This paper starts from the hypothesis that the travel behaviour of one and the same individual over a period of several years is characterised by a certain regularity, and that therefore a travel experience segmentation can be used as a predictor of future holiday behaviour. In a first step we analyse the influence of socio-demo- graphic criteria on the choice of the main holiday destinations abroad in 1976. In a second step we do the same analysis with regard to criteria of past travel experience in the Mediterranean area and in countries north of Switzerland as well as relating to different types of holidays. The comparison reveals that the past travel experience is in a better position to explain the choice of the most popular holiday destinations abroad in 1976 than any of the socio-demographic criteria.
The new UN recommendations for the phased development of national Systems of International Tourism Statistics are presented, with the principal definitions and classifications. Some problems in collecting, analysing and interpreting tourism data are discussed. The principal tourism statistics are presented for the 39 countries of the European region for 1975 with estimates of international tourist arrivals and tourist-inights according to UN definitions. Tourism is highly seasonal and subject to strong fluctuations in trends and also to changes in seasonal patterns. Time series analysis enables the use of seasonally-adjusted data for historic and current monitoring of tourism flows and for forecasting. Some recommendations are proposed for furthering tourism statistics.
The objective of this paper is to attempt to predict when tourism saturation will be reached in the UK; to identify the factors which are critical in determining saturation levels; finally to indicate where demand and supply may not in future be aligned.
This paper explains how a specially designed personal interview panel of 550 households was established in Britain to monitor the timing of holiday planning decisions during the December 1976/ June 1977 period.
The aim of this paper is to examine the role of marketing research in the formulation of marketing plans for Lisdoonvarna. The objectives of the study and the approach adopted are initially discussed. The results of the research and the implications of the findings for the marketing strategies adopted are examined in some detail.
The Hungarian Institute for Market Research of Budapest began in 1970 a series of surveys, repeated every second year, to observe the Hungarian people's holiday taking habits. The structure of demand - the types of holidays taken and the way they are organised - the changes in demand and the factors influencing this and the effects of the macro environment, should all be taken into consideration when creating an adequate supply of facilities to meet the demands of holiday-makers. The results of surveys are used in the planning of tourism: the research is done with this aim. The surveys are carried out using a representative household panel run by the Hungarian Institute for Market Research.
A survey based on 2000 personal interviews, each lasting about one hour was conducted amongst Thomson clients in Mallorca. Consumer attitudes towards food, quality of service in the dining-room, bar service, hotel entertainment, bedrooms and other factors were examined in relation to the customers' overall rating of the hotel. The paper concludes with an AID analysis which shows the relationship between these various factors and the overall rating of the hotel.
The paper describes the central role which research has played in the development and evaluation of a possible new product structure for British Airways services between the UK and Europe. The airline was carrying out a major review of its marketing strategy on European routes. One of the main aims was to improve the competitive position of scheduled services, ensuring that the product range and pricing structure matched the needs of the market. The initial research indicated that a simple two product strategy: Expressair and Poundsaver, would reflect the basic travel needs of the market. Research was then carried out to test the acceptability of these new concepts, and to indicate the amount and type of traffic which they might attract. The paper outlines the problems (and some solutions) in the design, execution and interpretation of this research.
The purpose of this paper is twofold: First, to report the results of a research study which in turn may be compared to researchers' experience elsewhere; second, and perhaps more importantly, to present a thorough discussion of an application of multiple regression techniques which could find profitable use in the tourism and travel industry when traditional marketing research questions concerning demand and market share need to be answered.
This paper sets out firstly to describe the historic development of market segmentation in tourism research, through a review of ESOMAR and other published sources. We then reconsider the fundamental methods and objectives of market segmentation and their application to the tourism market. Finally, we discuss some European experimental research of our own and examine two questions: 1. How reliable a predictor is such segmentation? and 2. How actionable is it?
I propose to devote my attention to the interest of qualitative methods and the way in which they complement quantitative techniques. The intention is not to present, as such, the results of any one particular study, but rather to reflect on the methodology of a number of experiences our group have had in the past. I shall refer in particular to a study with foreign tourists visiting France, and later to several other studies with French publics, on holiday and their travel problems.