Abstract

The tourism industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the world's economy, contributing 9.1% of world GDP and more than 260 million jobs worldwide (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2011). The U.S college student market has emerged as major segment within this sector, generating approximately $15 billion on annual domestic and international travel. Among the various travel patterns of college students, they are most highly motivated for spring break travel, with more than two million students traveling per season (Bai et al., 2004; Borgerding, 2001; Reynolds, 2004). This research, through surveying college students majoring in hospitality and tourism management, analyzed the significance of college student perceptions of key spring break destination attributes. A total of 281 usable responses were subjected to the Principal Component Analysis that generated six dimensions: Breaking Away, Sun and Beach, Safety and Hygiene, Psychological Distance, Price and Value, and Social Exploration, comprised of 24 key attributes that influence a college spring breaker's destination selection decision. An Importance-Performance Analysis (Martilla & James, 1977) was conducted based on the respondents' assessment of attributes on five of the six dimensions. The results of the IPA allowed comparison of the top four most visited destinations identified by the respondents: Daytona Beach, South Beach Miami, Panama City Beach, and Clearwater Beach/Tampa. The study findings may provide valuable implications for destination service providers to improve their destination's appeal in this highly competitive and lucrative market. Future research on college spring break groups located in different geographic locations within the country is highly encouraged to better understand the general characteristics of this market.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2012

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Choi, Youngsoo

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Degree Program

Hospitality Management

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Hospitality Management; Hospitality Management -- Dissertations, Academic

Location

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004193

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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