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Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Pearson [imprint] It’s Tourism: Concepts and Practices John Walker Tourism Research Chapter 7

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Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Tourism Research

Chapter 7

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Objectives• After reading and studying this

chapter, you should be able to:– Know why tourism research is necessary– Realize the importance of research

goals– Explain the types of research– Describe the research process– Design a questionnaire

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Imagine you want to open a resort– You must consider:

• Where would you open the resort?• Is the location seasonal?• What type of resort will it be?• Will the resort have a theme or concept?• Who will potential guests be?• Who will be your competition?• Where are they located?

Introduction

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Tourism research: – Aids tourism entities in the journey to

finding the answers to these questions• As well as the many other questions that are

sure to arise

Introduction (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• World Tourism Organization:– Reports that tourism has become a

major source of foreign exchange• International tourism has grown rapidly in

recent decades – Ranks second only to oil in world trade

Why is Research Necessary?

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Tourism research provides information– Facilitates the decision-making process– Now supported by:

• More than 40 academic journals• Several conferences• Many organizations

Why Research? (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• General goals for businesses:– Identify market trends– Unveil economic impact, occupancy

trends, and general consumer behavior– Aids in creating additional sources of

possible profits • Uncovers preexisting sources that are not

profitable

Research Goals

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

– Examines performance of certain areas in an operation

– Monitors guest satisfaction– Assists in drawing attention to potential

problems

Research Goals (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• For consumers:– Aids in the decision-making process– Rating systems are used as a guide

• American Automobile Association (AAA) five diamond rating system

Research Goals (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Descriptive research (i.e., statistical research)– Aims to answer who, what, where, when,

and why? • Used to describe characteristics• Focuses on a particular variable (e.g.,

consumer habits)• Does not aim to uncover causation• Does not influence variables

Categories of Research

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Analytical research (i.e., explanatory research)– Seeks to uncover causation– Once a pattern has been uncovered:

• Hypothesis may be derived • Influencing factors are examined further

– Not generalizable • Specific to the circumstance

Categories (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Predictive research – Aims to make a prediction about an

occurrence – Based on past behaviors, attitudes,

demographics, and generalized phenomena

Categories (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Normative research (i.e., applied research)– Aims to uncover facts– Seeks to provide recommendations for

future improvements– Less concrete

• Requires a subjective point of view

Categories (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Qualitative research– Subjective or humanistic techniques

• Quantitative methods use mathematical models

– Quicker to conduct than quantitative– Takes unique feelings into account– Much tourism research lends itself to

qualitative techniques

Types of Research

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Quantitative research– Statistical analysis

• Researcher gathers data and evaluates them to locate trends or correlations

• Begins with null hypothesis (supposes no patterns exist)

• Using situational analysis, the researcher may uncover possible relationships

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Survey method – Most frequent type of research

conducted• Gathers information about human

populations by asking questions of respondents

– Representative sample should reflect the characteristics of the population

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Survey types– Opinion surveys

• Based on personal opinion, attitude, or belief

– Interpretative surveys• Ask respondents to answer why they chose

a particular course

– Factual surveys• Concrete questions• Answers based on fact alone

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Survey administration– Mail surveys

• Low cost and eliminates bias• Low response rate and assumes literacy

level

– Electronic devices• Transmitted via e-mail messages, websites,

distributed on public computers, etc.• Fast, low in cost, and provides anonymity• Difficult to obtain a representative sample

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Interview types:– Structured interviews

• Least flexible• Includes prearranged interview questions

– Close-ended (e.g., yes/no, scaled, or multiple choice)

• Often use codes for responses• Restricts questions and responses• Quick to administer and easy to analyze

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

– Semistructured interviews• Allows follow up questions• Has a schedule to follow

– Ensures topics are covered

• More time consuming, but less limiting

– Unstructured interviews• No prearranged format• Open-ended questions• Primarily used in sociological contexts

Types of Research (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)– Telephone surveys

• Questions are asked over the telephone from a questionnaire

• Answers are recorded into a computer database

• Fast to conduct and less costly• Type and number of respondents are limited• Respondents may skew answers

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)– Focus groups

• Gather 6 to 12 prescreened respondents– Prescreening ensures relevancy to the target

market

• Focused questions are asked about the topic

• Qualitative; purpose is to develop a broad and deep understanding

• Usually takes between one to two hours• Often used to provide a basis for further

research and/or to uncover traveler motivations

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)• Experimental method

– Examines cause-and-effect relationships under controlled conditions

• Involves setting up a test, or experiment, to simulate what happens in the real world

– Two variables:• Independent variable (IV) is manipulated• Dependent variable (DV) is measured

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)• Experimental method limitations

– Validity• Experiment truly measures construct of

interest– All variables not of interest must be eliminated

– Confounding or extraneous variables• Hard to separate from the IV and DV• Can influence variables of interest

– For this reason, rarely used in tourism research

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)• Observational method (i.e.,

naturalistic observation)– Examining constructs of interest in real-

world conditions• Researcher observes and acts like a

shadow– Must be careful not to interfere with variables – Variables interfered with are reactive (no longer

valid)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

Types of Research (cont’d.)• Observational method is more

objective and accurate– Eliminates bias and allows observation

of spontaneous behaviors

• Limitations:– Cannot answer why something occurred– Can be costly– Circumstances may be limited

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Primary steps:1. Problem identification

2. Demand or situational analysis• All pertinent information is gathered• Demand and background information is

analyzed

3. Informal investigation• Hypothesis development begins

Research Process

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

4. Research design• Identification of variables, to be obtained,

and procedures that will be carried– Primary data: original data collected by and for

the research design at hand– Secondary data: previously collected data that

may be of interest

5. Data collection

6. Data analysis and interpretation• Data is coded, tabulated, and analyzed

Research Process (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

7. Research findings• Cross-tabulation reveals statistical data• Data is interpreted and written up in a report

– Includes relevant background information, research methodology, detailed analysis of findings, recommendations, and copies of forms used

– Some use tables and/or diagrams– Abstract may be included at the beginning

(summary of objectives, findings, and recommendations)

Research Process (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Before starting to design a questionnaire:– Researcher must clearly define and

clarify research goals– Length, complexity, and question

sensitivity must be weighed

Designing Questionnaires

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Selecting the answer format:– Multiple choice: fixed number of options– Likert scale: least to most agreement– Ordinal: rank– Categorical: choose one category – Numerical: asks for numeric value

Questionnaires (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) – Provides sources of information

• United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)– Conducts research on various aspects

of tourism

Recommendations

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Tourism Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) – Collects, analyzes, and disseminates

international travel and tourism statistics

• U.S. Travel Data Center (USTDC)– Research division of the Travel Industry

Association (TIA)

Recommendations (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Tourism research – Vital asset to the industry– Assists in identification of market trends– Helps unveil economic impact of

tourism, occupancy trends, and consumer behavior

Conclusion

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Market research– Assists businesses in ascertaining the

need for new products– Aids in creating additional sources of

possible profits– Uncovers preexisting sources that are

not profitable

Conclusion (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• For the consumer:– Tourism research aids in the decision-

making process

• Tourism research is dependent on:– Clearly defined research goals– A thorough demand analysis– A well-developed research design

Conclusion (cont’d.)

It’s Tourism: Concepts and PracticesJohn Walker

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.publishing as Pearson [imprint]

• Tourism will continue to be a fast growing sector in research– Research will focus on:

• Travelers taking shorter vacations and Internet use

• Increased demand for destinations that protect authenticity and geographic character

• Baby boomers, Generation X and Y• Economy and consumer confidence

fluctuations

Trends