Factors explaining length of stay: Lessons to be learnt from Madeira Island

Abstract

Abstract The length of stay for tourists is shrinking for traditional tourism destinations, with tourists instead opting for short breaks to multiple destinations. The reasons for these changes include the increasing number of low cost airlines reduces the cost per journey, alongside heightened disposable income and strong marketing strategies by competing destinations. Madeira Island is well placed in this study as it faces a typical issue of declining length of stay, meanwhile acquires rich data in carrying out thorough analyses in the factors that explain length of stay in Madeira Island-Portugal by five different econometric approaches, further policy implications of the research findings, particularly those that could potentially prove useful to increase the length of stay, are also discussed.