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2018 | 3(53) | 91-100

Article title

Who Are the Tourists Booking Their Accommodations Online? A Segmentation Study of the Cracow Market

Title variants

PL
Kim są turyści rezerwujący nocleg online? Studium segmentacji rynku krakowskiego

Languages of publication

EN

Abstracts

EN
Internet and related technologies have revolutionized the distribution process in the accommodation sector, giving priority to big, online intermediaries, often at the expense of the direct booking channels of small and medium independent hotels. In order to regain their independency and flexibility in distribution strategy, hotel managers need to learn more about the profiles of contemporary online bookers visiting their region. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of similarities and differences between consumers choosing among various online distribution channels for their tourist accommodations, and therefore help accommodation providers better manage their distribution and marketing strategies. The study is based on primary data that were collected among tourists in Cracow using a convenience sampling. The collected data was sorted, grouped and analyzed using basic statistical tools. The analysis led to determination of the size, as well as socio-demographic, and consumption features of four groups of tourists according to the online accommodation channel they used: booking.com, airbnb.com, other online channels, or online directly. The findings confirm the important role played by OTAs in the distribution of accommodation services, whereas the rate of direct online bookings recorded was lower than expected. Given the predominance of Booking.com in the market, its clients represent the typical customer in Cracow. Nevertheless, some differences among the four groups are observed in terms of age, travel party composition, first vs. repeat visitors, country of residence, length of stay, daily accommodation expenditure, and type of accommodation.
PL
Internet wraz z powiązanymi technologiami zrewolucjonizował proces dystrybucji w sektorze hotelarskim, dając pierwszeństwo dużym pośrednikom internetowym, często kosztem bezpośrednich kanałów dystrybucyjnych małych i średnich hoteli niezależnych. W celu odzyskania niezależności i elastyczności w formułowaniu strategii dystrybucyjnej menedżerowie tych hoteli powinni lepiej poznać profile współczesnych klientów rezerwujących noclegi w ich regionie za pomocą Internetu. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie podobieństw i różnic między klientami wybierającymi różne internetowe kanały zakupu usług noclegowych, a przez to wsparcie usługodawców na tym rynku, by lepiej zarządzali swoją dystrybucją i realizowali strategie marketingowe. Badania przedstawione w tekście zostały oparte na danych pierwotnych zebranych wśród turystów odwiedzających Kraków, dobranych na zasadzie wygody (convenience sampling). Zebrane dane zostały uporządkowane i przeanalizowane przy użyciu podstawowych narzędzi statystycznych. Analiza pozwoliła określić rozmiar, a także cechy społeczno-demograficzne oraz charakterystykę pobytu i konsumpcji turystycznej czterech grup turystów wyróżnionych na podstawie użytego kanału rezerwacji noclegu: Booking.com, Airbnb, pozostałych kanałów online, bezpośrednio online. Wyniki potwierdzają dominującą rolę, jaką odgrywają pośrednicy internetowi. Jednocześnie zidentyfikowany został niższy niż oczekiwany poziom rezerwacji w kanałach bezpośrednich. W związku z dominacją rynkową Booking.com profil użytkownika tej platformy determinuje w dużej mierze charakterystykę typowego klienta w Krakowie. Tym niemniej między badanymi segmentami klientów występują pewne różnice w zakresie ich wieku, składu grupy, kraju pochodzenia, długości pobytu, dziennych wydatków na nocleg i rodzaju wybieranego noclegu.

Contributors

  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków
  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków
  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków
  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków

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Document Type

Publication order reference

Identifiers

YADDA identifier

bwmeta1.element.desklight-892e8158-c5f8-46e3-af0b-a2272663e236
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