ARTICLE IN PRESS

Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457

www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman

Consumer behavior research in hospitality and

tourism journals
Anna S. Mattila
School of Hospitality Management, Pennsylvania State University, 224 Mateer Building,
University Park, PA 16802, USA

Abstract

In this review, I identify key trends and ‘‘camps’’ in consumer behavior research in the field
of hospitality and tourism research based on a thorough analysis of articles published in 2003.
I also highlight some challenges faced by our discipline in terms of theory development and
methodological issues.
r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Consumer behavior; Theory testing; Methodology; Post-modernism

1. Introduction

Consumer behavior is an eclectic field involving dynamic interactions and

exchanges. The American Marketing Association defines consumer behavior as ‘‘the
dynamic interaction of affect, cognition, behavior and the environment by which
human beings conduct the exchange aspect of their lives. The goal of this paper is to
review key trends in consumer behavior in the hospitality and tourism industry. This
review is based on systematic analyses of articles published in the leading hospitality
and tourism journals in 2003, including Annals of Tourism Research, Cornell Hotel &
Administration Quarterly, Journal of Foodservice Business Research, Journal of
Hospitality & Leisure Marketing, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Journal

Tel.: +1 814 863 5757; fax: +1 814 863 4257.

E-mail address: asm6@psu.edu (A.S. Mattila).

0278-4319/$ - see front matter r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2004.10.001
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
450 A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457

of Travel Research, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Journal of Vacation

Marketing, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Inter-
national Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Tourism
Research, Tourism & Hospitality Research and Tourism Management. The first part
of this paper will deal with hospitality-focused studies followed by a section on
tourism behavior. Not surprisingly, Internet was a popular topic among hospitality
researchers followed by traditional consumer behavior items such as service
encounters (including service failures), pricing, tipping and shopping behaviors.
The growing research on safety issues is understandable given today’s volatile
environment. Moreover, the study of mature consumers reflects the increasing
importance of this market segment.

2. Web

The rapid growth of the Internet has changed the way people search for
information about hospitality and tourism services. Product knowledge, or expertise
and familiarity, seem to influence travelers’ information search activities (Gursoy,
2003). The impact of multi-channel access on consumers’ decision making processes
was discussed in Louviers et al. (2003) study of the global hotel industry. In a cross-
cultural study of German and Japanese visitors to the US, Money and Crotts (2003)
show that uncertainty avoidance as a cultural dimension influences consumers’
information search processes, including channel choices.
Differences between on-line shoppers and non-shoppers were examined in the
context of travel purchases (Card et al., 2003). Although response speed was
identified as one of the key ingredients to a successful recovery following an e-mail
complaint to a hotel (Mattila and Mount, 2003a), hotels seem to be failing in this
area. In a study of Singaporean travel agents, Murphy and Tan (2003) report that
customers have a slim chance of receiving a reply to their e-mail inquiry. Similar
disappointing results were reported in a Swiss context (Frey et al., 2003). Poria and
Oppewal (2003) suggest that on-line news discussions might provide a new avenue
for investigating consumer behavior. Dube et al. (2003), on the other hand, argue
that ‘‘experience engineering’’ is a necessary component of value creation in today’s
hospitality industry and that the internet could be effectively used to set stage for
pleasurable experiences.

3. Service encounters

In their innovative framework of the service exchange, Namasivayam and Hinkin

(2003) show that perceived control is one of the key elements driving customer
satisfaction. Morais and Zillifro (2003) reported gender-based differences in
consumer evaluations of extended service encounters.
Regarding failed encounters, the results from Oh’s (2003a) study with convention
planners cast some doubt over the effectiveness of service recovery in maintaining
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457 451

customer loyalty. In addition to face-to-face encounters, the role of voice-to-voice

encounters in influencing service recovery perceptions was examined (Mattila and
Mount, 2003b). Research in non-Western contexts suggest that traditional Asian
consumers might be more passive in their responses to poor service (Heung and
Lam, 2003). Yet, younger, better-educated customers earning higher incomes tend to
be more vocal and demanding in terms of service recovery (Lam and Tang, 2003). In
another cross-cultural study, Mueller et al. (2003) show that Irish and US consumers
might perceive service failures in a similar manner, but that their perceptions of
recovery efforts might be culturally contingent.

