Using the Internet as a Pleasure Travel Planning Tool: an Examination of the Sociodemographic and Behavioral Characteristics Among Internet Users and Nonusers

Abstract

A critical prerequisite for the formulation of effective travel marketing strategies in the next decade must include an understanding of the influence exerted through the Internet. The increasing presence of the Internet as an instrument for advertising travel destinations and travel-related services highlights its importance as a factor in travelers'decision-making processes. This exploratory investigation examined travelers who requested on-line infor mation about a potential vacation destination using the Internet. Results of this investiga tion suggest that Internet "users," when compared with "nonusers," are more educated, have higher household incomes, use commercial lodging accommodations while travel ing, tend to travel by air, and spend more money on travel-related expenses on a per diem basis. Implications for target marketing strategies designed for travel destination areas, services, and facilities are discussed.

Keywords

Internet tourism and travel destination marketing consumer behavior;and marketing strategy.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Andereck, K.L. , & Caldwell, L.L. (1994). Variable selection tourism market segmentation models. Journal of Travel Research, 33, 40-46.

Bauwens, M. (1995). Knowledge transfer theory and practice. The Information Advisor, 7(6), 1-8.

December, J. (1996). Units of analysis for Internet communication. Journal of Communication, 46, 14-38.

Furr, H.L. , & Bonn, M.A. (1998). The Internet and the hospitality marketing professional . Journal of Applied Hospitality Management, 1, 60-69.

Jacoby, J. , Hoyer, W. , & Brief, A. (1992). Consumer psychology. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 3, 2nd ed., pp. 378-441). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Kasavana, M.L. , Knutson, B.J. , & Polonowski, S.J. (1998). Netlurking: The future of hospitality Internet marketing. Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 5, 31-44.

Kotler, P. (1991). Marketing management: Analysis planning and control (7th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Morris, M. , & Ogan, C. (1996). The Internet as mass medium. Journal of Communication, 46, 39-50.

Morrison, A.M. (1989). Hospitality and travel marketing. Albany, NY: Delmar.

10.

Morrison, A.M. , Pearce, P.L. , Moscardo, G. , Nadkarni, N. , & O' Leary, J.T. (1996). Specialist accommodation: Definition, market served, and roles in tourism development. Journal of Travel Research , 35(1), 18-25.

11.

Murphy, I.P. (1997, September 23). On-line ads effective? Who knows for sure? Marketing Research, pp. 1, 5.

12.

Newhagen, J.E. , & Rafaeli, S. (1996). Why communication researchers should study the Internet: A dialogue. Journal of Communication, 46, 4-13.

13.

Peterson, R.A. , Balasubramanian, S. , & Bronnenberg, B.J. (1997). Exploring the implications of the Internet for consumer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 24, 329-346.

14.

Schonland, A.M. , & Williams, P.W. (1996). Using the Internet for travel and tourism survey research: Experiences from the net traveler survey . Journal of Travel Research, 35(2), 81-87.

15.

Sutton, R.I. (1989). Reactions of nonparticipants as additional rather than missing data: Opportunities for organizational research. Human Relations, 42, 423-439.

16.

Uysal, M. , Fesenmaier, D.R. , & O' Leary, J.T. (1994). Geographic and season variation in the concentration of travel in the United States. Journal of Travel Research , 32(3), 61-64.

17.

Walle, A.H. (1996). Tourism and the Internet: Opportunities for direct marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 35(1), 72-77.

18.

Williams, P.W. , Bascombe, P. , Brenner, N. , & Green, D. (1996). Using the Internet for tourism research: "Information highway or dirt road"? Journal of Travel Research, 34(4), 63-70.