Predicting Online Travel Purchases: The Case of Switzerland

This paper examines why and under what conditions prospective travelers complete their bookings through online services compared to other methods. The study is based on a representative survey within 1,898 Swiss households, recording their travel behavior during the entire year 2007. The results show that the likelihood of booking online increases if someone is drawn to a website to gather information in the first place, and if the product sold through the website is transparent and well-understood (either per se or because the customer is familiar with the product), or if any other booking-related communication would impose a financial charge, independent of the socio-demographic background of the prospective traveler

Variable geometry for DMOs A principle for effective business development in tourist destinations

This paper proposes a new perspective of the role of DMOs in Europe, particularly in Switzerland, by bringing forward the concept of variable geometry with overlapping strategic business fields (sbf’s). In the past, local and regional DMOs have served the needs of the enterprises and the community from a purely territorial perspective. We suggest tracing tourist destination boundaries from the viewpoint of activities and attractions, visited by a strategically relevant and rather similar group of tourists. For three DMOs, we have carried out a series of workshops with the local tourist elite to identify the current and future strategic business fields (sbf’s). The resulting boundaries of the sbf’s were the basis for discussing (1) the future geographic area of responsibility for the DMOs, (2) the role of the DMO for the sbf’s, (3) future cooperative initiatives with neighboring DMOs, (4) alternative and specific approaches of financing and governing the DMO

Tell me who you think you are and I tell you how you travel : Exploring the viability of market segmentation by means of travelers\u27 stated personality: Insights from a mature market (Switzerland)

People travel to different destinations for different reasons. In this study, we investigate the viability of market segmentation by personal traits (based on and exemplified by Jungian\u27s MBTI variables) of travelers from Switzerland, by performing a data-driven a posteriori segmentation by means of k-means clustering. To identify the segmentation power of personal traits, this analysis is complemented with a multiple discriminant analysis as well as a number of contingency tests to identify differences between the segments. We identified four clearly definable segments, which differ in terms of the psychographic traits of the segment members but also in terms of some sociodemographic characteristics as well as travel profiles. Despite a growing body of work on classical market segmentation, there is a growing but still limited number of works on potentialities of psychographic approaches relating to a traveler\u27s traits and/or peronality as a segmentation basis in tourism

Exploring the conditions for the effectiveness of DMO board of directors

This paper explores the conditions for DMO board effectiveness in destination management organizations (DMOs). First, three different measures for board effectiveness are identified: (1) good teamwork, (2) capability of realizing projects and initiatives, and (3) board strengthens the DMOs position in the destination. Second, a series of conditions as independent variables were selectively built from extant literature: (1) board size, (2) arguments, (3) dealing with crises, (4) mutual respect, (5) constructive discussions, and (6) taking the job seriously. Multiple regression results from 61 board members of 36 Swiss DMOs revealed that different conditions affect board effectiveness, depending on how the latter is identified. The paper concludes with indications for further research

SOLO TRAVEL - EXPLORATIVE INSIGHTS FROM A MATURE MARKET (SWITZERLAND)

This study examines solo travel, and offers a conceptual framework of solo travelers, a profile of these types of travelers (by socio-demographic characteristics), and a profile of travels (by specific descriptors). The data for this study emerged from a comprehensive survey of Swiss travel behavior conducted 2004 by the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). The conceptual model proposes an a priori segmentation of four types of solo travel, delineated on the combination of the departure status (a single, one-person household, compared to a collective, multi-persons household) and arrival status (solo travel, compared to group travel), thus creating a two-by-two matrix with four segments overall. The results of the profiling reveal significant differences between the solo travel groups, as well as towards a control group incorporating all other travel. They include income, profession, and age, as well as familiarity with the destination, choice of type of accommodation, expenditures and various types of trips. However, no significant differences can be reported with regard to the choice of destination

Masse oscillante idéale : CQFD

Dans les années 60, H. Kocher démontre que l'appareil Cyclotest accélère le remontage d'un système automatique d'un facteur parfaitement bien défini et précis par rapport à unporter réel. Ensuite, dans les années 70, A. Hoffmann s'attelle à la détermination des durées de remontage au Cyclotest par simulationnumérique. Il obtient des correspondances avec la pratique qui de son propre aveu ne sont "pas bonnes." Le but de cette étude est de fournir des résultats numériques compatibles avec la pratique. Partant des résultats de Kocher et appliquant des moyens de calculs actuels, nous avons déterminé pour différents systèmes automatiques des vitesses de remontage au Cyclotest. Notre approche heuristique a permis de formuler la vitesse de remontage par une expression simple; elle voit disparaître les diverses propriétés des systèmes automatiques pour ne prendre en compte que l'angle de freinage de la masse. En utilisant cette formule et connaissant les principes généraux d'un remontoir automatique, nous avons déterminé les conditions dans lesquelles une masse donnée est la plus efficace et posé des principes de construction qui permettent de dimensionner idéalement une masse oscillante sur la seule base de la puissance à la roue des secondes. Nous avons ensuite confirmé les résultats de notre théorie semi-empirique de vitesse de remontage au Cyclotest par des résultats pratiques

Analyse, synthèse et création d’échappements horlogers par la théorie des engrenages

Nous présentons la méthode du tracé primitif développée par le premier auteur dans sa thèse de doctorat. Cette nouvelle méthode donne pour la première fois une approche systématique à la problématique du tracé d’un échappement horloger. Elle revient à considérer chacune des phases cinématiques d’un échappement comme une transmission par engrenages. Puisque les engrenages sont décrits par leurs cercles primitifs, il s’ensuit que le fonctionnement d’un échappement peut être décrit par l’ensemble des arcs de cercles primitifs de ses différentes phases que nous appelons tracé primitif de l’échappement. L’étude des échappements au travers de leur tracé primitif a plusieurs implications : le tracé d’un échappement devient systématique grâce à cette formalisation du concept de tracé ; inversement, des échappements peuvent être facilement dessinés en partant d’un tracé primitif donné. C’est ainsi qu’un nouvel échappement dit « à double impulsion primitive » a été inventé. Cet échappement a été construit et ses performances sont prometteuses