The Influence of Information Provided by Tourist Information Centers on Travel Behavior

Transcription

1 The Influence of Information Provided by Tourist Information Centers on Travel Behavior Zhi Li Yeong-Hyeon Hwang Daniel R. Fesenmaier National Laboratory for Tourism and ecommerce Department of Leisure Studies University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ABSTRACT Considerable research has been conducted on the profile of TIC users, the differences between user and nonuser, reasons for stopping by TIC, and the impact of the information provided by TICs on travel behavior. In order to maximize its economic benefits, further research is needed to identify differences in the information searched and material picked up by travelers reason for stopping by TICs. A survey for the visitors of Illinois Tourist Information Center (n=1,292) was used for the analyses. Each respondent was classified into one of two groups with respect to whether or not their original purpose included travel information acquisition with the goal of assessing the impacts of information on travel decision-making behavior. The results indicate that TICs play an important role in promoting economic benefits of tourism by facilitating more stays and more spending within the state of Illinois. In terms of travel information materials picked up by travelers, the most popular items are Illinois highway map followed by the Illinois Travel Guide. Furthermore, people who stop by a TIC for travel information are more likely to use it to assist their travel decisions. It is especially true for secondary and en route travel decisions such as decisions on attractions, shopping places, restaurants, and hotels. In order to maximize its effects, it is recommended to reflect these findings in the presentation of travel information provided at TICs. INTRODUCTION Tourist Information Centers (TICs) have long been recognized as an efficient way for providing travel information to visitors. Most of the research on TICs has focused on developing profiles of TIC users (Fesenmaier, 1994; Mason, 1975; Muha, 1977), assessing differences between users and nonusers (Howard and Gitelson 1989; Muha, 1977; Stewart, Lue, Fesenmaier and Anderson, 1993), and identifying the reasons for stopping (Fesenmaier, 1994; Howard and Gitelson 1989; Gitelson and Perdue, 1987). More recently, TIC research has examined the impact of the information provided by TIC on travel behavior. For example, Gitelson and Perdue (1987) reported that travelers who obtain information from TICs are highly likely to use it during their current and future trips. This research has suggested that information obtained at TICs positively influences length of stay (Fesenmaier, Vogt, and Stewart, 1993; Fesenmaier, 1994) and spending in the area (Fesenmaier, 1994; Fesenmaier and Vogt, 1993; Roehl, Fesenmaier and Fesenmaier, 1993; Tierney, 1993). To date, however, little research has examined the effects of information distributed at tourist information center on the decision-making process of travelers. Fesenmaier and Jeng

2 (2000) suggested that travel decision-making hierarchical and contingent in nature and can be described as a decision net, composed of bundles of sub-decisions which may vary in terms of decision timing and flexibility. These sub-decisions can be categorized into three basic levels: Core decisions which are planned in detail well in advance of the trip and are less of flexibility, which may include primary destination, length of stay, travel party/members, lodging /accommodation, travel route and travel budget. Secondary decisions are considered before the trip but remain largely flexible to accommodate the possibility of change and which may include secondary destinations, activities and attractions. En route decisions are, in the main, not considered before the trip and actively seeking for alternatives, which may include rest stops on the road, restaurants, where to go shopping, items to purchase and budget for gifts and souvenirs. Both secondary and en route decisions are contingent in nature, compared with core decisions that are planed well prior to the trip. Thus, the information distributed at TICs is expected to impact differently the different aspects of decision-making process. This study focused on assessing the extent to which the effect of information obtained from TIC has on actual travel behavior. More specifically, the differences in the information use between those travelers who has visited TIC for the purpose of obtaining travel information and those who stopped by a TIC for any other reasons are main interest of this study. In the next section, previous research on TIC user and their information use are reviewed. Data and methods used for this study are then described, followed by empirical results. The implications of the results are addressed in the last section. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH Understanding who stops at welcome centers has been an on-going interest of tourism researchers. Previous research on the differences between users and nonusers of TIC shows somewhat inconsistent results. Howard and Gitelson (1989) found that no significant differences exist between welcome center users and nonusers on a number of demographic variables including family income, age, and the number of children in the household, as well as trip characteristics such as prior experience, primary destination, accommodation type, travel party size, and nights spent. Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart (1993) also indicated that with the exception of income levels, no significant differences in socio-demographic characteristics were found across the respective levels of influence. Tierney and Hass (1988), however, found that welcome center visitors and non-visitors differed significantly in terms of demographic and trip characteristics. Significant differences in expenditures between the two types of travel groups were also indicated in their study. Stewart, Lue, Fesenmaier and Anderson (1993) also reported that non-stoppers tended to be younger and long-distance traveler. Stoppers reported a longer trip planning horizon, and were more likely to be on a vacation or leisure trip than a work or business trip. Another issue that has drawn broad attention of researchers is the motivation for stopping at a tourist information center. Some studies (Gitelson and Perdue, 1987; Tierney and Hass, 1988) reported that the use of restrooms is the most popular reason for stopping. Fesenmaier and Vogt (1993) found that the majority of welcome center visitors stopped to use restrooms (62% of those surveyed); beyond this, approximately 25 percent of the respondents indicated they stopped at the welcome centers to stretch/exercise/sleep or to obtain sightseeing information. About 10 percent of those surveyed in their study indicated that they stopped specially to obtain information about travel routes. Results of other research (Muha1977; Tierney and Hass 1988;

