| By: |
Marta Disegna (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, School of Economics and Management, Italy.);
Linda Osti (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, School of Economics and Management, Italy.) |
| Abstract: |
This study analyses spending behaviour of international visitors to Italy. In
specific it focuses on the impact that visitors’ satisfaction with different
attributes of the trip exerts on expenditure among different service
categories. Despite a general recognition by the economic literature that
customer satisfaction exerts a positive effect on both economic returns and
brand loyalty, very few academic studies explored the relationship between
tourists’ satisfaction with a destination and spending behaviour.
This study
focuses on the 1,030 visitors who travelled to the provinces Bolzano, Trento,
and Belluno (Northern Italy), an area around the Dolomites. The Double-hurdle
model with the Heien and Wessells estimator is applied. Discussion of the
empirical evidence is aimed at highlighting the main relations between
expenditure behaviour and satisfaction. Policy implications and managerial
issues for tourism destinations are also presented. |
| Keywords: |
Tourist expenditure; Satisfaction; Double–hurdle model; Spending behaviour. |
| JEL: |
C19 D12 L83 |
| Date: |
2013–12 |
| URL: |
http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bzn:wpaper:bemps14&r=tur |