Holiday travel packaging is an important tool for destination marketing. However, little is known on how presentation of travel package information influences tourists' decisions. This article reports on an experiment that tested whether package information and package heading can influence destination choice. It is hypothesized that destinations with a less favorable image will benefit from being presented in a format with more attribute information and with a price heading. The hypotheses were tested with 200 university students and 200 United Kingdom residents. They were asked to evaluate experimentally designed beach package holidays to Mediterranean destinations. Results show that effects of package presentation format do not differ between less favorable and more favorable image destinations. Variations in package presentation format show similar effects regardless of the destination presented. The student sample shows a higher intention to visit when price is used as the package heading. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
Areni, C.S., D.F. Duhan, and P. Kiecker (1999). "Point-of-purchase Displays, Product Organization and Purchase Likelihoods." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27 (4): 428-41.
2.
Bettman, J.R. and P. Kakkar (1977). "Effects of Information Presentation Format on Consumer Information Acquisition Strategies." Journal of Consumer Research, 3 (March): 233-40.
3.
Bettman, J.R., M.F. Luce, and J.W. Payne (1998). "Constructive Consumer Choice Processes." Journal of Consumer Research, 25 (December): 187-217.
4.
Bettman, J.R., and M.A. Zins (1979). "Information Format and Choice Task Effects in Decision Making." Journal of Consumer Research, 6 (September): 141-53.
5.
Bojanic, D.C., and R.J. Calantone (1990). "Price Bundling in Public Recreation." Leisure Sciences, 12 (1): 67-78.
6.
Burke, S.J. (1995). "The Dimensional Effects of Missing Information on Choice Processing." Journal of Behavioural Decision Making , 8: 223-44.
7.
Cooper-Martin, E. (1993). "Effects of Information Format and Similarity among Alternatives on Consumer Choice Processes." Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 21 (3): 239-46.
8.
Glass, A.L., and K.J. Holyoak (1986). Cognition. New York: Random House.
9.
Harlam, B.A., A. Krishna, D.R. Lehman, and C. Mela (1995). "Impact of Bundle Type, Price Framing and Familiarity on Purchase Intention for the Bundle." Journal of Business Research, 33 (1): 57-66.
10.
Harris, J. (1997). "The Effects of Promotional Bundling on Consumers' Evaluations of Product Quality and Risk of Purchase." Advances in Consumer Research, 24: 168-72.
11.
Johnson, R.D., and I.P. Levin (1985). "More than Meet the Eyes: The Effect of Missing Information on Purchase Evaluations." Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (September): 74-81.
12.
Josiam, B.M., and J.S.P. Hobson (1995). "Consumer Choice in Context: The Decoy Effect in Travel and Tourism." Journal of Travel Research, 34 (1): 45-50.
13.
Kivetz, R., and I. Simonson (2000). "The Effects of Incomplete Information on Consumer Choice." Journal of Marketing Research, 37 (November): 427-48.
14.
Laws, E. (1997). Managing Packaged Tourism. London: International Thomson Business Press.
Meyer, R.J. (1981). "A Model of Multiattribute Judgements under Attribute Uncertainty and Informational Constraints." Journal of Marketing Research, 18 (November): 428-41.
17.
Middleton, V.T.C., and J. Clarke (2001). Marketing in Travel and Tourism. 3rd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann .
18.
Money, R.B., and J.C. Crotts (2003). "The Effect of Uncertainty Avoidance on Information Search, Planning and Purchases of International Travel Vacations." Tourism Management, 24: 191-202.
19.
Munger, J.L., and D. Grewal (2001). "The Effects of Alternative Price Promotional Methods on Consumers' Product Evaluations and Purchase Intentions." Journal of Product & Brand Management, 10 (3): 185-97.
20.
National Statistics. (2002). Travel Trends 2001. London: The Stationery Office.
21.
National Statistics. (2005). Travel Trends 2004. London: The Stationery Office.
22.
Naylor, G., and K.E. Frank (2001). "The Effect of Price Bundling on Consumer Perceptions of Value." Journal of Services Marketing, 15 (4): 270-81.
23.
Oppewal, H., and B. Holyoake (2004). "Bundling and Retail Agglomeration Effects on Shopping Behavior." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services , 11: 61-74.
24.
Sheldon, P.J., and J. Mak (1987). "The Demand for Package Tours: A Mode Choice Model ." Journal of Travel Research, 25 (3): 13-17.
25.
Simonson, I. (1999). "The Effect of Product Assortment on Buyer Preferences ." Journal of Retailing, 75 (3): 347-70.
26.
Simonson, I., and R.S. Winer (1992). "The Influence of Purchase Quantity and Display Format on Consumer Preference for Variety." Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (June): 133-38.
27.
Smith, R.E., and C.A. Vogt (1995). "The Effects of Integrating Advertising and Negative Word-of-Mouth Communications on Message Processing and Response." Journal of Consumer Psychology, 4 (2): 133-51.
28.
Stremersch, S., and G.J. Tellis (2002). "Strategic Bundling of Products and Prices: A New Synthesis for Marketing." Journal of Marketing, 66 (January): 55-72.
29.
Stoddard, J.E., and E.F. Fern (1996). "The Effect of Information Presentation Format and Decision Frame on Choice in an Organizational Buying Context." Advances in Consumer Research, 23: 211-17.
30.
Tversky, A. (1969). "Intransitivity of Preferences." Psychological Review, 76: 31-48.
31.
Yadav, M.S., and K.B. Monroe (1993). "How Buyers Perceive Savings in a Bundle Price: An Examination of a Bundle's Transaction Value." Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (August): 350-58.
