MASTER'S THESIS INFORMATION

1. Student's name: Dang Van Quay

2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: September 15, 1991

4. Place of birth: Nam Dinh

5. Decision to recognize student number:5626/QD-XHNV dated December 29, 2023of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in the training process:

7. Thesis topic: Evaluating the attractiveness of Hanoi's Old Quarter to European tourists

8. Major: Tourism; Code: 8810101.01

9. Scientific supervisors: Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Duc Thanh and Dr. Vu Huong Lan, Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

10. Summary of the results of the thesis

The thesis “Assessing factors affecting the attractiveness of Hanoi Old Quarter to European tourists” has systematized the theoretical basis of destination attractiveness, based on fundamental theories in tourism research such as the destination attributes model, tourist behavior model and studies on the attractiveness of cultural and historical destinations. On that basis, the thesis identifies 5 groups of factors that can affect the attractiveness of European tourists, including: natural environment, cultural experience, quality of tourism services, travel costs and tourism security. These are groups of factors that reflect the characteristics of Hanoi Old Quarter - an ancient urban area with long-standing historical, cultural and commercial values.

The survey results of 255 European tourists visiting Hanoi Old Quarter showed that the majority of tourists positively evaluated the destination experience, especially in the following factors: ancient urban landscape, cultural activities - local life, reasonable cost and safety level. The results of Cronbach's Alpha reliability test showed that all scales were reliable, allowing for further analysis. Through EFA exploratory factor analysis, the 5 initial factor groups continued to be confirmed with 19 observed variables achieving convergence and discrimination values, reflecting well the actual data structure of European tourists.

Multivariate linear regression analysis shows that of the five initial factors, only two factors have a strong and statistically significant impact on the attractiveness of the Old Quarter, including: Cultural experience (β = 0.359) and Tourism security (β = 0.236). Meanwhile, the factors Tourism cost (β = 0.086) and Tourism service quality (β = 0.043) are positively evaluated but do not create a large enough difference in the perception of attractiveness. The Natural environment factor was removed from the model because it did not reach statistical significance in the regression analysis. The adjusted R² value = 0.286 shows that the model explains 28.6% of the variation in the dependent variable - a suitable level in tourism behavior research.

In addition, the results of the One-Sample T Test show that all observed variables have Mean > 4 and Sig. = 0.000, proving that European tourists generally rate Hanoi Old Quarter as an attractive destination in terms of cultural experiences, reasonable costs, high safety level and interesting ancient urban atmosphere. These results confirm that the attraction of the Old Quarter comes from its strong cultural and historical values ​​and safe visiting environment, different from many destinations in the region.

From these results, the thesis proposes a group of implications to enhance the attractiveness of Hanoi Old Quarter, including: preserving and promoting cultural and historical values; enhancing security and safety; maintaining transparent and reasonable costs; improving service quality in a professional direction; and improving the urban landscape and environment in a sustainable direction. These implications contribute to strengthening the competitive advantage of the Old Quarter in the context of international tourism recovering and European tourists tending to seek local cultural experiences.

11. Practical applicability

The research results of the thesis have high applicability in management, policy planning and tourism product development in Hanoi Old Quarter. Firstly, the survey results and quantitative models provide reliable data to help Hanoi authorities, the Old Quarter Management Board and tourism agencies accurately assess the attractiveness of the destination to the European market - an important target market of tourism in the capital.

Second, the proposed solutions can be applied directly to destination management activities, such as preserving ancient urban architecture, improving the quality of cultural experiences, enhancing security and safety for tourists and improving cost transparency. These contents are consistent with current legal documents such as the Law on Cultural Heritage, the 2017 Law on Tourism, the Law on Prices and the Regulations on management and conservation of Hanoi Old Quarter.

Third, the research results provide a basis for tourism service businesses such as travel agencies, tour guides, accommodation establishments, restaurants and specialty stores to adjust their products, improve service quality, and create unique experiences to attract European visitors. At the same time, the thesis is also a useful source of information for tourism training institutions in teaching and researching destination management, tourist behavior and urban cultural tourism development.

Therefore, the research not only has academic value but also has profound practical significance, contributing to supporting the development of tourism in the Old Quarter in a professional, sustainable and friendly direction.

12. Further research directions:

From the results achieved, the thesis proposes some future research directions to complete and expand the topic of urban destination attractiveness:

(1) Expanding the scope of the survey

Further studies could expand the survey sample to include more diverse groups of European tourists with more diverse ages and travel purposes, or conduct comparisons between European, Asian, and North American tourists to understand differences in perceived attractiveness.

(2) Adding more elements to the research model

Future studies could incorporate factors of destination image, travel emotions, satisfaction, perceived value, or revisit intention to enhance the explanatory power of the model.

(3) Combining qualitative methods

Conduct in-depth interviews, field observations, or mine online review data to better understand visitors' motivations, emotions, and expectations of the Old Quarter.

(4) Compare with similar destinations

Comparative study between Hanoi Old Quarter and other famous old quarters such as Hoi An, Lijiang (China), Chiang Mai (Thailand) to determine competitive advantages and limitations.

(5) Using advanced analytical models

Apply SEM or PLS-SEM to further analyze the direct-indirect relationships between factors in the model.

These research directions will contribute to enriching the theoretical basis, and at the same time support the development of a management and development strategy for Hanoi Old Quarter as a cultural and historical destination that attracts international tourists.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None.