3 Gitelson and Purdue1987; Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart 1993), on the other hand, have shown that obtaining travel information was the major reason for stopping at TICs. As a further step to understand the behavior of TIC users, a substantial number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the level of information use, types of information obtained, and the effect of information on travel behavior. According to previous research, most of travelers have been reported to use information obtained from TIC (e.g., Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart, 1993), and the types of information obtained at the welcome center are centered to new areas, attractions, and special events (Gitelson and Perdue, 1987). In a study of North Carolina welcome center users, Gitelson and Perdue (1987) reported that travelers obtained information on their current trip to assist with travel route, attraction and lodging decisions in addition to using the information to plan for a future trip to the state. As a result, highway maps, sightseeing and accommodation brochures (Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart, 1993) are most likely materials that a traveler picks up at a TIC. Information provided at TICs also known to have effects on the length of stay at the destination and spending (Fesenmaier and Vogt, 1993; Fesenmaier, Vogt and Stewart, 1993; Tierney and Haas, 1988; Gitelson and Perdue, 1987). Fesenmaier and Vogt (1993), for example, found that one third of respondents spent additional money, 21 percent stayed longer than originally planned, and 29 percent visited places not planned prior to visiting the welcome center as the result of the information obtained at TIC. Tierney and Haas (1988) also reported that the marginal economic impacts of information obtained at state welcome centers appear to be substantial, accounting for a 25 percent increase in visitors average daily expenditures. The results showed that Colorado welcome centers had a significant impact on travel decisionmaking, which in turn influenced tourism length of stay and expenditures. Gitelson and Perdue (1987) indicated that information obtained by visitors might have significant impact on places visited and the amount of time and money expended, as well as the likelihood of using the information to plan future trips. In their case, TIC users spent an average of 11.4 percent more ($439.66) than did nonusers ($394.46). They concluded that welcome centers serve as a source of information on new areas, attractions and special events and play an important role in trip planning for both first time and repeat visitors to the state. RESEARCH METHODS The research design for this study followed a two-stage data collection process. The first stage involved an onsite personal survey done by staff located at each of the 13 Illinois Tourist Information Center everyday during June The survey was conducted by the first person on the hour and generated 8 complete surveys each day; this survey included four questions: (1) the reasons for their stopping at TIC, (2) the information obtained during their stop at one of Illinois TICs, (3) adequacy of travel information obtained, and (4) their frequency of stopping at any of Illinois TICs in the past 12 months. In addition, each respondent was asked to participate in a follow-up survey. This approach resulted in a total of 3,085 completed interviews, of which 2,101 (68%) provided complete names and addresses and/or agreed to participate in a follow-up survey. The second stage involved a follow-up mail survey for the people who agreed to participate in follow-up survey (N=2,101). Questions in the follow-up survey focused on following aspects: (1) the frequency of travel and stopping at TICs in Illinois; (2) the importance of features in evaluating TICs; (3) travel information obtained at TICs; (4) the perceived impacts