4. Loyalty and tipping behaviors

Customer loyalty is a central tenant of consumer behavior. Both cognitive and

affective theories have been applied to explain loyalty behaviors, with an increasing
interest in affective commitment. In their commentary of Loyalty: Strategic
Commitment, Shoemaker and Bowen (2003) highlight the current trends in loyalty
research and highlight the importance of emotional bonding as an antecedent to
loyalty. In a similar vein, Sui and Baloglu (2003) empirically demonstrate the impact
of affective commitment on loyalty in the context of casinos.
In a series of two articles in the Cornell Hotel & Administration Quaterly, Lynn
(2003) first reconciles opposing views on the relationship between tipping and service
equality and then with a co-author provides a parsimonious explanation for the
magnitude effect (Lynn and Sturman, 2003). In another tipping study, negative
disconfirmation between actual performance and pre-purchase expectations was
found to be strongly linked to tip size (Tse, 2003).

5. Safety and mature consumers

In the post-9/11 environment safety and security have resurfaced as topics of

interest. While some cross-cultural differences exist in customer perceptions of airline
service (Kim and Prideaux, 2003), Gilbert and Wong (2003) show that assurance,
including safety concerns, is the most crucial service quality dimension among
international travelers. Since safety is one of people’s intrinsic motivations,
understanding tourists’ perceptions of crime is critical for destination marketing
(Barker et al., 2003). George (2003), for example, examined tourist perceptions of
safety while visiting Cape Town, a representative of destinations with an unsafe
image. Looking at food safety issues, Reynolds and Balinbin (2003) show that
educating consumers about Mad Cow disease positively influences their perceptions
of beef as a safe choice.
The aging population is a major demographic shift in today’s Western world. To
better understand the needs and wants of these mature consumers, many hospitality
researchers have turned their attention to this growing market segment. On a
positive note, an examination of economic and socio-demographic factors suggests
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
452 A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457

that the demand for full-service restaurants is going to increase in the near future
partly due to aging population (Kim and Geistfeld, 2003). Research by Moschis et al.
(2003) suggests that mature consumers respond differently to various marketing
promotions, but that monetary appeals might not be the most effective way of
reaching this target population. These more mature consumers seem to strive for
socialization when dining out (Yamanaka et al., 2003). In terms of advertising,
hospitality and tourism marketers need to understand how behavioral scripting in
TV ads influences older consumers’ perceptions of hospitality products and services
(Peterson and Sautter, 2003). A study in a casino context shows that elderly females
might be a particularly attractive but somewhat vulnerable (due to low levels of
education and income) market segment (Moseley et al., 2003).

6. Pricing and other studies

Asymmetric effects of positive and negative price deviations on price, quality and
value were examined by Oh (2003b). Monty and Skidmore (2003) discussed the
usefulness of hedonic pricing in estimating consumers’ willingness to pay more for
bed and breakfast type accomodations. Contrary to common beliefs, Kincard and
Corsun (2003) demonstrate that the layout of menu items is not linked to item sales.
Noriega and Lin (2003) identified differences in attitudes and behaviors of gamblers
based on their preferred gambling activity whereas people with disabilities served as
a sample for the effectiveness of travel agents in Hong Kong (McKercher et al.,
2003).

