of a long straight line offer a long view. According to the positive ‘length of line in sight parameter, such links are appreciated. Tourists also like links with buildings on both sides shown by a positive parameter for the variable ‘facade. Thus tourists like a street that has a good visibility with buildings on both sides.

Indoor links are not preferred. The reason is straightforward: the indoor mall in the Shenyang downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area was not very attractive. Reconstruction of this mall started shortly after data collection. Furthermore, walking through a shop implies a negative utility. The ‘stairway outdoor parameter is related to links containing some steps because of height differences. Obviously, tourists do not like these links. Some links are located along or crossing the river. Tourists do like these links. Also, they prefer areas for pedestrians-only, and they do not mind crossing a square. Overall we can conclude that these findings confirm hypothesis 3.

5.3. Trip history

The parameter for the distance variable is positive. This is as expected, because the value of the distance variable will be positive in the beginning of the trip and will be negative after 500 m (DT was set to 5.0). This positive parameter supports hypothesis 4, meaning that in the beginning of the trip tourists walk away from their entry point, while towards the end, tourists tend to decrease the distance to the entry link and walk back. Consequently, the probability the trip will be ended increases with the distance walked and the time spent in the shopping environment. This is also demonstrated by the positive stop alternative parameter. If the tourist's current link is equal or adjacent to his/her entry link, the tourist can stop his or her trip. According to this positive stop alternative parameter the probability of stopping increases with the length of the route walked thus far.

Hypothesis 5, posing that tourists do not prefer a link that has been passed before or to make a turn in the current link, was partly supported by the findings. The positive parameter for the ‘passed before once variable indicates that the tourists like to choose a link second time again. This shows that some tourists make roundtrips using the same links twice. Possibly, tourists walk down along one side of the shopping street and walk back along the other side. However, they are much more reluctant to select links that were passed before twice. Also, tourists do not make turns in a link when they are close to their entry link. If the distance according to the shortest path from the current link to the entry link is short, the reciprocal of this distance will be relatively high and the negative parameter for ‘turn in current link induces a negative utility.

5.4. Shopping motivation

The contrast parameters identify a few significant differences between tourists with a hedonic motivation and tourists with a utilitarian motivation. For the hedonic group, the value of the contrast parameter must be added to the generic parameter, while it must be subtracted from the generic parameter in the case of the utilitarian group.

This means that a significant negative contrast parameter for distance indicates that the hedonic shoppers are less sensitive to distance than utilitarian shoppers. This result is as expected: hedonic shoppers like to stroll around in the shopping area, while utilitarian shoppers prefer more efficient routes. This is also stressed by a positive contrast parameter for the passed before ‘once variable, hedonic shoppers prefer more to make roundtrips, using the same links twice while utilitarian shoppers seem to be more efficient in their route choices and are less likely to visit the same link twice. In addition, utilitarian shoppers care less about turning around in a link as indicated by a negative contrast parameter for the variable. Another interesting finding is that, as expected, hedonic shoppers attach more weight to the length of lines of sight. However, the utilitarian shoppers avoid the indoor mall more than the hedonic shoppers.

There is no significant contrast parameter for the supply and accessibility of the various types of shops, therefore, the part of hypothesis 6 that poses that hedonic shoppers are more attracted to links with a particular type of shop than utilitarian shoppers is not supported.

Hypothesis 6 further states that hedonic shoppers spend more time per shopping trip and walk a longer distance in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area. To test this hypothesis the duration of the shopping trip and the distance walked were determined for each respondent. The respondent was asked what time he/she had started the shopping trip, and at the beginning of each interview, the time was registered, representing the end time of the shopping trip. The results are presented in Table 3. On average, a tourist shopping trip lasted 2 h and 44 min. Respondents with a hedonic motivation on average spend over 3 h in the shopping area, while respondents with a utilitarian motivation remain just 2 h in the shopping area. The walking distance shows similar results, tourist with a hedonic motivation walk on average over 2 km, while utilitarian motivated tourists walk less than 1.5 km. This is also demonstrated in Fig.?4 and Fig.?5 that indicate the relative use of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) network of links by hedonic and utilitarian shoppers. Compared to utilitarian motivated tourists, hedonic motivated tourist uses a smaller part of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) network, but more intensive. Based on these results it can be concluded that hypothesis 6 is clearly supported.

