An Analysis of the Microeconomic Determinants of Travel Frequency

A critical factor in predicting the demand for tourism within a certain period of time is the number of trips individuals take. New tourists’ behaviour shows a tendency toward more frequent travel. Nevertheless, the frequency of travel has received little attention in empirical literature. This paper uses household data to examine the determinants of the number of quarters with positive tourist expenditure within a year. The results highlight the relevance in travel frequency analyses of distinguishing between the participation decision and the frequency decision conditional on participation. Many socio-demographic variables only show explanatory power for the participation decision. The two most relevant factors by far in explaining each decision are the previous year tourism demand decisions (suggesting evidence of habit persistence in tourism decisions) and disposable income, although with an income elasticity below the unit.