A Research on Mandarin–Japanese–English Trilingual Chinese Tourists' Service Language Preferences When Traveling in Japan

Abstract

Despite the important role language plays in international tourism, language influence in touristic service encounters remains a relatively neglected area of research. This study investigates multilingual consumers' service language preferences in touristic situations. A total of 131 Chinese tourists were asked to rate their comfort level when serviced by a Japanese or Chinese employee in several representative service encounters that they may experience in Japan. The results revealed that multilingual consumers show different service language preferences in different service encounters. However, they do not always attach much importance to native language services in such touristic situations. Moreover, service employee's nationality can influence consumers' perception and satisfaction toward a particular service language. These findings help marketers and service providers achieve a deeper understanding of international consumers' psychology and behavior, and are designed to foster further improvement in service quality in the hospitality industry.