Heterogeneous Preferences for Winter Nature-Based Tours in Sub-Frigid Climate Zones: A Latent Class Approach

Yasushi Shoji and Takahiro Tsuge
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Yasushi Shoji: Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan
Takahiro Tsuge: Faculty of Economics, Konan University, Okamoto 8-9-1, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 658-8501, Japan

Tourism Economics, 2015, vol. 21, issue 2, 387-407

Abstract: This study investigates off-season tours by examining people's heterogeneous preferences for nature-based tours in sub-frigid climate zones. To explore heterogeneous preferences for winter nature-based tours in Shiretoko, Japan, the authors conducted a discrete choice experiment with a latent class model. Even though the visitors' preferences were different, it was possible to segment them into three groups based on the results. The first segment clearly preferred a wildlife observation tour and considered the possibility of finding rare eagles and detailed interpretation highly important. At the other extreme, the second segment preferred an adventure-based drift ice tour and were not interested in eagles or detailed interpretation. The final segment comprised those visitors whose preferences were between these two extremes. The findings show that, for satisfactory and profitable tours, tourist agents should provide specific recreation experiences to cater to these heterogeneous preferences rather than experiences thought to be acceptable to all visitors.

Keywords: winter nature-based tours; heterogeneous preferences; choice experiment; latent class model; Shiretoko (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:toueco:v:21:y:2015:i:2:p:387-407

DOI: 10.5367/te.2013.0350

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