BUILDING A RESEARCH BASE IN TOURISM: SOME LESSONS AND CHALLENGES IN THE FIELD OF STATED PREFERENCE ANALYSIS OF TRAVEL CHOICES

This paper illustrates the depth and breadth of one significant area of research in travel behaviour, stated preference analysis of travel choices, which has obvious transferability to many topics in tourism research. Stated preference (SP) methods are widely used in travel behaviour research and practice to identify behavioural responses to choice situations which are not revealed in the market, and where the attribute levels offered by existing choices are modified to such an extent that the reliability of revealed preference models as predictors of response is brought into question. This paper reviews recent developments in the application of SP models in transportation which add to their growing relevance in demand modelling and prediction, and which point to their appeal in other disciplines such as marketing, geography and tourism. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, see IRRD abstract no 861523.