The roles of categorization, affective image and constraints on destination choice: An application of the NMNL model

The purpose of this study is to explain travelers’ decision-making process by investigating the roles of categorization, affective image and constraints in forming the choice set model. First, similar destinations are categorized by the MDS approach to make late consideration sets. Then a two-stage nested multinomial logit model is utilized to show that the intention to visit a specific destination is determined sequentially from the late consideration set. Affective images of the destinations and the individual's constraints are influential variables in this process. The dependent variable is the intention to visit each of eight national parks in Korea. The results support the effectiveness of the categorization concept and sequential process in the destination choice process. The relative influences of the constraints over the intention to visit each destination were estimated by direct elasticity.