A Cone-Shaped Typology of Destination Cities in the United States
Abstract (150 Words)
Based on a panel survey of Americans’ travel behavior, this study adopts cluster analysis and discriminant analysis to build a typology of destination cities in the United States. Past studies relied on supply-side characteristics such as types of attractors and seasonality to categorize destinations; this study adopted tripographic variables for the cluster analysis, such as estimated annual tourist volumes, tourist ratios, trip purposes, accommodation types, trip lengths, and transportation modes. The results validated the 11 cluster solution of cities in the United States. The discriminant analysis results in six discriminant functions in which four are corresponding to the clustering variables. The finding could be useful for various destination marketing, competition, and benchmarking research.
A Cone-Shaped Typology of Destination Cities in the United States
Based on a panel survey of Americans’ travel behavior, this study adopts cluster analysis and discriminant analysis to build a typology of destination cities in the United States. Past studies relied on supply-side characteristics such as types of attractors and seasonality to categorize destinations; this study adopted tripographic variables for the cluster analysis, such as estimated annual tourist volumes, tourist ratios, trip purposes, accommodation types, trip lengths, and transportation modes. The results validated the 11 cluster solution of cities in the United States. The discriminant analysis results in six discriminant functions in which four are corresponding to the clustering variables. The finding could be useful for various destination marketing, competition, and benchmarking research.
