A behaviour-based typology of travellers using an online travel marketplace

Abstract

This study examines how different types of travellers use an online travel marketplace in different ways. To measure different travelling behaviours, we use 20 features collected from a survey of 2,467 users along with real transaction data in the context of an online marketplace connecting local tour guides and travellers. We identify six idiosyncratic groups of travellers: Shopaholics, Budget Explorers, Long-Term Travellers, Trend Setters, Resort Addicts, and Social Trippers. They are remarkably distinctive in their demographic characteristics, travel motivations, and their actual usage patterns in the online travel marketplace. This paper contributes to the literature on traveller segmentation and practices through its exploration of different traveller usage patterns in the online travel marketplace.