7. Tourism studies

Regarding tourism behavior, the topics covered in hospitality and tourism

journals in 2003 seem to fall in the general categories of consumer research in
tourism: destination choice/image, segmentation and decision-making or choice.
Understanding the basic motivations in destination choice among various target
markets was the key concept in many of the published studies. Andriotis and
Vaughan (2003) studied the attitudes of urban residents toward tourism develop-
ment on Crete. Trekkers perceptions of Nepal were identified by Holden (2003) while
Mohsin and Ryan (2003) examined motives of backpackers in Northern Australia.
Naoi (2003) used Lew’s cognitive perspective in analyzing Japanese tourists’
motivations. Uriely et al. (2003) examined how residents’ religious attitudes influence
their attitudes toward heritage tourism in Israel. Teye and Leclerc (2003) studied the
motivations of cruise line passengers from an ethnic perspective.
Rittichainuwat et al. (2003) examined the joint influence of destination image,
travel satisfaction, motivation and inhibitors on repeat purchase intent in the context
of Thailand. Rezende-Parker et al. (2003) explored US visitors’ image of Brazil as a
vacation destination. Pike (2003) employed repertory grid method to destination
image research. From a more conceptual perspective, Kim and Yoon (2003)
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457 453

concluded that affect is a more salient determinant of destination image than

cognition. To obtain a more dynamic view of destination perceptions, Vogt and
Andereck (2003) examined how destination knowledge and desirability perceptions
change during the course of the vacation. As an interesting example of
interdisciplinary co-operation between academic publications, Journal of Travel &
Tourism Marketing had a special issue co-published with Wine, Food and Tourism
Marketing. Many of the articles in that issue dealt with wine regions as tourist
destinations (e.g., Hashimoto and Telfer (2003) examining the Niagara Region,
Frochot (2003) investigating the impact of food images on French Regional Tourism
and Du Rabd et al. (2003) focusing on food destination marketing in South Africa).
Culture or geographic location was the main focus in most of the segmentation
studies. Sirakaya et al. (2003) examined the segments of Japanese visitors to Turkey.
Chen and Uyasal (2003) developed a typology of leisure travelers visiting 10 eastern
states and found support for two distinct groups: novelty seekers and acquaintance
visitors. In another destination based study, Wisconsin rural tourists can be classified
to five distinct segments. Individuality of German tourists visiting Norway was
examined by Prebensen et al. (2003). Vacation styles were used as a segmentation
variable for examining winter tourists in Australia (Dolnicar and Leisch, 2003 ).
McKercher and du Cros (2003) identified typologies for cultural tourism. Razzouk
and Seitz (2003) found that individuals interested in nude recreation tend to be
Middle-class, well-educated Caucasians who are family-oriented and fun-loving. In
an attempt to reach out to emotions, Chen (2003a) explored tourists’ sentiments
toward marketing as a segmentation variable. From a methodological perspective,
Chen (2003b) introduced a new segmentation framework (travel segmentation with
chi-square automatic interaction detection) to the tourism literature.
With regard to decision-making, another important line of research in tourism
behavior, Van Middelkoop and Timmermans (2003) showed that other heuristics
such the context might be more beneficial than utility maximization in explaining
tourist choices regarding travel mode. Kang et al. (2003) examined family decision
making and its impact on segmentation strategies. In their review of choice
modeling, Verma and Plaschka (2003) summarized the major managerial and
methodological challenges during the past decade. To enrich our understanding of
tourism choice processes, Eugenio-Martin (2003) developed a five-stage, conceptual
model using a discrete choice approach.

8. Conclusions

Consumer behavior is an eclectic field and its topics are shared with other fields
and disciplines. Hence, it is highly unlikely that there is a great degree of agreement
regarding key research topics and how research in hospitality and tourism area
should be conducted. However, it is evident that a greater degree of collaboration
between the two sub-fields would be highly advantageous for a richer understanding
of consumer behavior in our unique settings.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
454 A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457

