Factors affecting tourist satisfaction with traditional craft tea villages in Thai Nguyen province

Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019153 Journal of Economics and Development, Vol.21, Special Issue, 2019, pp. 153-167 ISSN 1859 0020 Factors Affecting Tourist Satisfaction with Traditional Craft Tea Villages in Thai Nguyen Province Vu Quynh Nam Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration (TUEBA), Vietnam Email: quynhnam.tueba@gmail.com Tran Chi Thien Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration (TUEBA), Vietnam Email: tranchithienht@tueba.edu.vn Abstract Data collected from a survey of 215 visitors in 3 traditional craft tea villages in Thai Nguyen province were analyzed by using multivariate data analysis (test for the reliability of the scales, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate regression analysis) to determine the factors that affect tourist satisfaction with the villages as tourism destinations. The results showed that natural characteristics, infrastructure, service quality, government support, and emotional values are major factors that influence tourist satisfaction. Based on that, the study proposed some solutions for the local government, tourism enterprises and the local communities to improve tourist satisfaction and develop traditional craft tea village tourism in Thai Nguyen province towards a sustainable manner. Keywords: Affecting factors, Thai Nguyen province, traditional craft tea villages, tourist satisfaction; JEL code: C38P. Received: 27 September 2018 | Revised: 12 December 2018 | Accepted: 13 December 2019 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019154 1. Introduction Tourism is one of the world’s fastest-grow- ing sectors. In 2017, travel and tourism sector were predicted to add nearly USD7.9 trillion to the global economy, or 10.2 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) (World Trav- el and Tourism Council, 2017). In Vietnam, in 2017, the direct contribution of tourism to GDP was estimated to be 6.8%. Direct, indirect and spillover effects of tourism, in total, was estimated to be 14% of GDP (Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 2017). Tourism development can help to develop many other sectors in the economy such as transportation, construction, traditional crafts, food and bever- age production, etc. and help to conserve natu- ral and cultural heritages and resources, create job opportunities and improve the living stan- dard of people at tourism destinations. Among many tourism categories, a gener- al consensus has emerged on the role and po- tential of community-based tourism and craft village tourism in the national as well as pro- vincial tourism development strategies. Com- munity-based tourism at craft villages has been considered a sustainable approach for tourism in which local communities are directly in- volved in tourism activities. Thai Nguyen is a province in the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region of Viet- nam. The province is not only well known for its famous tourist spots such as Nui Coc Lake, Phuong Hoang Cave, Dinh Hoa Safety Resis- tance Zone but also known as the “Tea Capital” of Vietnam with its distinguished tea product quality, attractive, beautiful green tea hills and valleys and many unique cultural features of the traditional craft tea villages. Thai Nguy- en traditional craft tea villages are situated in charming landscape regions with kind and hos- pitable tea farmers. This is a good condition to attract tourists to the tea villages. Recently, Thai Nguyen province has launched “Program on Developing Culture, Sports and Tourism, Period 2017-2020” which determines “promoting tourism to become a key economic sector of the province” (Thai Nguyen Provincial People’s Committee, 2017). Based on the exploitation of available resourc- es, Thai Nguyen has developed unique types of tourism in the province, developed eco-tourism and back-to-the-origin tours associated with traditional craft tea villages as special desti- nations including: i) The Museum of Ethnic Culture of Vietnam - Tan Cuong Tea Cultural Space (visit Tan Cuong Traditional Craft Tea Village) - Nui Coc Lake (boat trip on Nui Coc Lake); ii) The Museum of Ethnic Culture of Vietnam - La Bang Tea Cultural Space (visit La