Segmenting Potential Nature-Based Tourists Based on Temporal Factors

Abstract

The opportunity to experience nature-based activities at a destination with climate variations is a major driver of visitation for tourists. Despite significant research into seasonality and nature-based activity preferences, academic researchers are not profiling activity-oriented tourists into segments based on temporal factors such as seasons. To address this research gap, an expert panel was first asked to classify activities collected in a large secondary Norwegian tourist questionnaire into seasons. Next, 8,962 potential nature-based tourists were segmented based on summer, winter, and year-round activity preferences. When seasonality was taken into account, four clusters were identified. A combined model where seasonality was not addressed yielded fewer segments, and differing variables indicating that segmentation researchers may benefit from considering a fifth segmentation factor, namely temporal, in future. Theoretical and practical implications from this research are outlined and opportunities for future research are provided.