Factors Influencing Restaurant Selection by Travelers Who Stop at Visitor Information Centers

This article reports the findings of an exploratory study defining expectations for restaurants of travelers who stop at visitor information centers. Using data collected from 2, 712 summer travelers, four factors that explain consumer expectations are discussed: information, restaurant basics, amenities, and health. Travelers rated attributes such as cleanliness, food quality, and friendliness of staff as most important. Suggestions are given for developing promotional materials for attracting travelers to restaurants.     

Are sustainable tourists a higher spending market?

Resistance to sustainability practices often stems from the industry's view that sustainable tourism requires a profitability tradeoff where the additional costs associated with sustainability do not pay off in increased economic returns, yet few studies have been attempted to prove or disprove this viewpoint. This study analyzed spending patterns and length of stay of visitors to Montana, USA to determine if strong geotravelers (higher sustainable behaviors) were different than those with less sustainable behaviors. Results found that total trip spending by strong geotravelers (US $1164) was significantly higher than the overall spending of both moderate (US $866) and minimal geotravelers (US $668). These findings suggest that sustainable travelers are a travel market to be reckoned with in the tourism marketing and business world. The combination of their pro-sustainable behavior and increased spending provides evidence of a market segment in which destinations can benefit.     

Segmenting Visitors to Battlefield Sites: International Visitors to The Former Demilitarized Zone in Vietnam

Paradoxically, part of the appeal of Vietnam as an emerging destination lies in the commodification of images, artifacts, and battlefield sites of the Vietnam War. While studied from the supply-side, little research has been undertaken yet in terms of the patterns of demand for battlefield tourism. Based on a survey of 481 visitors to the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), this article uses factor analysis and cluster analysis to segment then profile battlefield visitors based on their motivations. Three groups of visitors to the DMZ were identified: the Battlefield Tourism Enthusiast, the Opportunist, and Passive Tourists. Significant differences were found between the three segments with regard to various sociodemographics and trip characteristics. However, results from the study also emphasize that analyses of demand based on site visits should be contextualized in terms of visits to the country as a whole and that care must be taken in distinguishing specialist visitors from generalists.     

Market Segmentation in Time of Crisis

SUMMARY

The MICE sector (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions), has generated high foreign exchange revenue for the economy worldwide. In Thailand, MICE tourists are recognized as 'quality' visitors, mainly because of their high-spending potential. Nonetheless, Thailand's MICE sector has been influenced by a number of crises in the past since September 11, 2001. While a number of researchers have discussed the tourism market segmentation strategies during a crisis situation, less effort has focused on the MICE sector. Using Thailand as a case study, this research has adopted Seaton and Bennett's (1996, p. 31) concept of tourism market segmentation in order to understand the market segmentation strategy implemented by organizations in the MICE sector in time of crisis.     

Profiling the segments of visitors to Portuguese protected areas

This study identifies the diversity of domestic visitors to Portuguese protected areas (PPA) based on benefit segmentation. The segments of PPA visitors are also compared with other nature-based tourist segments using some empirical benefit segmentation literature. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire and multivariate statistics techniques (principal components, hierarchical and K-means cluster analyses) were applied. Five distinct segments of visitors were identified based on the motivation for their visit and further characterized by the perceived importance of activities, facilities and services, frequency of visit and socio-demographics. Three segments are nature-focused and two are focused on activities or events. Only one segment shows specific interests and motivations associated with ecotourism and similar characteristics to international ecotourists; moreover, the reasons for the visit in one segment are unrelated to any of the motivations of nature-based tourism. Some implications for management are also described.     

基于生态位的区域旅游业稳定度研究

区域旅游业从产生到发展,在区域经济生态维的梯度上占据着不同的生态位.本文从阐明生态位及旅游业的含义出发,提出了旅游业区域经济生态位的概念,构建了影响旅游业区域经济生态位的核心生态因子体系.通过全国31个省、自治区、直辖市2000-2004年的旅游业相关指标与所在区域的相同指标总值的数据收集,运用比例分析法和因子分析法,获得了我国不同区域的旅游业在本地经济发展中的经济生态位评价综合值,进而对各省份进行了横向比较、聚类及稳定度分析,旨在探索区域旅游业发展演化规律.     

