Satisfaction: a segmentation criterion for "short term" visitors of mountainous destinations.
The purpose of the study was to study the "short term" visitors of mountainous destinations in order to gain a better understanding of this market and improve marketing practices. The objectives of the study were (a) to develop a measurement instrument on "short term" visitors' satisfaction and (b) to segment "short term" visitors of mountainous destinations based on their satisfaction. An anonymous questionnaire was given to 170 subjects who participated in a three day trip organized by travel agencies to the mountainous region of Hepeiros, Greece, from November 2003 to February 2004. The questionnaire was given the last day of the trip and was answered by 115 individuals (68% response rate) A factor analysis followed by a cluster analysis on satisfaction was performed for identifying distinct tourist segments. Classification with discriminant analysis was used to test the two satisfaction segments. Furthermore, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to better describe the segments us.