Segmenting cruise passengers with price sensitivity Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • It has been suggested that discounted cruises have degraded the industry's standards (Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, Berlitz, Princeton, NJ, 1994), and that value-oriented cruise lines are gaining a competitive advantage over "high-end" cruises (http://w.cruisinformationservice.co.uk/press/ factsheetdetail.aspx?id=45). This use of price discounting has created new challenges for the cruise industry, as they have attracted a more price-sensitive market than they have in the past. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to segment cruise passengers based on their price sensitivity to determine if price-sensitive markets are desirable. Results revealed that less price-sensitive visitors are more likely to spend more, while visitors who were more price sensitive were more likely to positively evaluate their experiences. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • Tourism Management

author list (cited authors)

  • Petrick, J. F

citation count

  • 143

complete list of authors

  • Petrick, James F

publication date

  • October 2005