The influence of low-fare airlines on vacation choices of students: Results of a stated portfolio choice experiment

This paper reports the results of a portfolio model of vacation choices of students. The portfolio model concerns the combined choice of destination type, transport mode, duration, accommodation, and travel party for vacations. In addition to usual transport modes such as airline, train, bus and car, a distinction was made between low-fare airlines, as these may be especially appealing to students, and regular airlines. Stated choice data were used to estimate the model. The attributes of the transport modes were systematically varied in the experiment, while respondents were faced with free options for the other choice facets. Estimation results indicated that the developed model of portfolio choice performs satisfactory. In substantive terms, it seems that transport mode predominantly influences the portfolio choices. The attributes that are significant tend to amplify the specific role of transport modes in general and low-fare airlines in particular.     

Determinants of destination choice by Japanese overseas travelers

Using the data from the Japanese Pleasure Travel Survey, this study developed a logistic regression model to analyze destination choices of Japanese outbound pleasure travelers. The analysis revealed the effects of a number of variables on the Japanese destination choices. These variables are demographic characteristics including age, marital status, education level, and income, as well as types and purposes of trip. Various motivational factors were also found to be significant in classifying the Japanese market by their destination choices. The findings of this study provide useful information for destination marketers in their efforts to segment and target the Japanese outbound pleasure travel market. They will have a better understanding of the characteristics of the Japanese market relative to the strengths and weaknesses of their respective destinations, thus allowing them to be more effective in their packaging and promotion.     

Market segments based on the dominant movement patterns of tourists

This paper presents an innovative method for tourist market segmentation-based on dominant movement patterns of tourists; that is, the travel sequences or patterns used by tourists most frequently. There were three steps to achieve this goal. In the first step, general log-linear models were adopted to identify the dominant movement patterns, while the second step was to discover the characteristics of the groups of tourists who travelled with these patterns. The Expectation–Maximisation algorithm was then used to partition tourist segments in terms of socio-demographic and travel behavioural variables. The third step was to select target markets based upon the earlier analysis. These methods were applied to a sample of tourists, over the period of a week, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. A significant outcome of this research is that it will assist tourism organisations to identify tourism market segments and develop better tour packages and more efficient marketing strategies aligned to the characteristics of the tourists.     

Spatial movement patterns among intra-destinations using social network analysis

To explore popularly visited tourist locations, travel movement patterns, and movement points, this study collected samples of 321 Chinese tourists and 337 Japanese tourists who were visiting major tourist destinations in Seoul and its vicinity in South Korea. Results of analyzing movement patterns showed that Japanese tourists tend to be clustered around popular attractions, whereas Chinese tourists tend to spread over a larger area of attractions. Some specific shopping and amusement attractions were the locations most popularly visited by both groups. The start points and end points in the two groups’ itineraries were dissimilar overall, even though their patterns were similar in regard to major preferred tourist attractions. Thus, the findings of this study have the potential to contribute to understanding spatial mobility in a tourism destination through tracking tourists’ movement patterns.     

Exploring visitor movement patterns in natural recreational areas

GPS technology is widely used to produce detailed data on the movement of people. Analysing massive amounts of GPS data, however, can be cumbersome. We present a novel approach to processing such data to aid interpretation and understanding of the aggregated movement of visitors in natural recreational areas. It involves the combined analysis of two kinds of movement patterns: ‘Movement Suspension Patterns’ (MSPs) and ‘Generalized Sequential Patterns’ (GSPs). MSPs denote the suspension of movement when walkers stop at a place, and are used to discover places of interest to visitors. GSPs represent the generalized sequence in which the places are visited, regardless of the trajectory followed, and are used to uncover commonalities in the way that people visit the area. Both patterns were analysed in a geographical context to characterise the aggregated flow of people and provide insights into visitors’ preferences and their interactions with the environment. We demonstrate the application of the approach in the Dwingelderveld National Park (The Netherlands).     

Restaurants and dining out : Geography of a tourism business

Restaurants and dining out are an important part of the tourism industry and are a major business in their own right. They also have characteristics that make a geographical analysis especially pertinent: They require movement through space, there are strong regional variations in patterns of restaurant development, and location is an important factor in the success of a restaurant. This paper examines two aspects of the geography of the restaurant industry in Canada: national patterns of restaurant development and the tendency to dine out, and local patterns of site selection. Basic patterns are described and possible processes influencing these patterns identified. Recommendations are given for the location of new restaurants of different types     

Effects of calorie information disclosure on consumers’ food choices at restaurants

