Abstract:

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.