Consumer behaviour of the Black middle class when purchasing destinations of leisure or entertainment.
Date
2015
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Abstract
The growth of the South African black middle class has attracted the attention of
business decision makers and marketers since the income growth of this group
overtook that of the white middle class. This growth has meant that many industries
in South Africa, including the tourism sector, should start focusing on and
understanding the consumption behaviour of the black middle class as the growth
market of the future. In the tourism sector however, due to limited empirical studies
having been made on tracking consumer behaviour and buying patterns of the black
middle class, their preferences are unclear.
The aim of this study is to establish the consumer behaviour of the black middle
class within the leisure and entertainment sector; a significant part of the tourism
sector in South Africa. The study was based at uShaka Marine World in Durban. A
sample of uShaka Marine World guests was selected from a database of guests who
elected to receive email communication. The study was based on a purposive, nonprobability
sampling method. Four hundred and thirty two respondents completed a
web-based questionnaire, a sample of sufficient size to generalise the findings. The
findings were analysed against each other, and were studied using the Schiffman &
Kanuk (2004) consumer buying model. The salient findings from this study revealed
that guests who chose uShaka Marine World as a place of leisure did so as a place
of fun for the entire family. The price of uShaka Marine World tickets was a shared
concern and respondents revealed that they were more motivated to go to Marine
World when a discount voucher was offered. Respondents who visited felt very
welcome at the destination and confirmed that they would return and would
recommend the destination to others from their cultural background. The empirical
findings provided a useful starting point for understanding consumer behaviour of the
black middle class when choosing destinations of entertainment and leisure.
Description
Master of Business Administration. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville 2015.
Keywords
Consumer behavior--South Africa., Consumers, Black--South Africa., Hospitality industry--South Africa., Leisure industry--South Africa., Theses--Business administration.