Developing a Scale of the Elements that Tourists Examine to Justify the Purchase of Suitable Japanese Omiyage and Souvenirs A Case Study by a Survey of University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a scale that measures the basic elements that tourists examine to justify the purchase of suitable souvenirs, and verify its construct validity and reliability. In this study, we created a 40-item scale based on various studies, focusing on the differences between Japanese omiyage and souvenirs. As a result of two surveys and factor analysis targeting 275 and 126 university students, respectively, the basic elements that make suitable food souvenirs are ”authenticity,” ”gifts,” ”story and uniqueness,” and ”experience and memories.” For non-food souvenirs, the four elements were ”reliability,” ”arts and communication,” ”experience and memory,” and ”gifts.” The reliability and validity of the scale were confirmed.