Attributes of destination choice: British skiing in Canada

Journal of Vacation Marketing

Volumn 5, Issue 1, 1999, Pages 18-30

  Godfrey, Kerry B ^a  

^a OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Canada; Choice attributes; Ski holiday

Indexed keywords

EID: 33044491415     PISSN: 13567667     EISSN: 14791870     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/135676679900500103     Document Type: Article

References (45)

1. Hunt, J. (1975) 'Image as a factor in tourism development', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 1-7
2. Calantone, R. and Johar, J. (1984) 'Seasonal Segmentation of the tourism market using a benefit segmentation framework', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 14-24
3. Richards, G. (1995b) 'The UK Ski Market: determinants of destination choice and skilled consumption', in D. Leslie (ed) Tourism and Leisure: Towards the Millennium, Vol. 1, Leisure Studies Association Publications, No. 51, pp. 193-210.
4. Mo, C., Havitz, M. and Howard, D. (1994) 'Segmenting travel markets with the International Tourism Role (ITR) scale', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 33, pp. 24-31
5. Carmichael, B. (1996) 'Conjoint analysis of downhill skiers used to improve data collection for market segmentation', Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 187-206
6. Thrane, C. (1997) 'Vacation motives and personal value systems', Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 234-244.
7. Hunt, J. (1975) 'Image as a factor in tourism development', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 1-7
8. Crompton, J. (1979) 'An assessment of the image of Mexico as a vacation destination and the influence of geographical location upon that image', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 18-23
9. Calantone, R. and Johar, J. (1984) 'Seasonal Segmentation of the tourism market using a benefit segmentation framework', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 14-24
10. Crouch, G. (1994b) 'The study of international tourism demand: a review of findings', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 12-23
11. Qui, H. and Zhang, J. (1995) 'Determinants of tourist arrivals and expenditures in Canada', Journal of Travel Research, Fall, pp. 43-49
12. Richards, G. (1996) 'Skilled consumption and UK ski holidays', Tourism Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 25-34
13. Baloglu, S. (1997) 'The relationship between destination images and socio-demographic and trip characteristics on international travellers', Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 221-233
14. Murphy, P. E. and Pritchard, M. (1997) 'Destination price-value perceptions: an examination of origin and seasonal influences', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 16-22
15. Hsieh, S., O'Leary, T., Morrison, A. and Chiang, D. (1997) 'Travel decision pattern segmentation of pleasure travel', Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 289-302.
16. Mills, A., Couturier, H. and Snepenger, D. (1986) 'Segmenting Texas Snow Skiers', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 19-23.
17. Walsh, R. and Davitt, G. (1983) 'A demand function for length of stay on ski trips to Aspen', Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 23-29.
18. Klenosky, D., Gengler, C. and Mulvey, M. (1993) 'Understanding the factors influencing ski destination choice: a means-end analytic approach', Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 362-379.
19. Carmichael, B. (1990) 'Tourist Image and ski destination Choice', Tourism Research into the 1990s, Conference papers, 10th-12th December, University of Durham, Durham, UK
20. Carmichael, B. (1996) 'Conjoint analysis of downhill skiers used to improve data collection for market segmentation', Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 187-206.
21. Mintel (1996) 'Snowsports', Leisure Intelligence, June.
22. See for example, the 20 page 'Destinations' supplement to the Sunday Times, 19th October, 1997.
23. See for example, Daily Mail Ski Magazine, October 1997, pp. 59-82
24. Daily Mail Ski Magazine, November 1997, pp. 67-82.
25. See for example the 1997/98 brochures: Crystal Ski, Issue 1 (where Canada and the USA take up the first 100 pages of the 400-page brochure)
26. First Choice Ski, 2nd edn
27. Thomson Ski and Snowboarding, 4th edn
28. Airtours Ski, 2nd edn.
29. Richards, G. (1995a) 'Retailing travel products: bridging the information gap', Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 1, pp. 17-29
30. Richards, G. (1995b) 'The UK ski market: determinants of destination choice and skilled consumption', Tourism and Leisure: Towards the Millennium, Vol. 1, Leisure Studies Association Publications No. 51, pp. 193-210
31. Richards, G. (1996) 'Skilled Consumption and UK ski holidays', Tourism Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 25-34
32. Richards, G. and Friend, K. (1995) 'The UK ski holiday market', Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 259-263.
33. Tour operators declining to participate did so because: they undertook their own research; were concerned about 'market sensitivity' (albeit still interested in the results); or expressed a view that Canada was only marginal compared to their main activity and not worth the effort.
34. The five or six large general tour operators include: First Choice Ski, Ski Thomson, Crystal, Inghams, Neilson and Airtours. These operators tend to dominate the British ski market, for whom product distribution is through five major 'High Street' travel retailers: Worldchoice (formerly AT Mays and some independents);
35. In 1996, Mintel estimated the average cost of a 'British' skiing holiday was £380 per person, whereas this amount tends to represent the starting price for packages to Canada and the USA.
36. The relative absence of 'beginners' and the large number of 'advanced' skiers may at first appear to skew the results, particularly when compared to the North American domestic market. However, the British ski market to North America is a more 'experienced' market, with the results presented here reflecting similar research findings on this topic by Mintel, ref. 8 and Richards, ref. 14.
37. Richards (1996), ref. 14.
38. Most who visited the Rockies skied at both Lake Louise and Banff-Sunshine.
39. during the 1995/96 ski season, approximately 130 different tour operators were offering overseas ski packages from the UK: only 32 of these were selling Canada, including the five to six large general operators; by 1997 this rose to 40.
40. While it is possible to ski in Scotland, and there are a number of 'dry slopes' throughout the UK, most skiers have traditionally gone abroad to ski. In 1989, France and Austria accounted for 75 per cent of all British skiing holidays.
41. Moscardo, G., Morrison, A., Pearce, P., Lang, C. and O'Leary, J. (1996) 'Understanding vacation destination choice through travel motivation and activities', Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 109-122.
42. Godfrey, K. B. (1995) Canada Travel Survey: outbound travel from the United Kingdom, Autumn 1994, Oxford Centre for Tourism and Leisure Studies, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK, 80 pages.
43. In December 1997, an independent Oxford (UK) travel agency promoted travel to Canada with a window display consisting of a 50cm tall soft-toy moose, a 1:2 full-colour cardboard cut-out of a 'Mountie', and A3 framed colour photographs of the Rocky Mountains.
44. Using a 5-point 'Likert' scale comparing skiing in Canada to other countries (from 'much better' to 'much worse'), respondents to this survey rated 'resort hospitality' as either much better (71 per cent) or a little better (19 per cent)
45. four out of five stated 'value for money' was better; and nearly three quarters believed piste-quality was also better. Overall holiday satisfaction was given as being either very satisfied (70 per cent) or satisfied (27 per cent), with most skiers indicating a return visit in the near future: 40 per cent during the next season, and about half in the next two to three years.