4 of promotional materials provided at TICs; and (5) demographic characteristics of respondents. As a result of three step mailing process (i.e., initial surveys were mailed out, follow-up postcards and second mailing), a total of 1,315 complete surveys was returned. Among these returned surveys, 1, 292 cases that matched up with the on-site survey were used for the analysis. Each respondent was classified into one of two groups with respect to whether or not their original purpose included travel information acquisition. A series of χ 2 and t-tests were then conducted to assess differences in the nature and impact of information on travel decisionmaking behavior between the two groups. The goal was achieved by focusing on following issues: (1) defining composition proportion of two groups in the whole respondents; (2) examining the demographic characteristics of two groups; (3) identifying the most popular information obtained by the two groups; and, (4) evaluating the influence of information obtained at Illinois tourist information centers on the two groups contingent and core travel decisions. FINDINGS The first question in the on-site personal survey asked about the reason(s) why people stopped at the Illinois Tourist Information Center. The results of the survey indicate that 58 percent of respondents stopped by Illinois TICs primarily to obtain travel information; and, 8 percent of the respondents stopped for travel information only. Demographic characteristics of Illinois TIC users Demographic comparisons indicate that no significant differences exist between people who stopped purposely for information and those stopped for other reasons in terms of gender (χ 2 =1.392, df=1, sig.=.238), age group composition (χ 2 =3.407, df=5, sig.=.637), marital status (χ 2 =1.878, df=1, sig.=.171) and household income (χ 2 =1.321, df=5, sig.=.933). However, the data showed that visitors who were not the residence of the state of Illinois were more likely to stop by Illinois TICs for travel information (χ 2 =6.681, df=1, sig.=.01). Type of information obtained by Illinois TIC users People were asked in the onsite personal survey about the kinds of information they obtained at Illinois travel information center. As shown in Table 1, Illinois highway maps were the most frequently obtained material (82.1%) followed by Illinois Travel Guide (26.9%), attraction information (23.7%), accommodation information (21.7%), and activity information (13.8%). The least popular materials were city/area visitor s guides (6.4%), shopping information (5.1%) and Golf Illinois Guide (3.4%). Importantly, those who stopped at Illinois TICs for information collected significantly more travel material (t=7.52, sig.=.000) than people who stopped for other reasons. People who stopped for information obtained, on average, 2.3 travel materials as compared with 1.7 of people who stopped for other reasons. This trend was consistently true in each of the 11 types of travel information distributed at Illinois TICs and was more obvious in Illinois Travel Guide, attraction information, accommodation information and activity information which the differences between two groups were significant (p <.05).

5 Table 1. Type of information obtained by visitors Group Overall Stop for info. Stop for other Types of Information N (%) N (%) N (%) χ 2 Illinois highway map 851 (82.1) 542 (82.5) 309 (81.3).23 Illinois travel guide 279 (26.9) 205 (31.2) 74 (19.5) ** Attractions information 246 (23.7) 182 (27.7) 64 (16.8) ** Accommodations information 225 (21.7) 180 (27.4) 45 (11.8) ** Activity information 143 (13.8) 120 (18.3) 23 ( 6.1) ** Chicago Visitor's Guide 103 ( 9.9) 74 (11.3) 29 ( 7.6) 3.55 * Illinois Fairs & Festivals 86 ( 8.3) 62 ( 9.4) 24 ( 6.3) 3.08 * Weekend Adventure Guide 83 ( 8.0) 54 ( 8.2) 29 ( 7.6).113 City/area visitor's guide 66 ( 6.4) 49 ( 7.5) 17 ( 4.5) 3.60 * Shopping information 53 ( 5.1) 40 ( 6.1) 13 ( 3.4) 3.53 * Golf Illinois Guide 35 ( 3.4) 22 ( 3.3) 13 ( 3.4).00 # of valid cases 1, Note: - *: p<.1 **: p <.05 - Frequencies and percents are based on multiple responses. - Sorted by the overall frequency. Effects of travel information provided by TICs on visitors contingent travel decisions Several questions were designed to evaluate the impacts of information on visitors contingent travel decisions. Respondents were asked to indicate the kinds of impacts that occurred as the result of the travel information (including travel brochures and information from travel counselors) obtained at the Illinois tourist information center. The results of the analysis indicate that the travel information obtain at Illinois TIC was most likely (47%) to result in visits to advertised attractions (see Table 2). Visiting an advertised store, going to an advertised restaurant, and staying in an advertised hotel were also important impacts of the travel information (37%, 35%, and 35% respectively). Attending an advertised event and staying in an advertised campground were the least likely events occurred, where each received 18 percent and 13 percent positive answers. The impacts of information provided at TICs were compared between the two groups and the differences are significant (see Table 2). The results clearly show that people who stopped at TICs primarily for travel information were much more likely to use the information for contingent travel decisions. They were significantly more likely to visit attractions, restaurants, stores/shops, and hotels advertised on information brochures. Table 2. Effects of information provided by TIC on contingent travel decisions Group Effects of information provided by TIC Overall Stop for info. Stop for other t Visited an advertised attraction *** Visited an advertised restaurant *** Attended an advertised event *** Visited an advertised store or shop *** Stayed in an advertised hotel *** Stayed in an advertised campground *** Note: - ***: p<.01 - Responses are coded as 1 if yes, 0 otherwise.

