Using Travel Activities to Segment the Market for Travel : The Case for First-Time Visitors

The main purpose of the study is to examine the relevance and significance of market segmentation based on the activities visitors engage in while at a destination. In doing so, the paper attempts to segment first-time pleasure travelers and profile the market by tip-related characteristics. This paper is based on a subset of 1,104 first-time visitors to Prince Edward Island (PEI) in main season (July and August 2007). This study found that three distinct segments of first-time visitors exist: “culture-seeking,” “active,” and “other interest” tourists. In addition, the study identifies that cultural themes are an important factor for a significant portion of tourists visiting PEI and demonstrates that these culture-seekers are valuable in terms of their economic contribution to the destination and cultural/social interaction with communities