Experiencing the context of a rural environment is the fundamental aspect of rural travel. In order to estimate quantitative influences of the rural environment, this paper proposes to proxy rurality through two indicators: isolation and remoteness. The estimation of a hedonic pricing model with the use of both Geographic Information Systems and spatial econometrics allows obtaining the specific influence of these factors on rural lodging room prices. The methodology is applied to two tourist destinations with similar characteristics from Eastern (Taiwan) and Western (Spain) cultures. Results show that visitors’ preferences for isolation are significant but differ between these two regions. The main reasons that explain this divergence are population density differences between origin and destination, domination of international versus domestic visitors, and the intrinsic destination characteristics and perceived image. Managerial recommendations on how to emphasize the factors in the promotion of accommodation services are derived from the present study.
AnderssonD. E. (2010). “Hotel Attributes and Hedonic Prices: An Analysis of Internet-Based Transactions in Singapore’s Market for Hotel Rooms.” Annals of Regional Science, 44 (2): 229-40.
2.
AnderssonD. E.ShyrOliver F.FuJohnson. (2010). “Does High-Speed Rail Accessibility Influence Residential Property Prices? Hedonic Estimates from Southern Taiwan.” Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (1): 166-74.
3.
AnselinL. (1988). Spatial Econometrics: Methods and Models. London, UK: Kluwer.
4.
AnselinL. (2005). Exploring Spatial Data with Geoda: A Workbook. Urbana, IL: Spatial Analysis Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Illinois, Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS).
5.
BalogluSeyhmus. (2001). “Image Variations of Turkey by Familiarity Index: Informational and Experiential Dimensions.” Tourism Management, 22 (2): 127-33.
6.
BaranziniAndreaRamirezJosé V.SchaererCarolineThalmannPhilippe. (2008). “Introduction.” In Hedonic Methods in Housing Markets: Pricing Environmental Amenities and Segregation, edited by BaranziniAndreaRamirezJoséSchaererCarolineThalmannPhilippe. New York: Springer Science, pp. 1-12.
7.
BastianC. T.McLeodD. M.GerminoM. J.ReinersW. A.BlaskoB. J. (2002). “Environmental Amenities and Agricultural Land Values: A Hedonic Model Using Geographic Information Systems Data.” Ecological Economics, 40 (3): 337-49.
8.
BollerF.HunzikerM.ConederaM.ElsasserH.KrebsP. (2010). “Fascinating Remoteness: The Dilemma of Hiking Tourism Development in Peripheral Mountain Areas.” Mountain Research and Development, 30 (4): 320-31.
9.
BramwellB.LaneB. (1994). “Rural Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development.” Proceedings of the Second International School on Rural Development, University College Galway, Ireland.
10.
BriedenhannJ.WickensE. (2004). “Rural Tourism-Meeting the Challenges of the New South Africa.” International Journal of Tourism Research, 6 (3): 189-203.
BuckleyR. (2009). Ecotourism: Principles and Practices. Cambridge, UK: CABI.
13.
BuckleyR.CaterC.LinshengZ.ChenT. (2008). “SHENGTAI LUYOU: Cross-Cultural Comparison in Ecotourism.” Annals of Tourism Research, 35 (4): 945-68.
14.
Bujosa BestardA.FontA. R. (2009). “Environmental Diversity in Recreational Choice Modelling.” Ecological Economics, 68 (11): 2743-50.
15.
CánovesGemmaVillarinoMontserratPriestleyGerda KBlancoAsunción. (2004). “Rural Tourism in Spain: An Analysis of Recent Evolution.” Geoforum, 35 (6): 755-69.
16.
ChenChun-ChuLinYueh-Hsiu. (2012). “Segmenting Mainland Chinese Tourists to Taiwan by Destination Familiarity: A Factor-Cluster Approach.” International Journal of Tourism Research, 14 (4): 339-52.
17.
ChenLi-ChanLinShang-PingKuoChun-Min. (2013). “Rural Tourism: Marketing Strategies for the Bed and Breakfast Industry in Taiwan.” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32:278-86.
18.
ChiangChu-Yin. (2010). “Exploring Innovative Strategy of Ocean Culinary Tourism Development from Customer Value Perspective.” Journal of Island Tourism Research, 3 (1): 114-24.
19.
ColeD. N. (2001). “Management Dilemmas That Will Shape Wilderness in the 21st Century.” Journal of Forestry, 99 (1): 4-8.
20.
CoxLinda J.ViethGary R. (2003). “Hotel Investment in Open Area.” Annals of Tourism Research, 30 (2): 342-52.
