Segmenting Michigan tourists based on distance traveled

The purpose of this study was to segment Michigan travelers into short, medium and long distance traveler groups by distance that they traveled from home to a primary destination in Michigan, and to compare travel behavior, trip characteristics and sociodemographics among these segments. Significant differences were identified in past trip experiences in Michigan, current trip purpose, side trip behavior, length of stay, travel party size and types of lodging used at destinations. Results of the study suggest that travel distance is a viable variable for travel market segmentation.