Factors affecting consumers' choice of a travel agency: The case of Singapore

Abstract

This study aims to identify the most important factors in selecting a travel agency as perceived by Singaporeans. Based on a sample of 184 respondents, this study showed that "value for money of the tour package" was the most important factor affecting one's choice of a travel agency, followed by "reputation of the travel agency." Nine factors were derived from 27 attributes using factor analysis. With the factor scores and the parametric (t-test and one-way ANOVA) or non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test), the study also showed that when selecting travel agencies, females attached more importance on the Image factor than their male counterparts. In addition, contingency analysis further revealed that age and income levels had significant influences on the choice of preferred travel agencies. Copyright © by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.