Guess what we have planned for you today?: the influence of resident/hosts on the visitation activities of their visiting friends and relatives

Abstract

The significance of the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market segment has been traditionally underestimated by the tourism industry because of the difficulties associated in identifying the financial value of these visitors to the industry as well as to the local economy. In acknowledging that 27% of arrivals at Auckland Airport (IVS, 2001) identify visiting friends and/or family as their reason for coming to New Zealand, then pragmatically it is a market that needs recognition. Research has shown that whilst these visitors spend little money on commercial accommodation (Braunlich and Nadkarni, 1995), it cannot be supposed that the same reticence to spend does not apply to other tourism product. In fact it could be assumed that monies saved on accommodation through staying with friends and/or family, either for all or part of their visit, provides this visitor market segment with a greater discretionary spend. So what do they do? Where do they go? What do they want to see? Who has the greatest influence on the visitation activities of these VFR visitors? This thesis is an investigative study to ascertain the intensity of influence the resident/hosts have on the destination activities of their visiting friends and relatives (VFR). But before assumptions can be derived as to the level of influence, there is a requirement to understand factors that affect the resident/host in the selection process of the tourism product they consider for visitation activities during their VFR visit. The analysed information that provided the basis for this investigation was gathered from a series of focus group discussions held in each of the seven territorial local authorities in the Auckland region. The participants in these focus groups consisted of residents who had previously hosted friends and/or relatives within a specified time interval. The study uses a modified grounded theory methodology to examine the resident/host process of decision-making in selecting a tourism product, and the issues involved through to the selection of product. The research has culminated in the development of a model demonstrating the propensity of the resident/host influence to fluctuate with changes in the generic components of the model - the tourism product, the VFR and the resident/hosts.