Tourists' Length of Stay: The Case of International Summer Visitors to Norway

Abstract

Tourists' length of stay is a variable of key importance for any tourism destination due to its crucial effect on overall tourism expenditure. This study, using several econometric techniques, examines how nationality and a number of other independent variables affect length of stay. The empirical setting is the inbound summer tourism market in Norway, and the data refer to a largescale visitor survey conducted in 2007. The results show that nationality explains many of the differences in length of stay among international visitors to Norway. The results also highlight how international visitors' age, spending patterns and other trip-related characteristics are associated with length of stay. The implications of the findings for tourism policy, segmentation and further research are, finally, discussed.

Length of Stay and Tourism Facility Assessment: The Viewpoint of Malaysian Tourists at Langkawi

“…This finding was in contrast to previous studies finding a positive relationship between LoS and CS [13][14][15][16]. We also identified a negative relationship between LoS and SF, again in contrast to previous studies [23].…”

Analysis of the impact of length of stay on the quality of service experience, satisfaction and loyalty

“…However, there are contradictory findings in the literature about this aspect. Some authors conclude that the shorter the length of stay, the higher the expenditure at the destination (Barros and Machado 2010; Esteban et al, 2011; Thrane 2012. Therefore, we conclude that the link between expenditures according to length of stay is still a controversial issue in the literature.…”

“…Research is eminently descriptive about the profile of visitors with different holiday durations (Gokovali et al 2007; Salmasi et al 2012. Few studies have considered length of stay when analysing behavioural factors such as motivation (Thrane 2012 ) and destination image (Machado 2010; Royo Vela 2012. The length of stay also affects the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction associated with various aspects of the trip and its impact on quality of life (Neal 2003 ).…”

The need to adapt to travel expenditure patterns. A study comparing business and leisure tourists in Barcelona

“…Chaitip, Chaiboonsri, Kovács and Balogh (2008) show that the total cost of the trip is related to product attributes and product management. The study by Thrane and Farstad (2012) demonstrates a positive relationship between length of stay and expenditure. Based on the above review of the literature, we can generate the following hypotheses:…”

“…The purpose construct differentiates between business and leisure tourist. Previous studies proved the relationships of expenditure on length of stay (Thrane and Farstad 2012), length of stay on satisfaction (Neal 2004) and length of stay on repeat visits (Ledesma, Pérez-Rodríguez and Navarro 2005). Therefore, our causal model proposed analyses the relationships of expenditure, satisfaction, length of stay and repeat visits with the principal contribution of using the purpose of stay as tourists' segmentation variable (business and leisure).…”