The Effect of Price Transparency on Young Travellers’ Choices: An Experimental Study of Resort Packages
Abstract
Product bundling has gained significant traction in the hospitality industry, with an increasing number of businesses offering all-inclusive resort packages to attract consumers. With the increase in online travel purchases, both academics and industry professionals are increasingly interested in understanding the factors influencing consumer travel package choices. This study employs a 2 x 5 mixed-design experiment where participants evaluated both an all-inclusive and a non-inclusive resort, with variations in price presentation. Pricing was presented either transparently or non-transparently, and package savings were displayed in multiple formats. The results reveal a strong consumer preference for all-inclusive resort packages, regardless of the perceived value. Moreover, how pricing information is presented plays a crucial role in shaping consumer purchase decisions. These findings highlight the importance of price presentation strategies in the marketing of travel packages and offer valuable insights for both marketers and practitioners in the hospitality sector.
Downloads
References
Bai, S., Chu, L., Fam, K. & Wei, S. (2022). The impact of price transparency of bundled vacation packages on travel decision making: An experimental study. Frontiers in Psychology. 13. 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1053135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1053135
Be, S. (2014, March 24). Top 10 Best spring break destinations, North America. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephanie-be/spring-break-destinations_b_4996482.html
Brown, C. (2012, March 6). Top 10 college spring break destinations for 2012. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/top-10-college-spring-break-2012_n_1321292.html
Calder, B. J., Phillips, L. W., & Tybout, A. M. (1981). Designing research for application. Journal of Consumer Research, 8(2), 197-207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/208856
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1973). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally College.
Carroll, W. J., Kwortnik, R. J., & Rose, N. L. (2007). Travel packaging: An internet frontier. Cornell Hospitality Report, 7(17), 4-20.
Choi, S., & Mattila, A. S. (2006). The Role of Disclosure in Variable Hotel Pricing: A cross-cultural comparison of customers’ fairness perceptions. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 47(1), 27-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010880405281681
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155
Cozzio, C., Tokarchuk, O., & Maurer, O. (2023). All-inclusive holiday packages, tourist consumption, and spending patterns at tourism destinations. Tourism Review, 78(1), 89-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-12-2021-0572
Della Bitta, A. J., Monroe, K. B., & McGinnis, J. M. (1981). Consumer perceptions of comparative price advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research, 416-427. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800402
Dominique-Ferreira, S., & Antunes, C. (2020). Estimating the price range and the effect of price bundling strategies: An application to the hotel sector. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 29(2), 123-139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-04-2019-0066
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Frisch, D. (1993). Reasons for framing effects. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 54(3), 399-429. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1993.1017
Guiltinan, J. P. (1987). The price bundling of services: A normative framework. Journal of Marketing, 51(2), 74-85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298705100206
Harris, J., & Blair, E. A. (2006). Consumer preference for product bundles: The role of reduced search costs. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(4), 506-513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070306288405
Heeler, R. M., Nguyen, A., & Buff, C. (2007). Bundles = discount? Revisiting complex theories of bundle effects. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 16(7), 492-500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420710834940
Jin, C., Wu, Chenguang, A. and Lahiri, A. (2022). Piracy and Bundling of Information Goods. Journal of Management Information Systems (Forthcoming), Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3336488 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2022.2096543
Issa, J. J., & Jayawardena, C. (2003). The “all-inclusive” concept in the Caribbean. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15(3), 167-171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110310470211
Kim, J., Bojanic, D. C., & Warnick, R. B. (2009). Price bundling and travel product pricing practices used by online channels of distribution. Journal of Travel Research, 47(4), 403-412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287508328658
Le, H. T. K., Carrel, A. L., & Shah, H. (2022). Impacts of online shopping on travel demand: A systematic review. Transport Reviews, 42(3), 467-491. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.1961917
McCabe, S., & Illodo, I. B. (2019). Thrilled to have “bagged a bargain” or “bitter” and “very frustrating”? Exploring consumer attitudes to value and deals in tourism. Journal of Travel Research, 58(5), 771-785. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287518790403
Meyer, R. J. (1981). A model of multiattribute judgments under attribute uncertainty and informational constraints. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(4), 428-441. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800404
Munger, J., & Grewal, D. (2001). The effects of alternative price promotional methods on consumers' product evaluations and purchase intentions. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 10(3), 185-197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420110395377
Naylor, G., & Frank, K. E. (2001). The effect of price bundling on consumer perceptions of value. Journal of Services Marketing, 15(4), 270-281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005506
Rewtrakunphaiboon, W., & Oppewal, H. (2008). Effects of package holiday information presentation on destination choice. Journal of Travel Research, 47, 127-136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287508321190
Rubinstein, A. (1998). Modeling bounded rationality (Vol. 1). MIT Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/4702.001.0001
Shah, A. K., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2009). The path of least resistance: Using easy-to-access information. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(4), 232-236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01642.x
Simonson, I., & Winer, R. S. (1992). The influence of purchase quantity and display format on consumer preference for variety. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(1), 133-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209292
Song, M., Noone, B. M., & Mattila, A. S. (2023). Cross-category add-on bundling: Impact of the consumption nature of bundled products on discount framing effectiveness. Journal of Travel Research, 62(1), 197-216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211057599
Tanford, S., Baloglu, S., & Erdem, M. (2012). Travel packaging on the internet: The impact of pricing information and perceived value on consumer choice. Journal of Travel Research, 51(1), 68-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287510394194
Tanford, S., Erdem, M., & Baloglu, S. (2011). Price transparency of bundled vacation packages. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 35, 213-234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348010382234
Tiliute, D. E., & Condratov, I. (2014). Improving the quality of services in all-inclusive resorts by monitoring tourists' activities. Procedia Economics and Finance, 16, 166-172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00788-6
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124-1131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4157.1124
Wei, X., Yu, S., & Li, X. (2024). Price it high if it is varied: Perceived heterogeneity and the effectiveness of discount framing strategies for travel packages. Journal of Travel Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875231222263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875231222263
Xue, P., & Jo, W. M. (2024). Investigating consumer purchase decision based on switching barriers and decision postponement: The moderating role of time pressure. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 7(1), 12-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-12-2022-0628 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-12-2022-0628
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298805200302
Copyright (c) 2024 Nadia Hanin Nazlan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.