Understanding Destination Choices of German Travellers

Author: Carl Henrik Marcussen.

Based on a literature review, this article proposes and subsequently tests 19 hypotheses about what affects destination choices. This is followed by an analysis of a set of data about long journeys undertaken by German travellers. The hypotheses are tested using three different methods, namely simple t-tests, multiple linear regression, and binomial logistic regression. Duration of stay, temperature difference, a coastline at the destination, mode of transport, travel distance, relative prices, travel party size, origin region, and number of destinations visited were the most significant determinants. Based on t-values from a series of multiple regression analysis, the three most significant characteristics are identified for each of the 25 most frequently visited destinations by German travellers.