Unlike main stream consumer research with heavy emphasis on theory

development, hospitality and tourism researchers focus on ‘‘real world’’ problems,
thus providing output that is relevant to managers and other stakeholders. The focus
on pragmatic contribution is understandable given the industry-specific nature of
hospitality and tourism inquiry. Yet, an emphasis on managerial relevance should
not come at the expense of rigor and theory development. Hence, multiple
perspectives, including more fundamental research, are needed to advance consumer
behavior in our field. In addition to basic research, hospitality and tourism
researchers need to continue to apply, test and extend theories developed in other
disciplines (e.g, psychology, economics, sociology). Such research can have an
important impact on the field and it can also contribute to theory development.
In terms of methodology, the vast majority of studies were survey-based. Instead
of tightly controlled lab studies, hospitality researchers seem to prefer domain-
focused investigations in naturalistic settings. Only a handful of the articles reviewed
employed an experimental design (e.g., Kemperman et al., 2003; Namasivayam and
Hinkins, 2003; Kincaid and Corsun, 2003; Verma and Plaschka, 2003). I would
encourage researchers to conduct more lab studies. With the advancement of
technology, consumer researchers are in a much better position today to conduct
studies that deal with real world issues while maintaining experimental control.
Although post-modern consumer research became accepted in the main stream
CB in the 1980s, the interpretive approach has not yet received considerable interest
among hospitality and tourism researchers. For rare examples, see Yoo and Sohn’s
(2003) naturalistic approach in exploring intercultural interactions between tourists
and local resident, Sorensen’s (2003) ethnographic study of international packpack-
ers, and Hyed and Lawson’s (2003) case study of independent travelers visiting New
Zealand. Maybe theories and methods applied from cultural anthropology would
enrich our understanding of consumption and its meaning in the hospitality and
tourism industry context.
In sum, consumer research in the field of hospitality and tourism inquiry, is an
exceptionally rich domain for studying a wide range of real world phenomena that
have potentially important theoretical implications. The relatively young field is
bursting with research energy, and it continues to stimulate exciting work. Insights
from consumer research have significant potential for positively influencing
managerial practices. However, we as a research community would greatly benefit
from an interdisciplinary effort between hospitality and tourism researchers. Finally,
more openness to alternative (non-survey based) methods of inquiry would advance
our understanding of consumer behavior in the context of hospitality and tourism
management.

References

Andriotis, K., Vaughan, R., 2003. Urban residents attitudes toward tourism development. Journal of
Travel Research 42 (2), 172–185.
Barker, M., Page, S., Meyer, D., 2003. Urban visitors perceptions of safety during a special event. Journal
of Travel Research 41 (4), 355–361.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457 455

