In analyzing factors that influence travel destination decisions, a great deal of credit is often given to attractive fares or packages. In fact, the majority of best prospects (93.0%) cite factors other than costs as having influenced their choice of destination on their most recent trip to Latin America; nonetheless, 43.7% were swayed by an especially good fare or package. Other strong influences include personal experiences, those of friends/acquaintances (36.2%) or their own as a result of a previous visit (30.6%).
Factors that influenced choice of destination (Costa Rica’s best prospects who visited Latin America on their most recent trip)
An especially good fare or package |
43.7% |
Recommendation of a friend or acquaintance |
36.2 |
A previous visit |
30.6 |
Information obtained on the Internet |
14.4 |
Recommendation of a travel agent |
12.7 |
Advertising |
9.2 |
Magazine or newspaper advertising |
5.2 |
Television advertising |
3.1 |
Other advertising |
3.9 |
A special occasion, such as a wedding |
8.3 |
A magazine article or television program |
6.1 |
Friends living there |
6.1 |
Family living there |
4.4 |
An unsolicited offer received in the mail |
3.1 |
An event, such as a music festival |
2.2 |
A movie or book |
1.3 |
Ancestry |
1.3 |
An offer received via e-mail |
0.4 |
(Number of respondents = 229) |
|
Most of Costa Rica’s best prospects enjoy planning their vacation trips; 73.0% disagree with the statement “To me, vacation planning is more of a chore than a pleasure,” and almost half disagree strongly or mostly. Perhaps because they enjoy the process, the majority (65.2%) of Costa Rica’s best prospects who visited Latin America on their most recent international vacation decided on their destination four months or more in advance of departure. Nearly half (46.9%) of them made financial commitments during this period, whereas only 12.0% waited until the last month.
Planning and booking lead time (Costa Rica’s best prospects who visited Latin America on their most recent trip)
|
Decided on the Destination |
Purchased Tickets/Made Financial Commitments |
Less than 2 weeks |
2.2% |
4.9% |
2 to 4 weeks |
7.5 |
7.1 |
1 to 3 months |
25.1 |
41.1 |
4 to 6 months |
33.5 |
32.6 |
7 months to 1 year |
23.8 |
13.4 |
More than 1 year |
7.9 |
0.9 |
(Number of respondents) |
(227) |
(224) |
|
Americans as International Travelers - Focus in Costa Rica (2007-2008) 
