Holiday Behavior Research Articles

Bluetooth energy-saving optimization: a queuing theory analysis

Bluetooth on mobile terminal can be used to scan the surroundings to discover other Bluetooth-enabled devices. However, with energy limitations, the scanning actions must be well arranged to reduce power consumption. In this paper we propose an energy-saving strategy that turns on and off the Bluetooth device at a configured time. The scenario of Bluetooth scanning is modeled as an M/ M/1 vacation queue with special impatient customers and startup expenses. In the M/ M/1 queue, the terminal with Bluetooth device is the only server which scans its nearby customers, and the on-off state of Bluetooth device is indicated as vacation behaviors. The aim of the paper is to find the best vacation strategy, or equivalently, the most energy-effective rules. Simulations demonstrate that the best strategy depends on the intended error rate, startup time and expenses, and many other factors. Generally, the performance of the multiple vacation strategy is satisfactory on most conditions.

The impact of photosensitivity disorders on aspects of lifestyle

Photosensitivity disorders involve an abnormal skin reaction to sunlight exposure and affect a substantial percentage of the population. No previous studies have directly compared lifestyle attributes between photosensitive and healthy individuals. To assess the impact of photosensitivity on time spent outdoors in the U.K., holiday behaviour, use of sunscreens and vitamin D supplements, and employment status. Questionnaires were completed by ambulant photosensitive and healthy adults aged 18-60 years residing in Greater Manchester. Forty-five adults with moderate-severe photosensitivity and 124 healthy adults completed the questionnaire. This revealed that photosensitive subjects spent significantly less time outdoors in the U.K. on both summer weekdays (P < 0·01) and summer weekends (P < 0·0001) than healthy subjects, took fewer holidays per year (P < 0·05), and spent less time outdoors on a sunny holiday (P < 0·0001). They wore clothing that covered a wider skin area (P < 0·0001), and use of sunscreen was greater (both frequency of application and area covered) in the photosensitive group outside of holiday time (P < 0·0001), but not when on a sunny holiday, as healthy people increased their sunscreen use at this time. Despite the reduced sun exposure, photosensitive subjects were no more likely to take vitamin D supplements than healthy subjects were; they also exhibited a significantly higher rate of unemployment (P < 0·05). Photosensitivity disorders negatively influence lifestyle including employment status; more attention is required to the socioeconomic impact of these conditions.

The Influence of Demographics, Experience, and Expertise on the Destination Image of Ski Resorts

AbstractThis study examines the effects of demographics, experience, and expertise on destination image formation in the ski resort context. It aims to propose an intervening variable – expertise – as a function of both the effects of demographics (gender, age, and income) and experience, on destination image assessments. The data were collected as part of a larger survey of ski resort images and ski vacation behavior. The findings use various statistics to support relationships between three demographic factors, experience, and expertise, and confirm their linkages with image assessments. Using MANOVA, it was found that affective comfort image is differentiated more by the expertise levels of skiers than by cognitive image, indicating that expertise influences affective image formation.

Family Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual Disability: Perspectives on Life Quality and the Role of Vacations

Existing literature on quality of life (QOL) among individuals with intellectual disability and their families is largely etic in nature and, although leisure is often advanced as a core contributor, the role vacations play has not been directly examined. Drawn from phase one results of a larger, multi-year study, our purpose in this paper is to highlight the perspectives of family caregivers (i.e., biological and adoptive parents, and adult siblings) of individuals with intellectual disability on the meaning of QOL and the influence of vacation behaviour in its construction. Data collection was done via focus groups, while a grounded theory approach was employed as the analytical framework. For the participants in this study, personal health and basic need fulfillment were foundational elements, with QOL being a much broader and encompassing concept that integrates meaningful and enriching social connections with friends and family, and perceived control, freedom and independence. Financial resources, quality respite, and health and impairment concerns specific to the family member with a disability also were key factors that had the capacity to facilitate or constrain life quality. Respite and health/impairment issues also demonstrate how caregivers' personal perspectives about QOL often meld with concerns affecting other family members—hence blurring the distinction between individual and family conceptions of life quality. Revealed as unique to this research and population group, are the complex features of family vacations that involve a child with intellectual disability (e.g., “outsiders” on vacations), which illustrate how typical and atypical costs and benefits of vacationing are magnified.

