A Market Segmentation Analysis of Cruise Ship Tourists Visiting the Panama Canal Watershed: Opportunities for Ecotourism Development

The area that surrounds the Panama Canal, known as the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW) encompasses approximately 283,000 hectares of land that is home to some of the most biologically diverse tropical forests and globally important cultural heritage sites. With the recent creation of three cruise ship...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ecotourism 2007, Vol.6 (1), p.1-18
Main Authors: Thurau, Brooke Beadles, Carver, Andrew D, Mangun, Jean C., Basman, Cem M., Bauer, Gerald
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cruise ships
Ecotourism
market segmentation
Panama
Panama (Republic) - Environmental conditions
Panama (Republic) - Service Sector
sustainable tourism
Tourism - Marketing
travel preferences
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Summary:The area that surrounds the Panama Canal, known as the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW) encompasses approximately 283,000 hectares of land that is home to some of the most biologically diverse tropical forests and globally important cultural heritage sites. With the recent creation of three cruise ship ports in the Republic of Panama, tourism activities in the PCW are expected to increase rapidly. The purpose of this study was to determine cruise ship tourists' underlying travel preferences of ecotourism opportunities in the PCW. A three-step, multivariate market segment analysis was employed utilising (1) factor analysis (to determine the underlying travel preferences); (2) cluster analysis (to identify potential market segments); and (3) chi-square analysis (to develop travel profiles of each of the market segments, and to determine the statistically significant demographic variables among markets). Factor analysis revealed five main travel preferences: 'learning', 'socialising/entertainment', 'action/adventure', 'security/preservation' and 'nature/escape'. Cluster analysis identified four distinct market segments: Cultural Discovery Tourists, Action Adventure Tourists, Conventional Tourists and Natural Discovery Tourists. Results of this study show that cruise ship tourists prefer ecotourism opportunities more so than previously expected, and that marketing and services should be redirected toward sustainable, human-scaled ecotourism opportunities.
ISSN:1472-4049
1747-7638
DOI:10.2167/joe138.0