Bang Traditional Craft Tea Village) - Nui Coc Lake (boat trip on Nui Coc Lake) - Tan Cuong Traditional Craft Tea Village and some other traditional craft tea villages. Therefore, tourism in Thai Nguyen province has brought about re- markable economic and social benefits. To be more successful, the village communities, the tourism enterprises, and the local government organizations must know to what extent the visitors are satisfied with the traditional craft tea villages as tourism destinations, and what are the factors influencing their satisfaction. By knowing the factors that create tourist sat- isfaction, they could make appropriate adjust- ments in their tourism development policies and management, provide powerful marketing programs and investment to enhance the com- Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019155 petitiveness of the tourism destinations. Tourist satisfaction is a major key to the success of the tourism industry because it can create both revenue and profit (Dmitrovic et al., 2009). Unfortunately, only a few academ- ic studies have focused directly on satisfaction among tourists since these studies have faced several difficulties on conceptual and practical grounds (Zabkar et al., 2010; Sadeh et al., 2012; Aliman et al., 2016). There are a more limited number of studies that have focused on tourist satisfaction with tourism destinations in Viet- nam. Especially, there has been no research so far to study visitors’ satisfaction with the tradi- tional craft tea villages as tourism destinations, to explore factors affecting the satisfaction, and draw out suggestions for the local communities and concerned organizations to further develop the community-based tourism in the traditional craft tea villages. Hence, a study of the factors affecting the satisfaction of the visitors with the villages is really an urgent need. 2. Theoretical background 2.1. Customer satisfaction Consumer satisfaction can be defined as the individual’s perception of the performance of a product or service in relation to his/her expec- tation. A consumer whose perceptions match/ exceed or fall below his/her expectations will be satisfied/very satisfied or dissatisfied respec- tively (Khatib & Al-Ali, 2011). Hence, satis- faction of a customer can be measured based on the difference level between expected value and the perceived value of a product/service that the customer consumes at a certain price. 2.2. Tourist satisfaction with tourist desti- nations Ugurlu (2010) simply defined “Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries which deliver a travel experience comprising transportation, accommodation, eating and drinking establishments, retail shops, entertain- ment businesses and other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups traveling away from home”. Tourist satisfaction is the extent of tourist fulfillment pleasure that results from the trip experience about a product or service feature that fulfills the tourist’s desires, expectation and wants in association with the trip. Satisfac- tion is created for the tourist by the comparison of his/her expectations before travel and his/her perceptions or experiences after travel (Severt et al., 2007). Some studies have focused on the topic of tourist expectations of a travel destination in relation to the tourist’s choice of the destina- tion. These studies assumed that the tourist does not have enough personal experience re- lating to a tourism destination, therefore he/she makes the decision to visit the site based upon his/her image of this destination rather than its reality (Chon, 1990). The extent to which the tourist is satisfied with the destination depends on how far the tourist’s expectation (or expect- ed value before the travel) differs from his/her real experience when and after the visit to the destination (the perceived value of the tourism destination). Previous studies have posed arguments but there is no complete universal cause-and-effect model found specifically for measuring tourist satisfaction with tourism destination (Aliman et al., 2016). Meng et al. (2011), used the two variables Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019156 including image and perceived value of the destination, to predict tourist satisfaction. According to the American Customer