Determined Sun-Seekers and Others–Travel Motives, Holiday Type, and Holiday Behavior Among Norwegian Charter Tourists

ABSTRACT In a comprehensive survey (N = 1,222) of Norwegian charter tourists, the relationships between tourists' motives for traveling, their definition of holiday type, and their behavior are examined among two different groups of tourists. The first group, the “Decision Makers,” actually made the travel decisions themselves (71%), while the second group (“Non-Decision Makers”) were subject to random factors or to other people's decisions (29%). A majority (80%) identify themselves as going on a “Sun-beach” trip, while the rest (20%) identify themselves as going on a “Round-trip,” “Big city visit,” “Alpine-tour,” or “Cruise,” all of which are subsumed under the name “Other tourists.” Some differences are found between “decision makers” and “non-decision makers”; most path coefficients are slightly larger and more variance is explained for the “decision makers.” Results indicate that relatively simple motive scales are useful for understanding central distinctions in the demand structure of the Norwegian holiday charter market.

The effect of prior experience on vacation behavior

This research applied consumer involvement theory to describe, interrelate, and explain the repeat visit phenomenon and empirically tested the effect of past experience on tourists’ vacation behaviors. The results indicated that prior experience influenced current trips in terms of activity participation and expenditure patterns. These changes in behavior invoke different demands and requirements unique to the repeat vacation market. Since the quality of experience is central in destination loyalty management, knowledge about changes in behavior associated with this accumulation can be instrumental for destinations seeking to provide creative, relevant, and meaningful experiences to their different market segments.

A benefit segmentation of tourists in rural areas: a Scottish perspective

Rural tourism has been the object of intensive research for several years, since its importance for the sustainability of rural communities has been long recognised. Although the characteristics and impacts of this sector have been studied in depth, there has been relatively little consideration of the rural tourists themselves. The present study, exploratory by nature, aims at providing a deeper insight into the profiles of rural tourists in two Scottish locations. The survey identifies that the sample studied can be divided into four clusters according to their benefits sought. The results then demonstrate that each of these segments has different profiles in terms of the activities they engage into and in terms of their behavioural and socio-economic characteristics. The results, however, show little evidence of the importance of the rural theme across the segments, most of the visitors being in fact fairly informal in their holiday behaviour and showing a limited interest towards rural lifestyle.

Die vorhersage touristischen verhaltens auf der grundlage von lebensstil‐ und schichtmodellen

Since the 80s of the last century in German Sociology, a discussion has taken place referring to the question of the persistence of class‐related social inequality or new socio‐cultural concepts, such as life‐style of social milieu, in order to describe and analyse different patterns of attitudes and behavior. However, it would be more fruitful to analyse fields where class or life‐style are more appropriate in describing the segmentation of the social world. In this article, we address the question whether different choices of holidays can better be predicted by a measure of social class or a life‐style typology, developed on the basis of different dimensions of everyday taste. As a result, it can be shown that the predictive power of life‐style in the field of holiday behavior is about three times as strong as social class.

Vacation behavior using a sequence alignment method

The classification and analysis of tourists continues to be an important research theme. Existing typologies are typically based on cross-sectional information of tourists' choice behavior. Consequently, the sequential data embedded in vacation histories is not explicitly considered when developing a typology of vacation behavior. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the use of sequence alignment methods to derive such a typology, incorporating the embedded sequential information. The quintessence of sequence alignment methods is explained and the results of an application to Dutch vacation history data are reported.

Going with the flow: An assessment of the relationship between young people's leisure and holiday behaviour

This study compares how young people behave while they are on vacation (i.e. holiday behaviour) and in their place of origin (i.e. leisure behaviour). Data were collected using a series of in-depth interviews and recall diaries. Comparing behaviour in the holiday and home environments provides an analysis of the relationship between tourism and leisure, which is currently a matter of debate (Colton 1987; Ryan 1994; Moore et al. 1995). Consequently, this research explores the relationship between leisure and tourism theories. The results of the study suggest that while they are on vacation the people interviewed tended to behave in a more liberal and hedonistic manner than when in their place of origin. However, this holiday behaviour seems to be an extension of their leisure behaviour, rather than separate from it. This may support the hypothesis that tourists' behaviour is influenced by a combination of socio-cultural norms and values, and personal motivations that are present in both the home and holiday environments.

