Abstract
Several researchers have suggested that practitioners underappreciate the value and significance of the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market in tourism. In part, this has been attributed to a lack of accurate data and research on this segment of the pleasure travel market. Based upon two large-scale surveys of the German and British outbound, long-haul markets, the overall objectives of this study were to examine the expenditure patterns and levels of German and British long-haul VFR travellers, and to compare VFR traveller characteristics with other pleasure travel trip-purpose segments. The study clearly indicated that VFR travellers from Germany and the UK spent significant amounts at their destinations, and had different demographics, trip characteristics, trip satisfaction levels, value for money perceptions and future intentions for return visits than other types of pleasure travellers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.