Abstract
Tourists represent an emerging mass market for shellcraft in areas where the pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, supports cultured pearl production. An analysis of purchase decisions related to half-pearl and mother-of-pearl shellcraft as souvenirs is now necessary to determine whether there is scope to increase half-pearl production with P. maxima. On such basis, this study created a task environment to generate data on half-pearl and mother-of-pearl shellcraft purchased as souvenirs by tourists at a popular coastal destination in Papua New Guinea. Data were generated by observing purchase decisions and then questioning consumers about how selected choice criteria influenced their decisions. In analyzing these data, it was found that 94% of interactions with the task environment (n = 142) resulted in a sale. A key finding was that purchase decisions were nonrandom with respect to the available products and mother-of-pearl earrings accounted for 66% of all sales, which was significantly more than expected (chi-square = 120.2, P < 0.01) and associated with strong preference (D = 0.71). Although preference for mother-of-pearl earrings does not negate the potential of tourism to create mass-market opportunities for half-pearls, it does highlight challenges in the realization of such potential. More broadly, the implications of purchase decisions are discussed and strategies to support expansion of half-pearl production with P. maxima are proposed.
