Preferences and trip expenditures-a conjoint analysis of visitors to Seoul, Korea

This study analyzed the preferences of international urban travelers by focusing on European, North American, and Japanese travelers to Seoul, Korea, and attempted to identify the relationship between preferences and expenditures for the attributes or activities. The results indicated that, for both pleasure and business trips, the travelers from the near origin (Japan) tended to give most consideration to the 'tangible' attribute (shopping), while the travelers from the distant origin (Europe and North America) evaluated the 'intangible' attribute (local culture) as most valuable. Regardless of the origins, business travelers spent significantly more than pleasure travelers in the total trip expenditure. Preference for a specific activity seems to not directly correlate with the expenditure on the activity. The results provided useful implications for cities to develop a marketing plan for international travelers. Recommendations for future research were also suggested.