Delivering the Right Tourist Service to the Right People–A Comparison of Segmentation Approaches

ABSTRACT

Market segmentation has developed to become a generally accepted and widely applied concept in strategic marketing. However, the gap between academic research aiming at increased sophistication of the methodology and managerial use has steadily increased. This paper takes the perspective of a destination manager and compares two segmentation approaches. One typically used in destination management (a priorigeographical segmentation) and another one that is common in academic literature (a posterioribehavioural segmentation). The comparison emphasizes managerial usefulness (implying maximization of match between the tourists' vacation needs and the des-tinations' offer) and is illustrated with an empirical guest survey data set for Austria.     

乡村旅游开发土地收储阶段居民意愿特征与细分机制——基于扎根理论的研究

作为土地增值收益再分配过程的土地收储,不断导致乡村旅游开发中各利益主体间的矛盾与冲突。识别居民对土地收储意愿态度特征及其作用机制,不但有助于乡村旅游开发土地收储的顺利进行,更对维持乡村社会稳定具有重要意义。文章以河北W村为例,采用扎根理论对非参与式观察和深度访谈法获取的536条数据资料进行层级编码分析,探析乡村旅游开发土地收储阶段居民征地意愿及其特征。研究发现,居民在土地收储阶段的意愿会依据个体条件产生差异化价值需求,并根据需求的被满足程度形成积极响应、条件支持、矛盾屈从和顽强抵抗4种典型形态。通过扎根理论形成的条件-需求-意愿作用路径,可对意愿细分形成原因进行阐释,其本质是人地关系地域系统中地理环境影响人行为选择的一种具体表现。     

Who visits the Kruger National Park,and why? identifying target markets

This study identified viable target markets at South Africa’s most renowned nature reserve, the Kruger National Park, using market segmentation based on demographic characteristics. International, domestic, and local nature tourists were surveyed and categorized into three distinct clusters. The results show that block clustering based on visitors’ demographic characteristics is a useful research tool for producing a clear visitor profile and showed that during the process of market segmentation it is necessary to establish the relationship between a particular segmentation base and visitors' behavior and preferences. This is useful information for managing this Park, and other similar parks, more sustainably.     

Senior citizens and their dining-out traits: Implications for restaurants

Continuing and rapid growth of the mature population in Taiwan has forced the restaurant industry to prepare for substantial social and demographic changes. This study used a telephone survey to elicit attributes important to the restaurant patronage behaviors of consumers aged 65 and older who lived independently. The variables examined include a battery of demographic and health-related variables, a series of motivation attributes, restaurant selection criteria, and measures of consumer's restaurant patronage behaviors. Two distinctive segments were identified; frequent and convenience restaurant patrons, and occasional and family restaurant patrons. The results of this study of mature consumer's restaurant patronage behavior have several implications for this increasingly important and prominent segment of the restaurant consumer marketplace.     

乡村旅游发展中存在问题的解析

文章在分析总结现有研究成果关于乡村旅游发展中存在问题的基础上,根据问题的关联性,把乡村旅游发展中的问题分为思想认识、利益分配、生产过程以及产品与效益4个方面.并提出依据问题的关联性和发生脉络,抓住根本与核心问题,按4个步骤逐一解决乡村旅游发展中的问题.     

Event segmentation: A review and research agenda

Event academics and practitioners have long recognized the importance of segmenting event attendees. Despite a relatively long level of enquiry into event segmentation, there is little consistency in the methods, data analysis techniques and segmentation variables that are used. A review of 120 event segmentation studies incorporating an attendee-orientated approach was conducted to identify how event attendees are currently segmented. This study will serve as a reference guide to current event segmentation researchers on the segmentation approach/s and data analysis techniques utilized in previous studies. Recommendations for future research are suggested.