An Empirical Study of the Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles by Chinese Tourists

Abstract

The traveling mode and consumption preferences of Chinese tourists are undergoing profound changes with more opting for sightseeing tours to enjoying a wider variety of sightseeing and leisure vacations. Especially after Covid-19 pandemic, “road Trip” or “self-driving tour” were selected by more Chinese tourists with the benefits of higher privacy, security and more freedom. In this research, we supplement the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with other consumer factors (from recent studies in China) to investigate Chinese tourists’ perspectives towards the use of autonomous vehicles for holiday tours. Based on a survey of 500 respondents from China, regression analysis confirmed three internal factors and three external factors that supplement TAM to predict adoption. We contribute to technology adoption theory by advancing the understanding of the motivational mechanisms of consumers’ adoption of autonomous vehicles that will enhance the tourism literature.