Index (ACSI) model, there are three antecedents of the satisfaction of the visitors: customer ex- pectation, perceived quality and perceived value. In the last decade, the model has been widely used in different regions (Aliman et al., 2016). Um et al. (2006) when studying Hong Kong tourism applied this model to investigate the impact of customer expectation, perceived quality and perceived value on tourism satis- faction. Wang et al. (2009) when studying an- tecedents of tourist satisfaction in Guilin (Chi- na) revealed that destination image, perceived quality and perceive value are predictors of tourist satisfaction. Dmitrovic et al. (2009) when conceptualizing tourist satisfaction, in- troduced five antecedents of customer satisfac- tion: image, quality, value, and costs and risks. Adinegara et al. (2017) when reviewing the literature, came up with the conclusion that “there is still a debate on the factors that deter- mine satisfaction in tourism. There are many factors that create satisfaction but in general factors of image, perceived quality and per- ceived value are ones that are most widely used in the effort to create tourists’ satisfaction”. Inheriting results from the previous studies, this paper focuses on testing whether or not factors including image, perceived quality and perceived value could be major antecedents of tourists’ satisfaction with the traditional craft tea villages in Thai Nguyen province as tour- ism destinations with some necessary modifi- cation. There are some studies that discuss these an- tecedents. Nguyen & Leblanc (2001) noted that image is an impression of companies (in our case, of a tourist destination) that has been em- bedded in the minds of consumers from their advertising and public relations, from word of mouth, and through the consumer’s experience when consuming goods and services offered. Mossberg & Kleppe (2005) emphasized that building an image of a tourist destination is important since it can serve as a patronage in different geographical units, tourist attractions, and various providers of tourism infrastructure. It implies that natural characteristics and in- frastructure could be the two important aspects of the image of a tourist destination. Chen & Tsai (2007) and Aliman et al. (2016) defined perceived quality as the visitor’s as- sessment of the standard of the service delivery process in association with the trip experience. In Thai Nguyen province, beside services pro- vided by travel companies, on-site enterprises, and local communities, the local government also provides some services (supports) to the tourism destination including public adminis- tration services, local regulations and public security and order. Hence, the perceived qual- ity factor in this case could be studied in the form of two separate elements that are service quality (for services provided by organizations, individuals) and government supports. Perceived value, according to Woodruff (1997), is the customer’s preference, percep- tion and appreciation of a product/service char- acteristics, performance, and results (or conse- quences) from using the product/service. De Ruyter et al. (1997) introduced a comprehen- sive value-based approach, in which monetary value is incorporated with emotional value. Ac- cording to them, perceived value for the cus- Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019157 T ab le 1 : F ac to rs a ff ec ti ng t ou ri st s at is fa ct io n an d th ei r ob se rv ab le v ar ia bl es Fa cto r De fin itio n Ob ser va ble Va ria ble s So ur ces 1. T ou ri st s at is fa ct io n (S A T IS F ) Is an em ot io na l re sp on se ap pe ar s w he n ev al ua ti ng th e di ff er en ce be tw ee n ex pe ct at io ns an d pe rc ep ti on s of se rv ic e pe rf or m an ce an d ac tu al pe rc ep ti on s ob ta in ed t hr ou gh p hy si ca l in te ra ct io n w it h pr od uc ts a nd s er vi ce s bu si ne ss es ( K ot le r et al ., 20 03 ) - S at is fa ct io n w it h th e de st in at io n (S A T IS F 1) ; - S at is fa ct io n w it h th e se rv ic es p ro vi de d by th e to ur is t de st in at io n (S A T IS F 2) ; - S at is fa ct io n w it h re as on ab le p ri ce s of a ll th e se rv ic es (S A T IS F 3) . A li m an e t a l. (2 01 6) . M en g et a l. (2 01 1) . S ev er t e t a l. (2 00 7) . K ot le r et a l. (2 00 