Menu labeling is a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but mandatory calorie information disclosure by restaurants is currently under consideration as a potential regulatory initiative to help curb excess calorie intake and encourage healthier food choices. There is much debate about the effectiveness of such legislation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of calorie information disclosure on consumers’ food choices at restaurants. Results of an online experimental study using real menu boards suggest that the effect of calorie information disclosure interplays with perceived healthfulness of restaurants to jointly affect consumers’ food choices and underlying psychological processes. Upon exposure to calorie information, divergent food choice patterns at restaurants of varying levels of perceived healthfulness were observed. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Cost Efficiency and the Choice of Operation Type: Evidence from Taiwan's International Tourist Hotels

This study investigated the endogenous relationship between the differences in cost efficiency and hotel owners' choices of either remaining an independently operated establishment or joining an international chain. We applied observations of 72 international tourist hotels in Taiwan from 1997 to 2008 to a simultaneous equations model with qualitative and limited dependent variables. The study results suggest that joining international chains significantly improves cost efficiency. We also found that net gains from improving both cost efficiency and hotel location are the two foremost determinants for an owner's decision to join an international hotel chain.     

Cruise passengers' behavior at the destination: Investigation using GPS technology

This paper aims at segmenting cruise passengers in order to identify passengers' profiles according to their behavior at destination. Through an integrated use of traditional survey instruments and of GPS technologies, a set of indicators for the analysis of passengers' mobility at destination is proposed. Data collected in the port of Palermo are used in order to investigate space-time activities of cruise passengers at the destination. Monothetic Analysis is used in order to segment passengers according to their behavior at destination, and groups are then compared in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and other variables collected through questionnaire-based survey. Results identify seven different broad patterns of activity, and indicate that several socio-demographic characteristics and other features of passengers seem to be associated with movement patterns at destination. A better knowledge of cruise passengers' behavior at destination is a fundamental pre-requisite in order to better serve visitors' needs and meet their expectations.     

Spatial heterogeneity in Spain for senior travel behavior

Travel patterns are becoming more differentiated, influenced by new variables resulting from changes in lifestyle. The relevance of the senior segment for this industry, with the continuous aging population and their economic status, made this segment a very attractive group for the sector, and even more so in a country that is characterized by its aging, such as Spain. Spatial effects are considered a key element to understand this process, but there are only a few studies focusing on cross-cultural influences and the neighborhood context. For this purpose, the technique of geographically weighted principal component analysis (GWPCA) is applied in a novel way for the sector, showing different behavior patterns according to area of origin. The GWPCA is a localized version of the principal component analysis (PCA) used when there is a certain spatial heterogeneity in the structure of a multivariate data set. The results confirmed that GWPCA is an effective statistical methodology to research spatial heterogeneity for travel behavior, with clearly differentiated scenarios for the north, center and south of Spain, where the most determining factors in each case were hygiene and cleanliness, medical coverage and transport facilities.     

‘The town dictates what I do’: the leisure,health and well-being of women in a small Australian country town

The contribution of leisure to individual health and well-being is well documented. It is also clear that patterns of leisure activity are differentiated by gender and regional differences, as well as those of age, class and ethnicity. This paper explores the leisure and well-being of mid aged rural women in a small Australian country town in the late 1990s, focusing on issues which have been identified in the Canadian literature as being significant for women in isolated areas. These issues, which constrain the choices women make about their lives, include poor job opportunities, a lack of public transport and other facilities, family transience, community designs that isolate women in their homes, and the politics of being ‘different’ in a small community. Commonalities in the lives of rural women in North America, New Zealand and Australia indicate that these issues may more broadly characterise the lives of women in isolated towns in western post-industrial societies. Data are drawn from focus group interviews, augmented with observation, and the study is contextualized in findings from the Women's Health Australia longitudinal study (WHA).     

The Determinants of Honeymoon Destination Choice—The Case of Taiwan

The purposes of this study were to identify the attributes that determine the attractiveness of a honeymoon destination and to determine the influential variables that affect the destination choice of honeymooners. The results indicated that “safety,” “excellent quality of accommodation,” and “reasonable travel cost” were the three most important attributes determining the attractiveness of a honeymoon destination. Significant differences in perceptions of destination attributes exist across groups of different sociodemographic and traveling characteristics of potential honeymooners. Two sociodemographic variables (i.e., age, monthly income), two traveling characteristics (i.e., length of trip, travel budget), and three destination attributes (i.e., “excellent quality of accommodation,” “nightlife entertainment,” “good place for shopping”) are the significant determinants for classifying Taiwanese potential honeymooners by their destination choices. The findings of this study provide useful information for destination marketers in their efforts to segment the target market precisely and develop promotion campaigns effectively.     

