Abstract:
Tourism has become an important factor in Oregon's and
New Zealand's economies. Both destinations are trying to
attract even more tourists. However, many other destinations
are also competing for a bigger share of the tourism market.
Tourism itself is a multi-faceted phenomenon and the travel
destination decision is of some importance, not only for the
person but also for the tourist destinations. A Travel
Destination Decision Model was developed which integrates the
most important aspects of the decision process. The purpose
of this study was to examine relationships between some of
these facets: tourism resources, perceptions, and travel
patterns. It was hypothesized that: (A) a quantitatively and
qualitatively better resource base results in a more
favorable perception; (B) similar resource bases may still
result in different perceptions; and (C) similar perceptions
result in similar travel patterns and a more favorable
perception results in a higher volume of travel flow.
A literature survey provided information on the tourism
resource base and travel flow of both destinations. Data on
the perceptions of both destinations were obtained through a survey at Frankfurt airport, Federal Republic of Germany. The
sample population of this self-administered questionnaire was
356 persons of international origin.
Hypotheses (A) and (B) were verified by the results of
this sample population for the destinations Oregon and New
Zealand. Hypothesis (C) was not supported for Oregon and New
Zealand. This was attributed to their respective geographical
locations and therewith induced factors such as cost, time,
and accessibility. A test of hypothesis (C) for the
relatively similar located states Oregon and California
supported this assumption, as hypothesis (C) was verified for
these destinations.