5.5. Familiarity with shopping area

The contrast parameters of familiarity with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area also show some significant effects. Positive parameters for the physical variables: motorized traffic, fa?ade, and links through shops imply that tourists not familiar with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area like these physical characteristics of links less than tourists that are familiar with the area do. There are also some differences in the degree of preferences for particular type of shops. Tourists familiar with Shenyang are more in favor of the shops for daily products while the tourists unfamiliar with the area have a larger preference for the links with household products and services and entertainment.

Table 3 shows that respondents who are familiar with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area spend over 2 h shopping, while tourists not familiar with the area spend almost 3.5 h shopping. Similar results for the walking distance are shown in Table 3, tourists familiar with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area walk significantly less, on average 1688 m, than tourists not familiar with the area. They walk on average 2185 m. As shown in Fig.?6 and Fig.?7, tourists familiar with the area use a larger network for shopping behavior, while the tourists unfamiliar with the shopping area specifically use the main shopping streets. Thus, hypothesis 7 that states that tourists unfamiliar with the shopping area spend more time in the area and walk a longer distance is strongly confirmed.

5.6. Planning of route

Finally, the results of the contrast parameters that indicate whether there is a difference between tourists that plan their shopping trip in advance versus tourists that do not so show some significant results. Tourists who plan their trip really prefer links that they have already passed before once. In other words, they like to make a round trip using the same link twice. Regarding the physical characteristics, tourists who did not plan their shopping trip prefer links for pedestrians only, while the other tourists attach less importance to this. However, they do not mind links with motorized traffic involved. Tourists who planned their trip in advance do not like links where motorized traffic is involved. Regarding shopping supply and accessibility, tourists who plan their route in advance attach less weight to the supply of daily products than tourists who do not plan their route in advance do. On the other hand, tourists with their trip planned appreciate the supply of household articles and appliances more than tourists with their shopping trip not planned.

Hypothesis 8 posed that Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of tourists who planned their shopping route in advance differs from Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of tourists who did not plan their trip, in the sense that they spend less time in the shopping area and walk less far. This hypothesis is also clearly confirmed. Table 3 shows that there is a significant difference in time spend in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area by tourists who planned their trip in advance, over 2 h versus tourists who did not plan their trip, almost 3 h. The mean walking distance indicates that tourists who planned their route walked on average over 1.5 km, while tourists not planning their route walked over 2 km. Fig.?8 and Fig.?9 show the relative use of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area by both groups. Tourists planning their routes use a larger part of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) network, while the other group specifically uses the links in the main shopping area.

6. Conclusion and implications

In this paper, we investigated tourist shopping Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area of Shenyang. Pedestrians leaving the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area were asked for their shopping and Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS), the motivation for their shopping trip, familiarity with the destination, and whether the shopping route through the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area was planned or not before they started their trip. Various hypotheses were proposed related to aspects affecting tourists' Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) and to differences between Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) of various types of tourist shoppers.

To test the hypotheses first a model of tourist shopping behavior was estimated. The main assumption of the model is that an individual enters a shopping area, walks around in the streets of the shopping area and eventually returns to the location of entrance. In each link of the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) network, the tourist chooses one of the connecting links to proceed. The estimated parameters of the model can be considered as weights attached to the variables. In addition to a set of generic parameters, representing the average weights for the complete sample, a set of contrast parameters was included to measure differences between hedonic and utilitarian shoppers, between tourists familiar with the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area and tourists who are not, and between tourists who planned their trip in advance and tourists who did not do so. Furthermore, for each respondent the duration of the shopping trip and the distance walked were determined.