Card, J., Chien, C., Cole, S., 2003. Online travel products shopping: differences between shoppers and
nonshoppers. Journal of Travel Research 42 (2), 133–139.
Chen, J., 2003a. Market segmentation by tourist sentiments. Annals of Tourism Research 30 (1), 178–193.
Chen, J., 2003b. Developing a travel segmentation methodology: a criterion-based approach. Journal of
Hospitality & Tourism Research 27 (3), 310–327.
Chen, J., Uyasal, M., 2003. Leisure traveler typology. a case of ten eastern states. Journal of Hospitality &
Leisure Marketing 10 (1/2), 51–62.
Dolnicar, S., Leisch, F., 2003. Winter tourist segments in Austria. Journal of Travel Research 41 (3),
281–292.
Dube, L., Le Bel, J., Sears, D., 2003. From customer value to engineering pleasurable experiences in real
life and online. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (4/5), 124–130.
Du Rabd, G., Heath, E., Alberts, N., 2003. The role of local and regional food destination marketing: a
South African situation analysis. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (3/4), 97–112.
Eugenio-Martin, J., 2003. Modeling determinants of tourism demand as a five-stage process: a discrete
choice methodological approach. Tourism & Hospitality Research 4 (4), 341–354.
Frey, S., Schegg, R., Murhpy, J., 2003. E-mail customer service in the Swiss hotel industry. Tourism and
Hospitality Research 4 (3), 197–212.
Frochot, I., 2003. An analysis of regional positioning and its associated food images in French tourism
regional brochures. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (3/4), 77–96.
Gilbert, D., Wong, R., 2003. Passenger expectations and airline services. Tourism Management 24 (5),
519–532.
George, R., 2003. Tourist’s perception of safety and security while visiting Cape Town. Tourism
Management 24 (5), 575–585.
Gursoy, D., 2003. Prior product knowledge and its influence on the travelers’ search behavior. Journal of
Hospitality & Leisure Marketing 10 (3/4), 113–131.
Hashimoto, A., Telfer, D., 2003. Positioning an emerging wine route in the Niagara region. Journal of
Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (3/4), 61–76.
Heung, V., Lam, T., 2003. Study of hotel guest perceptions in Mauritius. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management 15 (4/5), 283–289.
Holden, A., 2003. Investigating trekkers’ attitudes to the environment of Annapurna. Tourism
Management 24 (3), 341–344.
Kemperman, A., Borger, A.H., Oppewal, H., Timmermans, H., 2003. Predicting duration of Theme Park
Visitors’ activities. Journal of Travel Research 41 (4), 375–384.
Kim, E., Geistfeld, L., 2003. Consumes’ restaurant choice behavior and the impact of socio-economic and
demographic factors. Journal of Foodservice Business Research 6 (1), 3–24.
Kim, S., Prideaux, B., 2003. A cross-cultural study of airline passengers. Annals of Tourism Research 30
(2), 489–492.
Kim, S., Yoon, Y., 2003. The hierarchical effects of affective and cognitive components on tourism
destination image. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (20), 1–22.
Kincard, C., Corsun, D., 2003. Are consultants blowing smoke? International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management 15 (4/5), 226–237.
Lam, T., Tang, V., 2003. Recognizing customer compliant behavior: the case of Hong Kong hotel
restaurants. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (1), 69–86.
Louviers, P., Driver, J., Powell-Perry, J., 2003. Managing customer behavior dynamics in the global hotel
Industry. Journal of Vacation Marketing 9 (2), 164–174.
Lynn, M., 2003. Tip levels and service: an update, extension and reconciliation. Cornell Hotel &
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (5/6), 139–148.
Lynn, M., Sturman, M., 2003. It’s simpler than it seems: an alternative explanation for the magnitude
effect in tipping. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly.
Mattila, A., Mount, D., 2003a. The impact of selected customer characteristics and response time on E-
complaint satisfaction and return intent. International Journal of Hospitality Management.
Mattila, A., Mount, D., 2003b. The role of call-centers in mollifying disgruntled guests. Cornell Hotel &
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (4), 75–80.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
456 A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457