3) 2. N at ur al c ha ra ct er is ti cs (N A T U R E ) T he un iq ue at tr ib ut es of ea ch to ur is t de st in at io n in cl ud in g sc en er y, e nv ir on m en t an d cl im at e (M os sb er g & K le pp e, 2 00 5) - L an ds ca pe b ea ut y (N A T U R E 1 ) - E nv ir on m en t ( N A T U R E 2 ) - C li m at e (N A T U R E 3 ) - G eo gr ap hi ca l L oc at io n (N A T U R E 4) - T op og ra ph y of th e si te ( N A T U R E 5) - F lo ra , f au na a nd o th er n at ur al r es ou rc es a t t he s it e (N A T U R E 6) L in e t a l. (2 00 7) . M ar ti n & B os qu e (2 00 8) . N gu ye n & L eb la nc ( 20 01 ). M os sb er g & K le pp e (2 00 5) 3. I nf ra st ru ct ur e (I N F R A S ) T he s ys te m o f ro ad s m ea ns o f tr an sp or t, th e co nv en ie nc e of t ra ns po rt at io n, f ac il it ie s at th e de st in at io n th at m ee t th e re qu ir em en ts of t ra ve l, ac co m m od at io n an d re cr ea ti on o f th e vi si to rs . ( M os sb er g & K le pp e, 2 00 5) - R oa d sy st em to th e de st in at io n an d at th e to ur is t s it es (I N F R A S 1) - M ea ns o f tr an sp or t t o th e de st in at io n an d at th e to ur is t si te s (I N F R A 2) - H ot el f ac il it ie s (I N F R A S 3) - In te rn et & C om m un ic at io n N et w or k. ( IN F R A S 4) - C re at io na l F ac ili ti es ( IN F R A S 5) L in a t a l. (2 00 7) , K ie n at a l. (2 01 4) . N gu ye n & L eb la nc ( 20 01 ). M os sb er g & K le pp e (2 00 5) . 4. S er vi ce q ua li ty (S E R Q U A L ) T he di ff er en ce be tw ee n cu st om er ex pe ct at io ns o f th e se rv ic e to b e re ce iv ed an d pe rc ep ti on s of th e ac tu al se rv ic e re ce iv ed . ( A li m an e t a l., 2 01 6) . - L od gi ng s er vi ce s (S E R Q U A L 1) - F oo d an d be ve ra ge s er vi ce s (S E R Q U A L 2) - H el pf ul a nd q ui ck s er vi ce s (S E R Q U A L 3) - S er vi ce q ua li ty in li ne w it h pr ic es (S E R Q U A L 4) - G oo d O rg an iz at io n pr ov id ed b y th e to ur is t i ns ti tu ti on s an d th e lo ca l p eo pl e (S E R Q U A L 5) . L in e t a l. (2 00 7) . K ie n et a l. (2 01 4) . D e R uy te r et a l. (1 99 7) . A li m an e t a l. (2 01 6) . 5. G ov er nm en t s up po rt (G O V S U P R T ) T he f av or ab le p ub li c ad m in is tr at io n, l oc al re gu la ti on s, pu bl ic se cu ri ty an d or de r to fa ci li ta te v is it or s at t ou ri st s it es ( A li m an e t al ., 20 07 ) - F av ora ble Pu bli c d mi nis tra tiv e P roc ed ure (G OV TS PT 1) - S up po rt iv e lo ca l l eg al r eg ul at io n (G O V T S P T 2) - S uf fi ci en t p ro vi si on o f lo ca l i nf or m at io n (G O V S P T 3 ) - G oo d lo ca l s ec ur it y an d or de r su pp or t ( G O V S P T 4) K ie n at a l. (2 01 4) . C he n & T sa i ( 20 07 ). A li m an e t a l. (2 01 6) . 6. E m ot io na l v al ue (E M O V A L U E ) T he fe el in gs of se cu ri ty , en jo ym en t, ex pl or at io n de si re , ex ci te m en t, or r om an ti c fe el in g w he n st ay in g an d tr av el in g at t he de st in at io n (W il li am s et a l., 2 00 9) . - F ee li ng o f sa fe ty ( E M O V A L U E 1) ; - F ee li ng o f ex ci te m en t ( E M O V A L U E 2) ; - D es ir e to e xp lo re ( E M O V A L U E 3) ; - S ti m ul at io n fo r to ur is ts ( E M O V A L U E 4) - R om an ti c fe el in g at th e to ur is t s it e (E M O V A L U E 5) . W il li am s et a l. (2 00 9) . W oo dr uf f (1 99 7) . D e R uy te r et a l. (1 99 7) Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019158 tomers could be measured by emotional value, practical value and logical value. Emotional value presents the consumer’s assessment of the feelings associated with services (happy or unhappy) while the practical value presents the reality aspect of the service and the logical val- ue represents the relationships between service quality and their prices. Out of the three cate- gories of value, emotional value can be consid- ered the center. Hence, in this research, factors affecting tourist satisfaction with the traditional craft tea villages are assumed to include: (1) natural characteristics, (2) infrastructure, (3) service quality, (4) government supports, and (5) emo- tional value. Each factor could be measured by using their observable variables listed in Table 1. Hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: Natural characteristics affect tourist satisfaction positively; Hypothesis 3: Tourism infrastructure affects tourist satisfaction positively; Hypothesis 3: Service quality affects tourist satisfaction positively; Hypothesis 4: Governmental supports affect tourist satisfaction positively; Hypothesis 5: Emotional value affects tour- ist satisfaction positively. 