旅游型海岛游客与居民时空间行为研究——以辽宁省长海县为例

旅游型海岛承担着生活和旅游的双重功能，明晰游客与居民的时空间行为特征，对海岛空间优化、基础设施配置等具有现实意义。辽宁省长海县是典型淡旺季分明的旅游型海岛，本研究基于实地调研和空间分析方法，分类刻画游客与居民活动行为模式及其活动-移动时空特征。结果表明：（1）受旅游淡旺季影响，海岛年内活动群体空间集聚区域明显分异，形成了旺季围绕景点、浴场等场所，淡季围绕家、村镇中心等场所的游客与居民时空间行为模式；（2）游客和居民活动行为的时空特征明显，游客出行频次更多，行为空间范围更广，大长山岛镇中心和广鹿岛镇中心是游客前往景点和浴场的集散地之一，也是居民日常活动的集散地，是游客和岛民行为空间重叠区域，也是海岛共享度最高的空间。（3）游客时空间行为受行为目的、偏好和活动组合影响，居民时空间行为主要受社会角色、个体社会经济属性影响，群体时空间行为影响因素存在显著差异。本研究可针对旅游型海岛的基础设施空间优化配置、海岛社会空间效率提升、海岛国土空间规划等方面提供参考依据。     

Stock market reactions to entry mode choices of multinational hotel firms

This paper contends that when entry mode choices are aligned with the characteristics of the host country, investors are likely to respond more positively to the expansion announcement than when there is no or little alignment. Empirical results from the international hotel industry support this contention. The findings specifically reveal that the announcements of new management contracts in developing countries, and new franchise agreements in developed countries, cause superior abnormal returns. The study also further supports the notion that control and ownership need to be treated as separate dimensions in the entry mode literature.     

Pooling international tourism in Western Europe

This paper examines potential improvements in measures of international travel demand elasticities by pooling cross sections and time series of travel receipts. International travel receipts for 18 European countries are pooled and estimates of elasticities with respect to income, exchange rates, relative prices, transport costs, and number of terrorism events are computed. Indexes are developed for the purpose of measuring and aggregating transport costs and terrorism. The results show that the responses to changes in these variables are significantly different across countries. When the countries are constrained to have the same elasticities, but the constants are allowed to be different, it is found that all variables affect tourism in the expected direction and are statistically significant.     

Representing tourists’ heterogeneous choices of destination and travel party with an integrated latent class and nested logit model

Aiming at a better understanding of heterogeneous interdependencies between destination and travel party choices in tourism, this study attempts to simultaneously represent these two choices by integrating the nested logit model with the latent class modeling approach to accommodate both types of nested model structures together. Empirical analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the developed model, using a data collected from more than 2000 tourists in Japan. It was observed that on average the two types of nested model structures are almost equally shared by samples and the model structures could significantly vary with income level and gender. Influential factors related to choices of destination and travel party were also explored. Concretely speaking, travel time, attractiveness of destination and number of tourism spots were found to be important influential factors in destination choice, and gender, age, marital status have important effects on travel party choice.     

Factors influencing visitor travel to festivals: challenges in encouraging sustainable travel

This paper examines how visitor travel-mode choices to festivals are formed and how sustainable travel could be encouraged. The empirical analysis focuses on Hay Festival of Literature and Arts using semi-structured interviews with visitors. Themes and topics explored through the interviews were informed by theories of travel behaviour. Findings highlight a range of external and internal factors influencing visitor travel-mode choices, which are closely interrelated. External factors reflect environmental elements related to the location and type of overnight accommodation, festival location, travel time and quality of public transport services. Internal factors include autonomy in travelling different routes and times, travelling with young children, cost of travel and physical-health and mobility issues. An additional internal factor was routine use of the car and extension of this behaviour when travelling to the festival. Based on the consolidation of the empirical findings, this paper also proposes a new theoretical framework for capturing a more comprehensive understanding of event related travel decisions. To encourage further sustainable travel, festival organisers and policy makers should not only focus exclusively on travel time and cost but consider a wider array of factors that are unique to festivals and their geographic locations.     

Factors affecting undergraduates' commitment to career choice in the hospitality sector: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Little is known about the factors underlying students’ commitment to career choices in the hospitality industry in non-western contexts. This research explores the drivers of commitment to career choice among undergraduates studying hospitality in Saudi Arabia. Employing the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this research examines commitment to hospitality career against personal and contextual variables, together with two control variables of (i.e., “year of study” and “industry experience”), expected to influence students’ career decisions. From a valid sample of 227 students, it was found that “self-interest,” “outcome expectations,” “the nature of working environment,” “the nature of working day,” “nepotism (wasta),” “industry experience,” and “year of study” were the best predictors of students’ commitment to career choice; in contrary, “social status” and localization (saudization) of workforce were not significant determinants. Implications of the findings and avenues for future research are also discussed.     

Studies in the socio-environmental psychology of tourism

Aspects of six graduate theses are described in order to illustrate the potential contribution of social psychology to tourism studies. Their topics are images of tropical holidays, design of holiday brochures, international travel mode choice, family roles on holiday, and long-distance travel and sightseeing. Particular attention is drawn to their theoretical rationale and methodology, to certain environmental questions, and to directions and choices for future research.