Tourist itineraries and yield: technical background report
Tourist itineraries and yield: technical background report
Becken, Susanne ; Wilson, Jude ; Forer, P ; Simmons, David
Becken, Susanne
Wilson, Jude
Forer, P
Simmons, David
Date
2008-08
Type
Other
Fields of Research
Abstract
The aim of this research was to identify yield based visitor and itinerary prototypes. An
examination of tourist itineraries (i.e. tourist behaviour across space and time) as reported in
the International Visitor Survey revealed that – when itineraries are sufficiently simplified –
patterns of similarity emerge. However, the diversity was still too large to be able to derive a
manageable set of ‘itinerary prototypes’. For this reason a simplified approach was taken, in
which spatial implications of tourist travel where measured through visitation to Regional
Tourism Organisations. It could be seen that the spatial distribution is shaped by a wide range
of factors, including country of origin, port of arrival, travel style, repeat visitation, purpose of
travel, and presence of children under 15. The weakest amongst the analysed factors was
whether tourists travelled with children or not. Importantly, it has to be noted that most of the
factors analysed are interrelated. In turn, it could also be shown that the spatial distribution of
tourists is related to yield, for example average expenditure per day by tourists who visit
major centres is higher than that of tourists who include more remote areas in their itinerary.
Knowing that country of origin has an important influence on distributional patterns and its
relationship to other key drivers of itineraries (see also the Ministry of Tourism’s Flows
Model), made origin a useful variable for an a priori segmentation of yield analyses in relation
to itineraries. The country of origin analysis provided useful insights into travel behaviour
(e.g. length of stay, expenditure, transport choices), tourist decision making (where
information was available), and financial yield. It could be seen, for example, that the
behaviour of Australian tourists is largely driven by its strong visiting friends/relatives
component (e.g. high repeat visitation), whereas behaviour by British and German visitors
seems strongly influenced by the long distance from home (e.g. length of stay, expenditure).
While the Chinese and Japanese markets share some similarities (e.g. shorter stays, propensity
to tour group travel) the main difference lies in the greater travel experience by Japanese
tourists. American visitors were found to fall between European and Asian visitors in their
travel behaviour.
The yield associated with the six main countries of origin was analysed for the financial
dimension. Financial yield was chosen as it can be measured as a national-level or ‘systemic’
indicator rather than local or ‘site-specific’ indicators for yield, such as environmental or
social impacts. Further analyses of yield at a local level will be undertaken later on in the
research programme. The analysis of expenditure, Value Added and Economic Value Added
shows that the ‘preferability’ of a certain market depends on the indicator selected and also
whether yield per trip or per day is calculated. In all cases, the German market appears
favourable, mainly as a result of their high spending on rented vehicles, which is associated
with high financial yield.
In the light of the findings above, this component of the research developed a framework for
the further analysis of decision making in the Spatial Yield research programme. The
framework incorporates the dimensions of country of origin and itinerary type (in the form of
a matrix). Such a framework could be useful to explore the decision making behind key yield
variables such as: length of stay, overall expenditure (budget), allocation of budget, and travel
(geographic dimension).
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©LEaP, Lincoln University, New Zealand 2008 This information may be copied or reproduced electronically and distributed to others without restriction, provided LEaP, Lincoln University is acknowledged as the source of information. Under no circumstances may a charge be made for this information without the express permission of LEaP, Lincoln University, New Zealand.