MASTER'S THESIS INFORMATION

1. Full name of the graduate student: Dang Van Quay

2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: September 15, 1991

4. Place of birth: Nam Dinh

5. Decision on student recognition: Decision No. 5626/QD-XHNV dated December 29, 2023, issued by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes during the study process:

(Record any changes and corresponding time, if applicable)

7. Thesis title: Assessing the attractiveness of Hanoi's Old Quarter to European tourists

8. Major: Tourism; Code: 8810101.01

9. Academic supervisors:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Thanh and Dr. Vu Huong Lan, Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

10. Summary of thesis findings

The thesis titled “Assessing the factors influencing the attractiveness of Hanoi's Old Quarter to European tourists” systematizes the theoretical foundations related to destination attractiveness, drawing on key frameworks such as destination attribute models, tourist behavior theories, and studies on the appeal of cultural–historical destinations. Based on this foundation, the thesis identifies five groups of factors that may affect European tourists' perceptions of destination attractiveness, including: natural environment, cultural experience, quality of tourism services, travel costs, and tourism safety and security. These reflect the unique characteristics of Hanoi's Old Quarter—a historic urban area rich in cultural and commercial value.

A survey of 255 European tourists visiting the Old Quarter shows that most visitors hold positive perceptions of the destination, particularly regarding the historic urban landscape, cultural and local lifestyle experiences, reasonable travel costs, and high levels of safety. Cronbach's Alpha analysis confirms that all measurement scales achieved acceptable reliability. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) further validates the initial five-factor structure, with 19 observed variables demonstrating strong convergent and discriminant validity that accurately reflects the perceptions of European tourists.

Multiple linear regression results reveal that among the five original factors, only cultural experience (β = 0.359) and tourism safety (β = 0.236) have a significant significant and significant impact on the overall attractiveness of the Old Quarter. Meanwhile, travel costs (β = 0.086) and service quality (β = 0.043) were rated positively by visitors but did not contribute significantly to explaining destination attractiveness. The natural environment factor was removed from the model due to a lack of statistical significance. The adjusted R² value of 0.286 indicates that the model explains 28.6% of the variance in the dependent variable—a reasonable figure for studies on tourist behavior.

In addition, One-Sample T Test results show that all observed variables have Mean > 4 and Sig. = 0.000, proving that European tourists generally perceive the Old Quarter as an attractive destination in terms of cultural experience, reasonable costs, high safety, and a pleasant historic urban atmosphere. These findings highlight that the predominant sources of attractiveness stem from cultural–historical values ​​and a safe tourism environment, distinguishing the Old Quarter from many other destinations in the region.

Based on these results, the thesis proposes managing implications to enhance the attractiveness of Hanoi's Old Quarter, including cultural heritage preservation, strengthening tourist safety, maintaining transparent and reasonable pricing, improving service quality, and upgrading the urban environment toward sustainability. These recommendations help strengthen the Old Quarter's competitive advantage, especially as international tourism recovers and European tourists increasingly seek authentic cultural experiences.

11. Practical applicability

The findings of this thesis have high practical relevance for destination management, policy planning, and tourism product development in the Old Quarter. First, the survey data and quantitative analyzes provide reliable scientific evidence for the Hanoi government, the Old Quarter Management Board, and tourism authorities to accurately assess the destination's attractiveness to European tourists—a key target market for the city.

Second, the proposed strategies can be applied directly to destination management practices, such as preserving historic urban architecture, enhancing cultural experience offerings, strengthening tourist safety measures, and improving price transparency. These recommendations align with existing legal frameworks such as the Law on Cultural Heritage, the Tourism Law (2017), the Law on Prices, and Hanoi's Regulations on Old Quarter Preservation and Management.

Third, the research offers valuable insights for tourism businesses—including travel agencies, tour guides, accommodation providers, restaurants, and specialty shops—to improve their service quality and design culturally appealing experiences for European visitors. The thesis also serves as a useful reference for tourism education institutions in training and research related to destination management, tourist behavior, and cultural tourism development.

Thus, the thesis contributes not only academically but also practically, supporting the development of the Old Quarter's tourism industry in a professional, sustainable, and visitor-friendly direction.

12. Directions for future research

Based on the findings, several future research directions are suggested to further expand and refine the topic of destination attractiveness in urban tourism:

(1) Expanding the survey scope:

Future studies may include a wider range of European tourist segments with diverse ages and travel purposes, or conduct cross-cultural comparisons with tourists from Asia or North America to gain deeper insights into differences in attractiveness perceptions.

(2) Adding more variables to the research model:

Subsequent research can incorporate factors such as destination image, tourist emotions, satisfaction, perceived value, or revisit intention to enhance the model's explanatory power.

(3) Integrating qualitative methods:

In-depth interviews, field observation, or analysis of online reviews could be used to explore tourists' motivations, emotions, and expectations in greater detail.

(4) Comparative analysis with similar destinations:

Comparisons between Hanoi's Old Quarter and other historic districts such as Hoi An (Vietnam), Lijiang (China), or Chiang Mai (Thailand) may help identify unique strengths and competitive advantages.

(5) Applying advanced analytical models:

Techniques such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) or Partial Least Squares–SEM (PLS-SEM) can be used to analyze direct and indirect relationships among variables more comprehensively.

These research directions will enrich the theoretical foundation and support strategic development for Hanoi's Old Quarter as an attractive cultural–historical destination for international tourists.

13. Thesis-related publications: None