It can be concluded that most of the hypotheses were confirmed, although some only partly. The results obtained find that the preferences for links are related to shopping supply in the links and the accessibility from each link to shopping supply in other links. This suggests that the conclusions of other studies of tourist destination choice also account for the more micro-scale level of tourist route choices in a shopping environment. However, a somewhat surprising finding is that tourists do not seem to prefer links providing many restaurants and cafes. Apparently, tourists are not likely to combine shopping with eating and drinking, at least in Shenyang.

For the current model very broad categories for types of shops were used. However, it might be argued that each shop does not play the same role. The model could be extended by including variables that indicate for example unique, local shops or the variety of shops in a particular link.

Further, distance from and to the entry link and the history of the route are important factors influencing Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). The model incorporates an endogenous driven mechanism assuring that tourists finish their trip at or near their entry link. Tourists tend to make roundtrips by using the same links twice.

Also, some physical characteristics of the links are important. Tourists prefer links with buildings on both sides, that have a good visibility, are pedestrian friendly, but they do not like differences in height (steps). Tourists like the waterfront in Shenyang indicated by a preference for links located by the river. Other physical characteristics that are of interest but could not be included in this study are for example consistency in and type of architecture, use of vegetation, placement of sings, advertisement in the shop windows, and location of shade. There was either not enough variation in some of these characteristics or they were out of the scope of this study.

It can be concluded that shopping motivations, familiarity with the area and planning of the route affect tourist Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) as well. For example, in contrast to utilitarian shoppers, hedonic shoppers tend to be less sensitive to distance, and prefer links with a view.

The information about tourists' Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) may provide urban planners and city management with information on the attractiveness of the various links in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) shopping area. The model allows various future planning scenarios, such as changes in physical aspects of links in the downtown （known better as city center in China, or Shi Zhong Xin) area, or changes in supply of shops, to be assessed. For example, tourists appear to have a high propensity to walk back along the same route. From a managerial point of view, this is unwanted as tourist might spend more time and money if they walk back through other links. Thus, especially at the edge of the shopping area, tourists should not turn around. Creating lines of sight and attractive links might prevent them turning around.

It can be concluded that the estimated model of tourist Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS) performs very well, both in terms of ρ2-value and face validity. However, to really test the predictive power of the model, the model could be used to simulate reported Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS).

In this study data were collected by means of personal structured interviews. However, recently advanced methods have been introduced for tracking pedestrians in a spatial environment. Shoval and Isaacson tested and compared two principal tracking technologies available today, land-based navigation systems and satellite navigation systems. They discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the different tracking technologies to the research of pedestrian spatial behavior. Although they concluded that both systems have the potential of becoming a useful research tool in the field of pedestrian spatial behavior, a disadvantage of the satellite navigation system is that they still do not work well in indoors and in dense urban areas. The land-based tracking system, which has end units that are small and fairly lightweight and therefore do not demand extraordinary handling on the pedestrian's part, only works in areas with the appropriate infrastructure and the costs are still quite high.

Also O'?onnor, Zerger, and Itami examined new equipment based on a race timing technology to monitor the movement of people in a park along a constrained network. They concluded that the technology used was ideally suited to track individuals and record precise time intervals, but found disadvantages in the battery life and data capacity of the data loggers. However, when these aspects will be improved in the future, this innovative technology will provide an important tool in tracking pedestrian spatial behavior.

A limitation of the study is that crowdedness was not included as a variable influencing Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). It might be reasonable to assume that the perceived crowed in a particular link might affect route choices. However, a relative quiet period of time was chosen for collecting data to avoid crowding. A solution to include crowdedness in the model is to count the number of people who are present at the links throughout the day of data collection, and include those counts as a variable that indicates crowdedness at the alternative links. In future research it might be interesting to see whether there is an effect of perceived crowd on tourist route choices.

Furthermore, several aspects such as socio-demographics, which might affect Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS), are not included in the model. It would be interesting to test in future research the effects of these variables on Route choice behavior(route choosing strategy or RCS). The model has been made operational for the city of Shenyang. However, the proposed approach could be applied to other cities, provided that new data are collected and the model is re-estimated.

（注：周雅晶 文）