Profiling business travellers who use mobile travel applications

Authors

  • Anneli Douglas University of Pretoria
  • Berendien Lubbe University of Pretoria
  • Adrene van Rooyen University of Pretoria

Keywords:

Business travellers, business travel cycle, cluster analysis, mobile travel applications, segmentation

Abstract

Business travellers are increasingly using mobile devices, resulting in a need to understand who the users of this technology are and how they use it. Even though some have attempted to segment mobile travel service user groups, to date, there has been no attempt to segment business travellers in terms of their mobile travel application usage. Convenience sampling is used, and a self-administered online questionnaire completed by 232 business travellers. By means of cluster analysis four clusters are identified which share similar characteristics. The most important elements in the formation of the clusters are the type of organisation and device ownership. This research answers the call by previous researchers that further research on mobile devices should emphasise more than just the functionalities of the device.

Author Biographies

Anneli Douglas, University of Pretoria

Anneli Douglas is a senior lecturer in the Divison: Tourism Management at the University of Pretoria. She specialises in tourism distribution and more specifically business and corporate travel. She holds a Doctorate in Tourism Management. Anneli has a keen interest in developing the field of business and corporate travel. Her research has been published in internationally accredited scientific journals, and she has delivered papers at international academic conferences.

Berendien Lubbe, University of Pretoria

Berendien Lubbe is a Professor in the Division: Tourism Management at the University of Pretoria. Her current research in the tourism field covers topics such as tourism competitiveness, the role of air transport in tourism, eTourism and business travel. She is a National Research Foundation of South Africa rated researcher and has published her research in international journals.

Adrene van Rooyen, University of Pretoria

Adrene van Rooyen is a post-graduate student in the Division: Tourism Management at the University of Pretoria. She is currently a programme manager for one of the largest international travel management companies with offices in South Africa.

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Published

2018-06-02

How to Cite

Douglas, A., Lubbe, B. and van Rooyen, A. (2018) “Profiling business travellers who use mobile travel applications”, e-Review of Tourism Research, 15(2/3). Available at: https://ertr-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/ertr/article/view/205 (Accessed: 28 March 2024).

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