3. Research methods 3.1. Study sites Currently, the traditional craft tea village tourism is being implemented in some typical communes in three special tea regions of the province such as Tan Cuong and Phuc Xuan communes (in the special tea area of the city Thai Nguyen); Song Cau township, Vo Tranh commune and Tuc Tranh commune (belonging to tea area of Dong Hy district and PhuLuong Figure 1: Theoretical framework H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 Natural characteristics (NATURE) Infrastructure (INFRAS) Service quality (SERQUAL) Emotional value (EMOVALUE) Government supports (GOVSPRT) Tourist satisfaction (SATISF) Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019159 district); La Bang and Hung Son townships (belonging to the specialty tea area of Dai Tu district). Three traditional craft tea villages were selected for the study including the tra- ditional craft tea village of Hong Thai 2 (Tan Cuong commune, Thai Nguyen city), the tradi- tional craft tea village of Hamlet 5, Song Cau township (Dong Hy district), La Bang tradi- tional craft tea village (La Bang commune, Dai Tu district). 3.2. Data survey Surveyed subject: Domestic and interna- tional tourists traveling in 3 selected villages (Hong Thai 2, Hamlet 5, La Bang) were ran- domly selected. Sample size: There were 300 questionnaires distributed to the visitors who were visiting the three traditional craft tea villages (100 questionnaires in each village). After checking them, 215 questionnaires were found valid and have been used for processing. According to Hair, et al. (2006), for the use of the Explor- atory Factor Analysis method, the observable/ measurable variables ratio should be at least 5/1. In this study, the number of observable variables is 26; hence, the minimum required sample size is 130. The 215 samples used for the study are much more than the requirement and that definitely ensures a high reliability. Questionnaire: The content of the questions in the questionnaire aimed to gather visitors’ opinions about their characteristics and their opinions on the observable variables. Their an- swers were coded by the Likert scale of 5 points (1: Strongly disagreed, 2: Disagreed, 3: Neu- tral, 4: Agreed and 5: Strongly Agreed). The questionnaire was translated from Vietnamese into English for use by international visitors. Survey time: The survey was conducted Table 2: Characteristics of surveyed visitors Criteria Number (people) Proportion (%) Gender Male 91 42.33 Female 124 57.67 Nationality Vietnamese 187 86.98 International 28 13.02 Age (years old) <25 105 48.84 25-35 45 20.93 36-50 38 17.67 >50 27 12.56 Monthly Income (VND million) <9 185 86.05 9-18 15 6.98 19-27 11 5.12 >27 4 1.86 Education attainment Post-graduate 29 13.49 University/college 126 58.60 High School 39 18.14 Secondary school and bellow 21 9.77 Total 215 100 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019160 during April and May 2018. 3.3. Data analysis methods The analysis of the factors affecting the sat- isfaction of visitors in traditional craft tea vil- lages in Thai Nguyen province has been con- ducted in three steps: 3.3.1. Test for the reliability of the scales (factors) Checking the quality of the observable vari- able: If an observable variable has Corrected Item-Total Correlation ≥ 0.3, this observable variable ensures a good quality (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994); Checking the quality of the scales (each fac- tor): If the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of each scale is ≥ 0.6, the scale has acceptable quality for reliability (Hair et al., 2006). 