21.
EspinetJ. M.SaezM.CoendersG.FluviaM. (2003). “Effect on Prices of the Attributes of Holiday Hotels: A Hedonic Prices Approach.” Tourism Economics, 9 (2): 165-77.
22.
FarmakiAnna. (2012). “An Exploration of Tourist Motivation in Rural Settings: The Case of Troodos, Cyprus.” Tourism Management Perspectives, 2:72-78.
23.
FernándezC.DíazF.ÁlvarezJ.JiménezV.BethencourtM.GonzálezC. (2008). Análisis del Mercado de turismo rural de la isla de La Palma. Estudio de la demanda: Asociación de turismo rural isla bonita.
24.
FreemanA. M. (2003). The Measurements of Environmental and Resource Values: Theory and Methods. Washington, DC: RFF press.
25.
FrochotIsabelle. (2005). “A Benefit Segmentation of Tourists in Rural Areas: A Scottish Perspective.” Tourism Management, 26 (3): 335-46.
26.
GeogheganJ.WaingerL. A.BockstaelN. E. (1997). “Spatial Landscape Indices in a Hedonic Framework: An Ecological Economics Analysis Using GIS.” Ecological Economics, 23 (3): 251-64.
27.
Hernández-MaestroRosa M.Muñoz-GallegoPablo A.Santos-RequejoLibia. (2009). “Small-Business Owners’ Knowledge and Rural Tourism Establishment Performance in Spain.” Journal of Travel Research, 48 (1): 58-77.
28.
Hernández-MaestroRosa M.González-BenitoÓscar. (2013). “Rural Lodging Establishments as Drivers of Rural Development.” Journal of Travel Research. Published online before print March15, 2013, doi: 10.1177/0047287513481273.
29.
HsuShih-YunWoodsideArch G.MarshallRoger. (2013). “Critical Tests of Multiple Theories of Cultures’ Consequences: Comparing the Usefulness of Models by Hofstede, Inglehart and Baker, Schwartz, Steenkamp, as well as GDP and Distance for Explaining Overseas Tourism Behavior.” Journal of Travel Research, 52 (6): 679-704.
30.
HuntL. M.BoxallP.EnglinJ.HaiderW. (2005). “Remote Tourism and Forest Management: A Spatial Hedonic Analysis.” Ecological Economics, 53 (1): 101-13.
31.
IsraeliAviad A. (2002). “Star Rating and Corporate Affiliation: Their Influence on Room Price and Performance of Hotels in Israel.” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 21 (4): 405-24.
JoyceK.SuttonS. (2009). “A Method for Automatic Generation of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum in New Zealand.” Applied Geography, 29 (3): 409-18.
34.
KastenholzE.DavisD.PaulG. (1999). “Segmenting Tourism in Rural Areas: The Case of North and Central Portugal.” Journal of Travel Research, 37 (4): 353-63.
35.
KerstetterD. L.HouJ. S.LinC. H. (2004). “Profiling Taiwanese Ecotourists Using a Behavioral Approach.” Tourism Management, 25 (4): 491-98.
36.
LaingJ. H.CrouchG. I. (2009). “Lone Wolves? Isolation and Solitude within the Frontier Travel Experience.” Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 91 (4): 325-42.
37.
LanYa-WenChenChiung-ChuYangChien-Tzu. (2010). “The Development Strategy of Leisure Agriculture and Fishery in Penghu.” Journal of Island Tourism Research, 3 (1): 30-56.
38.
LaneB. (1994). “What Is Rural Tourism?” Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2 (1-2): 7-21.
39.
LeeGeunheeTussyadiahIis P. (2012). “Exploring Familiarity and Destination Choice in International Tourism.” Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 17 (2): 133-45.
40.
LeeSeul KiJangSooCheong Shawn. (2011). “Room Rates of US Airport Hotels: Examining the Dual Effects of Proximities.” Journal of Travel Research, 50 (2): 186-97.
41.
LeeSeul KiJangSooCheong Shawn. (2013). “Asymmetry of Price Competition in the Lodging Market.” Journal of Travel Research, 52 (1): 56-67.
42.
LeeYoung-SookLawtonLaura J.WeaverDavid B. (2013). “Evidence for a South Korean Model of Ecotourism.” Journal of Travel Research, 52 (4): 520-33.
43.
LinJen-JiaHwangChi-Hau. (2004). “Analysis of Property Prices before and after the Opening of the Taipei Subway System.” Annals of Regional Science, 38 (4): 687-704.
44.