An Examination of the Determinants of Entertainment Vacationers’ Intentions to Revisit

This study investigated the relationship of entertainment travelers’ past vacation behavior, vacation satisfaction, perceived vacation value, and intentions to revisit and repurchase. Subjects were inquirers for the purchase of an entertainment package that visited the destination and were systematically selected over a 12-month period. Results suggest that past behavior, satisfaction, and perceived value are good predictors of entertainment vacationers’ intentions to revisit the destination. It was further found that the variables of past behavior, satisfaction, and perceived value are poor predictors of intentions to visit and attend live theater entertainment or book an entertainment package during a visit. Given the relationships between past behavior, satisfaction, perceived value, and intentions to revisit, results of the present study provide important theoretical implications and direction for entertainment destination management.

Modeling tourists’ multiple values

This paper supports the use of a contextual value measurement technique for assessing tourism values as an alternative to the more common generic personal ones in everyday life approach. Specifically, a two dimensional model is proposed to integrate the literature and help to better understand tourism values. The two bi-polar dimensions: one, emotion-dominant and cognition-dominant and, two, inner-directed and outer-directed. This model is assessed using hierarchical log linear analysis to examine the effect of multiple, conflicting values on holiday behavior of the tourist.

Tourist Group Holiday Decision-Making and Behavior: The Influence of Children. Paul R. Thornton, Gareth Shaw, and Allan M. Williams. Tourism Management, vol. 18, no. 5, 1997, pp. 287-98. Elsevier Science, P.O. Box 945, New York, NY 10010. $578 annual subscription

Tourist Group Holiday Decision-Making and Behavior: The Influence of Children. Paul R. Thornton, Gareth Shaw, and Allan M. Williams. Tourism Management, vol. 18, no. 5, 1997, pp. 287-98. Elsevier Science, P.O. Box 945, New York, NY 10010. $578 annual subscription

Holiday decision‐making in the Netherlands; Selection processes with regard to domestic and foreign holiday destination

Ever since the rise of tourism, the holiday behavior of the Dutch has been subjected to certain changes inherent to various general societal developments. The assumption is warranted that this has also caused certain changes in the holiday decision‐making process. 1984 was the most recent year a national study into the holiday selection process was conducted. It was considered advisable after more than ten years to repeat such a study in order to review whether and to which extent the holiday selection process had actually changed.

Health promotion, wellness programs, quality of life and the marketing of psychology.

Promotion, Wellness Programs, Quality of Life and the Marketing of PsychologyDAVID R. EVANSThe University of Western OntarioAbstractThis paper focusses on fifteen years of research into the definition of quality of life and the factors that influence it. The initial phase of the research involving the development of the Quality of Life Questionnaire and the identification of general and specific factors that impact on life quality is considered. As governments and companies seek to reduce health costs, attention has turned to the potential impact of health promotion programs, and wellness programs on health costs. Hence, a second aim of this paper is to discuss the application of the research to health promotion and the development of wellness programs. A strategy to enhance quality of life using the Quality of Life Questionnaire, and group interventions to enhance specific personality characteristics are described. Finally, the current research program is used as a case study to demonstrate some of the factors that contribute to the invisibility of psychology.In the past few decades there has been considerable interest in health promotion both here in Canada (Epp, 1986), in the United States (United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1979) and Internationally (World Organization, 1984). promotion is the process of assisting people to move toward a state of optimal health (Alonzo, 1993; Epp, 1986). There has been increased emphasis on the development of health promotion programs since the member states of the World Organization adopted the goal of Health for All by the Year 2000 (Kickbusch, 1987). Several authors have equated the goal of health promotion with the enhancement of quality of life and the achievement of optimal well - being (Alonzo, 1993; Elias & Murphy, 1986; Epp, 1986; Herbert, 1995; Sullivan, 1991). Hence, it can be argued that one avenue to the development of health promotion programs is the development of programs to enhance quality of life (Evans, 1994, 1995, July).THE DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFEThe first step in any research program is to define the central constructs and to develop valid measures of the constructs. The definition of quality of life has been quite elusive despite the extensive literature and research in the area (Evans, 1994; Romney, & Evans, 1996; Romney, Jenkins, & Bynner, 1992, Faden, & Leplege, 1992). Quality of life has been used interchangeably with such terms as well - being, psychological well - being, happiness, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and the good life (Cheng, 1988, Evans, 1994, George, 1992). In an effort to develop a behaviourally based multidimensional measure of quality of life Evans and his colleagues developed the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Evans, Burns, Robinson, & Garrett, 1985; Evans, & Cope, 1989). The methodology utilized in developing the questionnaire was the rational - empirical approach advocated by Jackson (1970). The Quality of Life Questionnaire is comprised of 15 twelve item scales designed to assess material well - being, physical well - being, personal growth, marital relations, parent - child relations, extended family relations, extrafamilial relations, altruistic behaviour, political behaviour, job characteristics, occupational relations, job satisfiers, creative/aesthetic behaviour, sports activity, and vacation behaviour. A scoring procedure permits the derivation of a prorated Quality of Life Score based on those scales which are relevant to the individual (Evans, & Cope, 1989). A paper and pencil, and a computer version of the questionnaire are available.Evans (1994) reported preliminary data on the relationship between a range of global quality of life measures, including the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Evans, & Cope, 1989), the Perceived Quality of Life Scales (Pellizzari, 1992), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin,1985). …

