Joseph T. O'Leary

Searching for the Future: Challenges Faced by Destination Marketing Organizations:

Threats in the external environment and changes in the industry’s markets and structures have challenged destination marketing organizations to change in fundamental ways. The strategic responses to these developments are essentially decisions to proactively shape, adapt to, or passively struggle through a crisis. Envisioning the future of tourism and examining possible ways of reaching various future scenarios are essential exercises in this process of deciding which strategic approach to adopt. In response to the increasing need for new visions of the future of tourism and particularly destination marketing, leading destination marketers from the midwestern United States were invited to participate in a large focus group to discuss the specific challenges encountered by their organizations. This article summarizes the issues raised and their implications for destination marketing organizations as well as tourism research.

Developing a Typology for Understanding Visiting Friends and Relatives Markets

This study seeks to classify visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel and to explore the linkage between VFR travel types and commercial tourism in an empirical study. The VFR phenomenon is multifaceted, making it hard to integrate research findings. This article proposes an initial typology of VFR travel and positions the major existing studies within this typology. Using data from Queensland, Australia, an examination is made of the relationships between the proposed variables and VFR travel and behavior patterns. The data set gave the researchers the ability to identify VFR as either a prime trip motive or one of a set of activities or regional attractions. The study provides an activities-based segmentation of this type of VFR traveler and attempts to connect different segments to both travel patterns and the variables in the proposed typology.

Segmenting the international travel market by activity

Abstract The more we understand the choices made by the travelling public about sets of activities, the more potential tourists will be generated through improved market planning and promotional strategies. Activity based segmentation was used to identify five groups of Hong Kong international pleasure travellers. They were ‘visting friends and relatives’, ‘outdoor sports’, ‘sightseeing’, ‘full-house activity’ and ‘entertainment’. Statistical differences between clusters exist for party size, age, occupation and education. Results show that activity segmentation is a viable approach and that implications exist for packaging and programming vacations, distribution channels, training programmes and promotional materials.

Predicting usage of the Internet for travel bookings: an exploratory study.

The marketing of travel on the Internet is growing rapidly and with this so is travel e-commerce. Unfortunately, the research information to date on people searching for travel information online and booking travel through the Internet has lacked depth and sophistication. Therefore, this study developed and tested predictive models for the likelihood of booking travel online and for being a repeat booker of travel online. Using an interactive survey method, the respondents were asked to provide information on their sociodemographic characteristics, travel-related behaviors, Internet usage patterns, perceptions of the Internet, and last trips booked online. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was then applied to develop the two predictive models. A conceptual model was suggested depicting the process through which people become Internet travel bookers.

A Means-End Investigation of Ropes Course Experiences

Means-end theory and its associated methodology provide an approach for investigating the meanings that individuals associate with the products and services they purchase, consume, and experience. Drawing from this means-end perspective, a study was conducted to develop a better understanding of the range of benefits that result from participating in a ropes course program. A sample of 125 participants from two ropes course programs identified the benefits they derived from their ropes course experience. Using a self-administered laddering procedure, subjects then provided information about the higher-level outcomes and values related to these benefits. An analysis of this means-end data provided insight into the relationship among the range of benefits and values associated with completing a ropes course. The study findings hold important implications for researchers interested in studying ropes courses or conducting means-end research in other leisure and recreation settings.

A cross-cultural comparison of travel push and pull factors: United Kingdom vs. Japan.

Abstract Tourism marketers are confronted with the dilemma of whether standardization or the tailoring of services, products and marketing programs for specific markets is more effective and efficient. It remains to be addressed in tourism research whether travelers from varying cultural backgrounds seek different travel benefits and have different preferences for travel products and services, and to what extent they are similar in their travel behaviors. This research study used national household travel surveys conducted by the Canadian Tourism Commission and U.S. Tourism Industries for a cross-cultural comparison of two different countries, the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Japan. Results showed that travelers from these two countries had different travel motives and benefit-seeking patterns. From a marketing perspective, the branding and positioning of a destination for U.K. and Japanese long-haul travel markets will be more effective if the destination marketing organization (DMO) projects different images within its advertising campaigns. These images should reflect the different travel motivations and benefits desired by the two groups of travelers.

Age and Cohort Effects: An Examination of Older Japanese Travelers

Summary The older travel market will make up a larger proportion of the travel market in the near future with profound impact on market size and potential. This research addressed the issue whether travelers’ behavior changes over time through longitudinal and cohort comparisons of older Japanese outbound travelers in terms of travel propensity, destination activity participation and travel philosophy. Both the age effect and generation cohort effect were tested and the underlining patterns of the destination activity participation patterns relative to other age groups and previous generation cohorts were identified. The findings indicated that the older travel market is becoming more active compared to 10 years before. Travel characteristics of this market also change over time.

Definition of adventure travel: conceptual framework for empirical application from the providers' perspective.

The growth of adventure travel has been accompanied by an enormous variety and availability of adventure travel products in international travel and tourism. This study attempts to search for a comprehensive definition of adventure travel from the providers’ perspective in order to build a conceptual framework for empirical application. A qualitative analysis of past leisure or recreation theories identified six major component variables which define adventure travel. Together with these six components, several alternative definitions of adventure travel are studied in detail as part of the research. This study proposes a new definition of adventure travel, as a standard tool for measuring and segmenting the adventure travel market.

Segmenting the Adventure Travel Market by Activities: From the North American Industry Providers' Perspective

Abstract The rapid growth of adventure travel is now represented by a wide variety of adventure travel activities but has not been fully recognized as a topic for empirical research to date. This study attempts to segment the adventure travel market by activities as the key products. Data were collected from adventure travel providers (N = 178) through survey questionnaires. The test statistics suggested the inclusion of forty-eight activities in adventure travel. Factor analysis identified six distinctive groupings of adventure travel activities, labeled as: ‘soft nature,’ ‘risk equipped,’ ‘question marks,’ ‘hard challenge,’ ‘rugged nature,’ and ‘winter snow.’ The research findings provide an analysis of the adventure travel market that will help marketers develop and deliver their products effectively.

A Profile of the Casino Resort Vacationer

This article provides profiles of casino resort vacationers and oceanside beach resort, ski resort, and summer country resort vacationers. It investigates the differences between the four groups of travelers. These travelers were found to have different sociodemographics, trip planning characteristics, activity participation patterns, and benefits experienced. A discriminant function was developed to predict resort choice based on four demographic characteristics. Two constructs of travel attitudes were developed that displayed significant differences between casino resort vacationers and other resort groups.