3.3.2. Explanatory factor analysis (EFA) Checking EFA method conformity: if: 0.5 <KMO <1, EFA is considered to fit the actual data set; Verifying that the observable variables are Table 3: Cronbach’s alpha and corrected item-total correlations Scale Mean if Item Deleted Scale Variance if Item Deleted Corrected Item- Total Correlation Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted Natural characteristics Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,918 NATURE1 16.90 8.102 .673 .919 NATURE2 16.65 9.033 .591 .925 NATURE3 16.72 8.454 .650 .919 NATURE4 16.56 7.715 .893 .884 NATURE5 16.61 8.079 .953 .880 NATURE6 16.59 7.917 .903 .884 Infrastructure Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,902 INFRAS1 12.63 12.683 .865 .857 INFRAS2 12.60 12.764 .789 .872 INFRAS3 12.60 12.840 .843 .862 INFRAS4 12.62 13.227 .780 .875 INFRAS5 12.92 13.550 .550 .930 Tourism perceived quality Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,728 SERQUAL 1 16.16 4.237 .331 .735 SERQUAL 2 16.08 3.432 .532 .664 SERQUAL 3 16.01 3.500 .507 .674 SERQUAL 4 15.96 3.335 .542 .660 SERQUAL 5 16.00 3.883 .553 .665 Government support Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,850 GOVSPRT1 9.44 4.901 .630 .834 GOVSPRT2 9.56 4.276 .756 .779 GOVSPRT3 9.28 4.821 .705 .803 GOVSPRT4 9.10 4.896 .671 .817 Emotional value Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,836 EMOVALUE1 16.22 14.679 .732 .783 EMOVALUE2 16.36 15.017 .667 .797 EMOVALUE3 16.50 14.419 .724 .784 EMOVALUE4 16.22 15.941 .530 .826 EMOVALUE5 16.69 18.103 .459 .836 EMOVALUE6 16.37 16.506 .554 .820 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019161 correlated in a scale: if Barlett’s Test is statisti- cally significant (Sig. ≤ 0.05), observable vari- ables are correlated with one another in a scale; Checking the explanation possibility of ob- servable variables: if Total Variance Explained ≥ 50%, at least 50% of a change in the repre- sentative factors explained by the observable variables (Hair et al., 2006); Checking the summary capacity of a factor: if the Eigenvalue (representing the variance ex- plained by each factor)> 1, it is the factor that generates the best summary of the information from its observable variables. 3.3.3. Regression analysis To test for the suitability of the regression model, F-test is employed: regression function is statistically significant at 0.05 if F – statistic has Sig. ≤ 0.05; To test for the statistical significance of each unstandardized regression coefficient, T-test is employed: if the t-statistic has Sig. ≤0.05, the effect of the independent variable on the depen- dent variable is statistically significant at 0.05. 4. Research results 4.1. Test for the reliability of the scales (fac- tors) As seen in Table 3, all the Corrected Item-To- tal Correlation coefficients of the observable variables are > 0.3, so 26 observable variables are of good quality. On the other hand, all the factors (scales) have Cronbach’s Alpha > 0.6, so all factors meet the quality requirements or reliability requirements for inclusion in the EFA analysis. 4.2. Exploratory factor analysis 4.2.1. Test for the conformity of EFA As shown in Table 4, since KMO is 0.809> 0.5, the EFA is appropriate with the data set. Barlett’s test has df =253 with statistical sig- nificance level=0.000<0.05, so the observable variables have a linear correlation to the repre- sentative factors. Therefore, data is appropriate for EFA. 4.2.2. Test for the explanation degree of ob- servable variables to the variation of the fac- tors As seen in Table 5, the cumulative vari- ance value is 69,21(%) in the Cumulative col- umns. This means that 69,21% of the change in these six factors is explained by their observ- able variables. The eigenvalues of every fac- tor is> 1 confirming that these factors are very good summaries of their observable variables. Results of EFA In Table 6, the observable variables have a Factor Loading ≥ 0.557> 0.5 showing that the correlation coefficient between each observ- able variable and each representative factor is Table 4: KMO and Bartlett’s Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy .809 Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 3529.749 Df 325 Sig. .000 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019162 relatively close to tight. Thus, the five factors representing the observable variables are the independent variables that affect tourist satis- faction (dependent variable). The results of factor analysis for tourist satisfaction show that: Factor loadings of all observable variables ≥ 0.797> 0.5 imply that the correlation coefficient between each ob- servable variable and its representative factors (tourist