6 CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that Illinois Tourist Information Centers play an important role in Illinois tourism by facilitating more stays and more spending within the state. The most popular travel information materials picked up by travelers were the Illinois highway map followed by the Illinois Travel Guide, Attraction Information, Accommodation Information, and Activity Information. Importantly, the results of this study indicate that people who stop by TICs primarily for travel information are more likely to use it to assist their travel decisions. It is especially true for secondary and en route travel decisions such as decisions on attractions, shopping places, restaurants, and hotels. Comparisons of demographic differences between visitors who stop for information and people who stop for other reasons are not significant. However, the results reveal that Interstate visitors are more likely to stop by tourist information centers for information than intrastate visitors. The results imply that travel information provided at TIC needs to be centered to secondary and en route travel decisions in order to maximize its economic impacts. An important implication can be drawn with regard to design of travel information materials. Travel information demanded by travelers most of the times (e.g., map and attraction information), needs to be incorporated or emphasized in each material that is most likely to be chosen by travelers. For example, attraction information needs to be organized in a way to clarify the direction from the main route such as attractions along the Interstate 74. Assortment and arrangement of travel information materials in a TIC can be also directed by the differences between groups. In general, it is expected that frequently requested information be located together instead of scattered throughout TIC. REFERENCES Fesenmaier, D. R. & Jeng, J. (2000). Assessing structure in the pleasure trip planning process. Tourism Analysis, 5(1): Fesenmaier, D. R. & Vogt, C. A. (1993). Evaluating the economic impact of travel information provided at Indiana welcome centers. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3): Fesenmaier, D. R. (1994). Traveler use of Visitor Information Centers: Implications for development in Illinois. Journal of Travel Research, 33(1): Fesenmaier, D. R., Vogt, C. A. & Stewart, W. P. (1993). Investigating the influence of welcome center information on travel behavior. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3): Gitelson, R. and Perdue, R. R. (1987). Evaluating the role of State Welcome Centers in disseminating travel related information in North Carolina. Journal of Travel Research, 28(spring): Howard, D. R. and Gitelson, R. (1989). An analysis of the difference between state welcome center users and nonusers: A profile of Oregon vacations. Journal of Travel Research, 28(spring): Muha, S. (1977). Who use Highway Welcome Centers? Journal of Travel Research, 13(winter): 1-4. Roehl, W., Fesenmaier, J., and Fesenmaier, D. R. (1993). Highway accessibility and regional tourist expenditures. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3): Stewart, W. P., Lue, C., Fesenmaier, D. R. & Anderson, R. (1993). A comparison between welcome center visitors and general highway auto travelers. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3):

7 Tierney, P., and Haas, G (1988). Colorado Welcome center: Their Users and Influences on Length of Stay and Expenditure. Ft. Collins: Department of Recreation Resources and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University. Tierney, P. (1993). The influence of state traveler information centers on tourist length of stay and expenditures. Journal of Travel Research, 31(3): Contact information: Zhi Li National Laboratory for Tourism and ecommerce Department of Leisure Studies University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 104 Huff Hall 1206 South Fourth Street Champaign, IL61820 USA (217) Voice (217) Fax zhili1@uiuc.edu