Activity Preferences and Trip-planning Behavior of the U.S. Outbound Pleasure Travel Market

Abstract

This article examines the findings of a survey of American pleasure travelers, who represent an attractive market in terms of size and economic potential for the travel industry. The study provides market-based information pertaining to American outbound pleasure travelers' destination activity preferences and their travel-planning behavior. More specifically, the study examines the travelers' trip-planning behavior and the impor tance attached to a variety of activities, amenities, and locational variables in considering four foreign destinations (Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe). Market ing implications of the findings are delineated.