satisfaction) is at a tight level. Thus, the factor of tourist satisfaction, that represents the observable variables, is a good dependent vari- able. 4.3. Regression analysis The dependent variable is “Tourist satisfac- tion” (SATISF); 05 independent variables in- clude: “Natural Characteristics” (NATURE); “Infrastructure” (INFRAS); “Service quality” (SERQUAL); “Government Support” (GOV- SPRT); and “Emotional Value” (EMOVAL- UE). Running regression gives the results present- Table 5: Total variance explained Component Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 5.03 19.35 19.35 5.03 19.35 19.35 4.47 17.20 17.20 2 4.00 15.38 34.72 4.00 15.38 34.72 3.72 14.30 31.50 3 3.68 14.17 48.89 3.68 14.17 48.89 3.39 13.04 44.54 4 2.66 10.23 59.12 2.66 10.23 59.12 2.87 11.02 55.56 5 1.60 6.16 65.28 1.60 6.16 65.28 2.43 9.33 64.89 6 1.02 3.93 69.21 1.02 3.93 69.21 1.12 4.32 69.21 7 .84 3.23 72.44 8 .84 3.18 75.62 9 .73 2.82 78.44 10 .62 2.37 80.81 11 .58 2.24 83.05 12 .54 2.07 85.12 13 .51 1.94 87.05 14 .46 1.79 88.84 15 .40 1.55 90.39 16 .390 1.48 91.87 17 .34 1.32 93.19 18 .330 1.26 94.46 19 .31 1.19 95.65 20 .27 1.04 96.69 21 .24 .930 97.62 22 .220 .84 98.46 23 .160 .61 99.07 24 .14 .550 99.62 25 .05 .21 99.83 26 .050 .18 100.00 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019163 ed in Tables 8, 9, and 10. In Table 9, F = 87.48 with Sig. = 0.000, the regression model is statistically significant at 0.000. Tests for multi-collinearity, autocorrelation, and heteroscedasticity were satisfied, indicat- ing that the regression model does not violate the OLS assumptions. Table 10 shows that all unstandardized re- gression coefficients of the five independent variables have Sig. = 0.00 <0.05 which implies Table 6: Rotated component matrix for the independent factors Component 1 2 3 4 5 NATURE1 .757 NATURE2 .695 NATURE3 .749 NATURE4 .933 NATURE5 .967 NATURE6 .937 INFRAS1 .917 INFRAS2 .876 INFRAS3 .911 INFRAS4 .892 INFRAS5 .617 EMOVALUE1 .813 EMOVALUE2 .808 EMOVALUE3 .829 EMOVALUE4 .636 EMOVALUE5 .557 EMOVALUE6 .667 GOVSPRT1 .760 GOVSPRT2 .857 GOVSPRT3 .841 GOVSPRT4 .800 SERQUAL1 .652 SERQUAL2 .784 SERQUAL3 .686 SERQUAL4 .745 SERQUAL5 .702 Table 7: Rotated component matrix for the dependent factor (tourist satisfaction) Observable Variable Factor Loading SATISF1 .847 SATISF2 .856 SATISF3 .797 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019164 that the five variables included in the model are statistically significant in relation to the de- pendent variable. As seen in Table 7, the Ad- justed R-square is 0.669. This means that the model explains 66.9% the variation in tourist satisfaction with five statistically significant independent variables, namely, infrastructure (INFRAS); natural characteristics (NATURE); emotional value (EMOVALUE); and govern- ment support (GOVSPRT). Using unstandard- ized regression coefficients (B), the following regression equation is obtained: Table 8: Regression model summary R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate .823 .677 .669 .57538285 Table 9: ANOVA Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 144.807 5 28.961 87.480 .000 Residual 69.193 209 .331 Total 214.000 214 ATISF = 0.03 + 0.094SERQUAL + 0.120IN- FRAS + 0.297NATURE + 0.750EMOVALUE + 0.26GOVSPRT All the unstandardized regression coeffi- cients are positive, so these independent vari- ables are all positively correlated with the dependent variable. This means that all the hy- potheses are satisfied. The magnitude of each unstandardized regression coefficient shows the specific effect of the respective independent factor on the change in tourist satisfaction. For instance, when emotional value increases by one point, tourist satisfaction will increase by 0.750 points. Besides, the standardized coefficients (Beta) show that factors affecting the satisfaction of tourists in the traditional craft tea villages of Thai Nguyen province by the degree of im- pact from stronger to weaker are: emotional value, natural characteristics, infrastructure, service quality, and government supports. In particular, the factor of emotional value has the strongest impact on the satisfaction of vis- itors to the traditional craft tea villages of Thai Nguyen province. This can be explained in that tourist satisfaction depends on the interests of tourists the most: enjoying the experience, a de- sire to explore, enjoying the romantic scenery, and so on. Meanwhile, most tourists coming to traditional craft tea villages are self-organized tourists; and there are no tourism management agencies for traditional craft tea villages. Thus, the role of local government support has not been appreciated and has not had much effect on tourist satisfaction. 