Philipp Boksberger

Segmentation of the senior travel market by the means of travel motivations

The article reports on the segmentation of Swiss senior travellers on the basis of their travel motivation. Switzerland is considered a mature market which is why this country serves as a role model for future travel behaviour. In contrast to previous studies, which identified up to six clusters, the results reveal that in the case analysed there are three clusters. Two of them partially represent a life cycle concept: TIME HONOURED BON VIVANTS (phase 1; towards the end of a professional life), and GRIZZLED EXPLORERS (phase 2; from the start of a retired life). These two segments are complemented by RETRO TRAVELLERS, which incorporate many characteristics of the previous two but differentiate themselves in terms of education as well as professional positions.

Self-Congruity Theory: To What Extent Does It Hold in Tourism?

This paper investigates (1) if, and to what extent, self-congruity theory is applicable in tourism, (2) to what extent travel and person characteristics explain the degree of self-congruity, and (3) how the operationalization of self-congruity affects the conclusions about whether self-congruity holds in tourism. Results derived from a large-scale study of Swiss travelers indicate that conclusions depend heavily on how self-congruity is measured. Using a relatively strict measure, more than half the trips under study can be classified as self-congruent. However, travel and sociodemographic characteristics are very limited in their ability to explain when self-congruity occurs.

Senior and non-senior traveller behaviour: some exploratory evidence from the holiday rental sector in Switzerland.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test a number of hypotheses concerning the differences between senior and non‐senior travelers in the particular context of holiday rentals. A further aim is to provide exploratory evidence for these differences.Design/methodology/approach – A brief review of the extant literature leads into the formulation of some hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested using survey data. Data from the same survey are used to explore further data.Findings – It was possible not only to find some evidence to support the hypotheses, but also to find significant differences between the preferences of seniors and non‐seniors, as well as between pre‐seniors and seniors. Thus, pre‐seniors exhibit a higher willingness to pay for holiday rentals than seniors, whereas seniors have a higher preference for domestic travel. Seniors are less interested in technology than other age groups. Originality/value –This paper reports on survey findings for a segment of the tourism market that has receiv...

The future of ancillary service fees in air travel – an exploratory investigation of budget air travellers

Ancillary service fees are often associated with low-cost carriers (LCC). However, today, more and more full service carriers (FSC) have introduced such fees as well and service chains of LCCs and FSCs look very similar. This article compares different European airlines in terms of ancillary fees and services for the low yield passenger segment and based on a passenger survey, it researches into the question what the budget air traveller of today really wants when he/she books a flight. Interestingly, the willingness-to-pay and the willingness-to-use selected service elements differ between budget air travellers of a FSC and those of a LCC. Generally, passengers of LCCs would pay higher amounts for additional service attributes than passengers of FSCs. However, the main lesson is clear: there are additional service elements that add value to budget air travellers and the latter are generally willing to pay considerable amounts for these value-adding propositions.

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