Segmenting tourism companies with relational and technological bases

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study is to achieve a travel agencies segmentation based on both relational (trust, commitment, satisfaction, and loyalty) and technological (advancement and use of Information and Communication Technologies) criteria that improve the understanding of their strategic behaviours. The segmentation methodology uses a tandem approach: correspondence and hierarchical cluster analysis. From a sample of 256 travel agencies, four segments have been identified. Relational criteria have made it possible to segment only the retail agency market, while technological criteria have been shown to be more capable of segmenting the wholesale agency market. This work contributes to the advancement of the literature on business-to-business segmentation in tourism by providing a more complete vision of the segmentation of companies. From a practical approach, it allows a better knowledge of the agency segments, so it could be used for the selection not only of providers (customer perspective) but also of target segments (service provider perspective).