5. Conclusion and recommendations Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019165 5.1. Conclusion There are 05 factors that affect the satisfac- tion of tourists in the traditional tea villages in Thai Nguyen province, ranked by the impact level as follows: emotional value; natural fea- tures; the infrastructure; service quality and government support. 5.2. Recommendations To develop tourism in traditional craft tea villages, the following recommendations have been proposed: 5.2.1. For the local governments Firstly, the Provincial People’s Committee should have a policy of close coordination between the relevant departments and agen- cies in organizing the development of tourism villages. Specifically, coordination between the Association of Craft Villages with the De- partment of Culture, Sports and Tourism with the authorities of districts, communes and the traditional craft tea villages, from which the policies of the province are implemented syn- chronously and effectively. Secondly, the attractiveness of the destina- tion and the accessibility to the villages should be further improved through the enhancement of information and communication services, and signs to craft villages should be erected. Thirdly, it is necessary to build a local tour- ism trademark based on the perception of visi- tors to the traditional craft tea village. Fourthly, in order to develop the tourism of traditional craft tea villages, to promote the cultural values of craft villages, local author- ities should attract investment capital sourc- es for tea village tourism for construction of transportation systems and to propagate and encourage everyone, every family and every organization to preserve the landscape and en- vironment in the traditional craft tea villages. Fifthly, the Provincial People’s Committee should have policies to train human resources for tourist activities in traditional craft tea vil- lages on foreign language skills, tourism mar- keting skills and hotel and restaurant services. 5.2.2. For tourism enterprises Firstly, tourism enterprises need to organize tours with destinations such as tea villages and Tea Cultural Spaces. Secondly, tourism enterprises need to fo- cus on improving their perceived quality by improving the level of tour guides to the tra- Table 10: Regression coefficients Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Tolerance VIF Constant 0.003 0.040 0.094 0.000 SERQUAL 0.094 0.039 0.094 0.120 0.018 10.000 10.000 INFRAS 0.120 0.039 0.120 0.297 0.003 0.999 10.001 NATURE 0.297 0.039 0.297 0.750 0.000 0.999 10.001 EMOVALUE 0.750 0.039 0.750 0.025 0.000 0.996 10.004 GOVSPRT 0.026 0.040 0.025 0.094 0.020 0.993 10.007 Journal of Economics and Development Vol. 21, Special Issue, 2019166 ditional craft tea villages to guide visitors to enjoy the beauty of the tea area, cultural tea space, the cultural beauty in tea production, processing and preservation and the beauty in the art of tea drinking to affect the emotions of visitors. Thirdly, to upgrade the perceived quality of tourism for tourists: passenger transportation facilities, living facilities during moving in and out and during staying in the traditional craft tea villages. 5.2.3. For the local communities in the tra- ditional craft tea villages Firstly, a Tourism Management Board should be set up in each traditional craft tea vil- lage where it has not already been established. The Board will act as the host to coordinate the cooperation of all related stakeholders. Secondly, it is necessary to raise the aware- ness of people in traditional craft tea villages about the role of tourism in the socio-econom- ic development of the locality in general and of the tea households in particular. From there, change the perception and thinking of the peo- ple to promote the tradition of hospitality and friendliness between the local people and the tourists. 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