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Tripography: Can destination use patterns enhance understanding of the VFR market?

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, USA, hub{at}purdue.edu

Alastair M. Morrison

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, USA

Although almost half of US pleasure travellers are visiting friends and relatives (VFR), this market was marginalised and forgotten until the late 1980s. This study was designed to analyse sociodemographic and trip characteristic (‘tripographic’) differences between VFR and non-VFR travellers and between single- and multi-destination VFR travellers. Using data from a national travel survey, significant differences were found in the socio-demographic and trip characteristics of VFR and non-VFR travellers. Approximately 9 per cent of VFR travellers had multiple destinations, and multidestination VFRs had different characteristics than single-destination VFRs. Several important recommendations are provided for marketers interested in pursuing VFRs as a niche market.

Key Words: VFR • multi-destination trips • trip characteristics • tripography • destination use patterns

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