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Market segmentation and their potential economic impacts in an ecotourism destination

Author

Listed:
  • Bart Neuts

    (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)

  • João Romão

    (CEFAGE – UAlg, University of Algarve, Portugal)

  • Peter Nijkamp

    (VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland)

  • Asami Shikida

    (Hokkaido University, Japan)

Abstract

In a heterogeneous tourist market, segmentation is a valuable marketing tool to focus attention on the most advantageous clusters of visitors. In an ecotourism destination, the attractiveness of tourists may be defined by their ecological awareness, but also their (potential) economic impact, since there is a need to balance ecological sustainability and economic viability. This article proposes a model-based latent class analysis of visitors’ preferences and choices in order to identify different demand clusters in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Japan. The method yields four distinct clusters, each differing in motivations, information search and activities undertaken. We also describe how our approach can be used to make informed decisions about management strategies on tourist heterogeneity in order to maximize benefits for the local economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Bart Neuts & João Romão & Peter Nijkamp & Asami Shikida, 2016. "Market segmentation and their potential economic impacts in an ecotourism destination," Tourism Economics, , vol. 22(4), pages 793-808, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:toueco:v:22:y:2016:i:4:p:793-808
    DOI: 10.1177/1354816616654252
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aurélie Bertrand & Christian Hafner, 2014. "On heterogeneous latent class models with applications to the analysis of rating scores," Computational Statistics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 307-330, February.
    2. João Romão & Bart Neuts & Peter Nijkamp & Eveline van Leeuwen, 2015. "Culture, Product Differentiation and Market Segmentation: A Structural Analysis of the Motivation and Satisfaction of Tourists in Amsterdam," Tourism Economics, , vol. 21(3), pages 455-474, June.
    3. Linzer, Drew A. & Lewis, Jeffrey B., 2011. "poLCA: An R Package for Polytomous Variable Latent Class Analysis," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 42(i10).
    4. Haughton, Dominique & Legrand, Pascal & Woolford, Sam, 2009. "Review of Three Latent Class Cluster Analysis Packages: Latent Gold, poLCA, and MCLUST," The American Statistician, American Statistical Association, vol. 63(1), pages 81-91.
    5. Juho A. Pesonen, 2012. "Segmentation of rural tourists: combining push and pull motivations," Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, vol. 18(1), pages 69-82, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tomáš Gajdošík, 2020. "Smart tourists as a profiling market segment: Implications for DMOs," Tourism Economics, , vol. 26(6), pages 1042-1062, September.
    2. Jesús Barreal & Berta Ferrer-Rosell & Eduard Cristobal-Fransi & Gil Jannes, 2021. "Influence of Service Valuation and Package Cost on Market Segmentation: The Case of Online Demand for Spanish and Andorra Ski Resorts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    3. Stanislava Pachrová & Eva Janoušková & Jitka Ryšková, 2018. "Disparities in Tourism Demand of UNESCO Destinations," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 20(S12), pages 1040-1040, November.
    4. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Marival Segarra-Oña & Conrado Carrascosa-López, 2019. "Segmentation by Motivation in Ecotourism: Application to Protected Areas in Guayas, Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Conrado Carrascosa-López & Wilmer Carvache-Franco, 2022. "Market Segmentation by Motivations in Ecotourism: Application in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Eugenio-Martin, Juan L. & Cazorla-Artiles, José M., 2020. "The shares method for revealing latent tourism demand," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Conrado Carrascosa-López & Mauricio Carvache-Franco & José Mondéjar-Jiménez & Wilmer Carvache-Franco, 2021. "Understanding Motivations and Segmentation in Ecotourism Destinations. Application to Natural Parks in Spanish Mediterranean Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, April.
    8. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Wilmer Carvache-Franco & Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua & Orly Carvache-Franco & Allan Pérez-Orozco, 2021. "The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, September.

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