MengFang. (2010). “Individualism/Collectivism and Group Travel Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Perspective.” International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4 (4): 340-51.
MoleraL.AlbaladejoI. Pilar. (2007). “Profiling Segments of Tourists in Rural Areas of South-Eastern Spain.” Tourism Management, 28 (3): 757-67.
47.
MontyB.SkidmoreM. (2003). “Hedonic Pricing and Willingness to Pay for Bed and Breakfast Amenities in Southeast Wisconsin.” Journal of Travel Research, 42 (2): 195-99.
OhJ. Y. J.SchuettM. A. (2010). “Exploring Expenditure-Based Segmentation for Rural Tourism: Overnight Stay Visitors versus Excursionists to Fee-Fishing Sites.” Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27 (1): 31-50.
50.
OheY.CianiA. (2011). “Evaluation of Agritourism Activity in Italy: Facility Based or Local Culture Based?”Tourism Economics, 17 (3): 581-601.
51.
OlafsdottirR.RunnstromM. C. (2011). “How Wild Is Iceland? Wilderness Quality with Respect to Nature-Based Tourism.” Tourism Geographies, 13 (2): 280-98.
52.
PalmquistR. B. (2005). “Property Value Models.” In Handbook of Environmental Economics, edited by MalerK. G.VincentJ. R.Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, pp. 763-819.
53.
ParkDuk-ByeongYoonYoo-Shik. (2009). “Segmentation by Motivation in Rural Tourism: A Korean Case Study.” Tourism Management, 30 (1): 99-108.
54.
Penghu National Scenic Area Administration. (2009). 澎湖國家風景區遊客調查、旅遊人次暨產值推估模式建立規劃 [Penghu National Scenic Area Visitor Survey: A Model for Visits and Industry Output Estimation]. Taipei: Taiwan Tourism Bureau.
55.
PizamAbrahamJeongGang-Hoan. (1996). “Cross-Cultural Tourist Behavior: Perceptions of Korean Tour-Guides.” Tourism Management, 17 (4): 277-86.
PrenticeRichard. (2004). “Tourist Familiarity and Imagery.” Annals of Tourism Research, 31 (4): 923-45.
58.
ReisingerYvetteMavondoFelix T.CrottsJohn C. (2009). “The Importance of Destination Attributes: Western and Asian Visitors.” Anatolia, 20 (1): 236-53.
59.
RobertsL.HallD. (2001). Rural Tourism and Recreation: Principles to Practice. Oxon, UK: CABI.
60.
RyanChrisCaveJenny. (2005). “Structuring Destination Image: A Qualitative Approach.” Journal of Travel Research, 44 (2): 143-50.
61.
Santana-JiménezY.Suarez-VegaR.HernandezJ. M. (2011). “Spatial and Environmental Characteristics of Rural Tourism Lodging Units.” Anatolia, 22 (1): 89-101.
62.
SenguptaS.OsgoodD. E. (2003). “The Value of Remoteness: A Hedonic Estimation of Ranchette Prices.” Ecological Economics, 44 (1): 91-103.
63.
Seppälä-EsserRaijaAireyDavidSzivasEdith. (2009). “The Dependence of Tourism SMEs on NTOs: The Case of Finland.” Journal of Travel Research, 48 (2): 177-90.
64.
SharpleyR.JepsonD. (2011). “Rural Tourism: A Spiritual Experience?” Annals of Tourism Research, 38 (1): 52-71.
65.
SharpleyR.SharpleyJ. (1997). Rural Tourism. An Introduction. London, UK: International Thomson Business Press.
TaoChang-HungEaglesP. F. J.SmithS. L. J. (2004). “Profiling Taiwanese Ecotourists Using a Self-definition Approach.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 12 (2): 149-68.
68.
TaylorLaura. (2008). “Theoretical Foundations and Empirical Developments in Hedonic Modeling.” In Hedonic Methods in Housing Markets, edited by BaranziniAndreaRamirezJoséSchaererCarolineThalmannPhilippe. New York: Springer, pp. 15-37.
69.
ThraneChrister. (2007). “Examining the Determinants of Room Rates for Hotels in Capital Cities: The Oslo Experience.” Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 5 (4): 315-23.
70.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division. (2011). World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. New York: United Nations.
YangJieYuanBinghuiHuPing. (2009). “Tourism Destination Image and Visit Intention: Examining the Role of Familiarity.” Journal of China Tourism Research, 5 (2): 174-87.
74.
YeWenXueXiming. (2008). “The Differences in Ecotourism between China and the West.” Current Issues in Tourism, 11 (6): 567-86.
