Open AccessUnderstanding Canadian and US tourists: A self-concept based segmentation study
Author(s) -
Shih Yi Huang,
Hwansuk Chris Choi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.467
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1314-0817
pISSN - 1994-7658
DOI - 10.54055/ejtr.v16i.285
Subject(s) - market segmentation , tourism , context (archaeology) , psychology , marketing , value (mathematics) , segmentation , agency (philosophy) , government (linguistics) , advertising , social psychology , business , computer science , geography , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology , machine learning , artificial intelligence
This study aims to identify the distinctive market segments based on tourists’ self-concept, gain a better understanding of U.S. and Canadian tourists’ travel patterns, and provide implications that are beneficial to destination marketing organizations (DMOs). This study advances the knowledge of self-concept in the tourism context by validating its measurement and employing it as a segmentation base. This study used 2 percent of cases (N=1,012) of secondary data collected by an Ontario government agency, and a factor-cluster approach for analysis. Principal component analysis was utilized to identify specific characteristics of self-concept items and the results yielded three selves (extravert self, explorative self, and depressive self). Then, the study segmented U.S. and Canadian tourists by three self-concept factors and obtained four distinctive segments: Energetic Segment (ENT), Adventurous Segment (ADT), Conservative Segment (COT), and Escaping Segment (EST). ENT tourists are characterized as active, inquisitive and confident with a medium level of perceived value, satisfaction, and recommendation. ADT represents tourists who are older, open-minded, and optimistic with the highest level of perceived value, satisfaction, and recommendation. COT is relatively passive and had the lowest level of perceived value, satisfaction, and recommendation. EST is a group of nervous and stressful young female tourists who had a low level of perceived value and a medium degree of satisfaction and recommendation. This paper concludes with appropriate advertising and promotional strategies for the different segments.