McKercher, B., du Cros, H., 2003. Testing a cultural tourism typology. International Journal of Tourism
Research 5 (1), 45–54.
McKercher, B., Packer, T., Yau, M., Lam, P., 2003. Travel agents as facilitators or inhibitors of travel.
Tourism Management 24 (4), 465–474.
Mohsin, A., Ryan, C., 2003. Backpackers in the Northern Territory of Australia. The International
Journal of Tourism Research 5 (2), 113–121.
Money, B., Crotts, J., 2003. The effect of uncertainty avoidance on information search. Tourism
Management 24 (2), 191–202.
Monty, B., Skidmore, M., 2003. Hedonic pricing and willingness to pay fro bed and breakfast amenities.
Journal of Travel Research 42 (2), 195–199.
Morais, D., Zillifro, T., 2003. An examination of the relationships established between a whitewater
raftign provider and its male and female customers. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing 10 (1/
2), 137–150.
Moschis, G., Curasi, C., Bellenger, D., 2003. Restaurant selection preferences of mature consumers.
Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (4), 51–60.
Moseley, C., Schwer, K., Thompson, W., 2003. Elderly casino gambling behavior. Journal of Hospitality
& Leisure Marketing 10 (1/2), 87–99.
Mueller, R., Palmer, A., Mack, R., McMullan, R., 2003. Service in the restaurant industry: an American
and Irish comparison of service failures and recovery strategies. International Journal of Hospitality
Management 22 (4), 395–418.
Murphy, J., Tan, I., 2003. Journey to nowhere? E-mail customer service by travel agents in Singapore.
Tourism Management 24 (5), 543–550.
Namasivayam, K., Hinkin, K., 2003. The customer’s role in the service encounter. Cornell Hotel &
Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (3), 26–36.
Naoi, T., 2003. Tourists’ evaluation of destinations: the cognitive perspective. Journal of Travel &
Tourism Marketing 14 (1), 1–20.
Noriega, P., Lin, C., 2003. A comparison study of the behavior and practices of casino gamblers as
compared to those of sport book activities. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing 10 (1/2),
181–196.
Oh, H., 2003a. Reexamining recovery paradox effects and impact ranges of service failure and recovery.
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research 27 (4), 402–418.
Oh, H., 2003b. Price fairness and its asymemtric effects on overall price, quality and value judgments.
Tourism Management 24 (4), 387–399.
Pike, S., 2003. The use of repertory grid analysis to elicit salient short-break holiday destination attributes
in New Zealand. Journal of Travel Research 41 (3), 315–319.
Peterson, R., Sautter, E., 2003. A review of depiction of senior citizen instrumental and congenial behavior
in TV commercials. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing 10 (1/2), 101–121.
Poria, Y., Oppewal, H., 2003. A new medium for data collection: online news discussions. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15 (4/5), 232–243.
Prebensen, N., Larsen, S., Abelesn, B., 2003. I’m not a typical tourist: German tourists’ self-perception,
activities and motivations. Journal of Travel Research 41 (4), 416–420.
Razzouk, N., Seitz, V., 2003. Nude recreation in the US: an empirical investigation. Journal of Hospitality
& Leisure Marketing 10 (3/4), 145–157.
Reynolds, D., Balinbin, W., 2003. Mad cow disease: an empirical investigation. Journal of Hospitality &
Tourism Research 27 (3), 358–368.
Rezende-Parker, A., Morrison, A., Ismail, J., 2003. Dazed or confused? An exploratory study of the image
of Brazil as a travel destination. Journal of Vacation Marketing 9 (3), 243–251.
Rittichainuwat, B., Qu, H., Leong, J., 2003. The collective impacts of a bundle of travel determinants on
repeat visitation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research 27 (2), 217–236.
Sirakaya, E., Uysal, M., Yoshioka, C., 2003. Segmenting the Japanese tour market to Turkey. Journal of
Travel Research 41 (3), 293–304.
Shoemaker, S., Bowen, J., 2003. Loyalty: a strategic commitment. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant
Administration Quarterly 44 (4/5), 47–52.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
A.S. Mattila / Hospitality Management 23 (2004) 449–457 457

Sorensen, A., 2003. Backpacker ethnography. Annals of Tourism Research 30 (4), 847–867.
Sui, J., Baloglu, S., 2003. The role of emotional commitment in relationship marketing. Journal of
Hospitality & Tourism Research 27 (4), 470–489.
Teye, V., Leclerc, D., 2003. The white caucasian and ethnic minority cruise markets. Journal of Vacation
Marketing 9 (3), 227–236.
Tse, A., 2003. Tipping behavior: a disconfirmation of expectation perspective. International Journal of
Hospitality Management 22 (4), 461–467.
Van Middelkoop, M., Timmermans, H., 2003. Inducing heuristic principles of tourist choice of travel
mode: a rule-based approach. Journal of Travel Research 42 (1), 75–83.
Verma, R., Plaschka, G., 2003. The art and science of customer-choice modeling: reflections, advances and
managerial implications. Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly 44 (5/6), 156–165.
Vogt, C., Andereck, K., 2003. Destination perceptions across a vacation. Journal of Travel Research 41
(4), 348–354.
Yamanaka, K., Almanza, B., Nelson, D., DeVaney, S., 2003. Older Americans’ dining out preferences.
Journal of Foodservice Business Research 6 (1), 87–103.
Yoo, J., Sohn, D., 2003. The structure and meanings of intercultural interactions of international tourists.
Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 14 (1), 55–68.