تجزیه و تحلیل رقابتی جستجوی اطلاعات بین فرهنگی در رفتار

The aim of this study was to investigate German, French, and British travelers’ information search behavior. This study used the data collected from a series of in-flight surveys on German, British, and French travelers to the US between January and December 1997. To visualize tourists’ information research behavior, a correspondence analysis was employed. The results from correspondence analysis revealed two-dimensional solutions: the first was labeled as business/leisure dimension, and the second was identified as dependent/independent information search behavior. In addition, four distinct market segments based on the information search behavior emerged from the analysis. In conclusion, future study in respect to cross-cultural choice behaviors was advocated.

Understanding travelers’ information-search behavior is critical for strategy development and service delivery. Indeed, the emergence of a large number and variety of travel destinations has increased the importance of understanding the travelers’ information-search behavior. As a result, it is not surprising that conceptual and empirical study on tourist information-search behavior was one of the more important in marketing research. However, in the tourism literature, there is a little study that has specifically focused on cross-cultural information search behavior. To date, one of the major gaps in tourist information-search behavior literature is the lack of a cross-cultural perspective. While it is true that the literature contains some information-search studies conducted on the samples outside of the United States (Uysal, McDonald, & Reid, 1990) the scope of these studies has been too limited to permit placement of the knowledge regarding tourist information-search behavior into a cross-cultural context. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to expand the concept of tourist information-search behavior by identifying and simultaneously analyzing external information sources used by German, French, and British travelers who traveled to the United States in 1997. In this study, each market (country) was segmented based on the travel purposes embodying business, convention, visiting family and friends, and leisure vacation. It is believed that analysis based on these segments will provide a better understanding of cross-cultural tourist information-search behavior.

The analysis of external information search behavior of German, British, and French travelers manifested that there were two dimensions of information search behavior. The first one was business/leisure dimension and the second one was dependent/independent information search behavior. The analysis also exhibited that there were four distinct market segments based on the information search behavior. The first segment was German business and convention travel segment; this segment demonstrated an independent and business information search pattern. The second was German leisure & VFR and leisure travel segment. Both segments browsed internet relatively more often than other travelers did and they were also more likely to utilize state/city travel offices. The distinction between these two segments was that German business and convention travel market used corporate travel departments as an external information source relatively more whereas German leisure & VFR and leisure (vacation) segment used travel guides as an external information source relatively more. The third was French and British business and convention travel segment; this segment used airlines as an external information source relatively more. The fourth was French and British leisure & VFR and leisure (vacation) travel segment; this segment utilized tour companies, newspapers and magazines, and friends and relatives as an external information source relatively more often than other travelers did. All British and French travelers depended on travel agencies for external information relatively more than German travelers did.