An empirical analysis of the perceived importance attached to destination and accommodation attributes

Studies of national culture have shown that national stereotypes of tourists have been constructed and used by hospitality, tourism and other organisations in tourist destination countries. Personal experience and opinion have tended to be key influences in these constructions rather than empiricism. As competition strengthens and the meeting of specific tourist's needs gathers momentum such approaches become increasingly anachronistic and inappropriate. This paper presents and analyses the findings of a survey of the views of 167 English and 328 German tourist guests staying in 11 luxury AA and category A hotels in Rhodes, Greece when identifying the perceived importance attached to 42 destination and 22 accommodation attributes. The views of these two national groups are compared and contrasted. The impact of national culture on any differences in attitudes is explored and marketing implications for tourism policy makers and hoteliers are considered.