A microsimulation model of Dutch tourist behaviour an exploration of Dutch panel data

In this paper the holiday behaviour of the Dutch population is described, using Dutch panel data. Several econometric models have been applied and the results of these models have been compared. A Tobit model with heteroscedasticity has been selected as the best specification, and the results of this specific model have been used to construct a microsimulation model (MSM). The paper shows that microsimulation is a rich instrument to describe the (changes in) participation probability and holiday expenditure of Dutch households.

Soft amenity attribute preferences of resort vacationers

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the key 'soft amenity' attributes resort vacationers perceived as benificial to meeting their vacation goals. A second purpose was to examine whether vacation soft amenity attribute preferences differed significantly across segments comprised of resort vacationers homogeneously grouped on the basis of gender, age, employment, place of residence and vacation goal. An open-ended questionnaire format generated over 4,300 soft amenity attributes which were subsequently grouped into eight categories. The most frequently cited attributes coincide with the results of most previous research on vacation behaviour. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine the influence that the independent variables had on resort vacationers' soft amenity attribute preferences. Region of vacationer residence exerted more influence over the preference of attributes than any other variable tested. Eleven of the 25 most frequently cited soft amenity attributes were significantly influenced by the region of residence. Age exerted the next strongest influence on attribute preference. Seven of the 25 most frequently cited attributes were significantly influenced by this variable. Preferences for golf, fishing, reading, walking and shopping were significantly influenced by gender. Resort vacationers who described themselves as 'doers' preferred sight-seeing significantly more than those with other principal vacation goals while relaxing and sunbathing were significantly preferred by 'relaxers'. A resort vacationer's employment status was found to have virtually no significant bearing on soft amenity attribute preference. The results suggest that interval resort owners believe that a wide array of soft amenity attributes are important to their vacation enjoyment. Merely offering them opportunities to use a variety of recreation facilities is inadequate to assuring owner vacation satisfaction. These results can also assist resort marketers in more effectively and efficiently matching prospective purchasers with the attribute preferences they are seeking to enhance vacation enjoyment.

The Family Vacation in Europe:

This reports on a four nation, European study, exploring family vacation behavior in Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The Paper examines the perceived roles of children in vacation decision-making and the relationship between these roles and vacation satisfactions. The paper provides a review of the literature on family roles in consumer decision-making and vacation choice/experience and a description of the multi-national research program which involved the collaboration of four European universities: the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow; the Sorbonne in Paris; the Free University of Brussels in Belgium; and the Centro Italiano Di Studi Superiori Sul Turismo, Assisi.

A Psychographic And Sociodemographic Analysis Of State Park Inn Users

This study of Indiana state park inn usersfound evidence to suggest identifiable groups ofusers with significant differences in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, behavior predispositions, vacation behaviors, and sources of vacation information. Three groups of users are described: Knowledgeable Travelers, Budget-Conscious Travelers, and Travel Planners. The effects ofthefindings on the Indiana state parks inns' marketing efforts are also described.

The Relationship Between Sociodemographic Variables, Benefits Sought and Subsequent Vacation Behavior: A Case Study

This article reports an empirical test of the relationship between sociodemographic variables, benefits sought and subsequent vacation behavior. Thedatawereobtainedusing a questionnaire administered to consumers who requested the 1984 North Carolina Travel Information Packet. The results of the study supported two notions: that a relationship does exist between some sociodemographic variables and the benefits vacation travelers seek and that the benefits sought are in turn related to certain travel behaviors. The findings can be used in developing various segmentation strategies.