UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1996 Modeling international tourism to Israel Sharon Regev University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Regev, Sharon, "Modeling international tourism to Israel" (1996). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 3213. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/p06c-im6f This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. 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MODELING INTERNATIONAL TOURISM TO ISRAEL by Sharon Regev A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Hotel Administration William F. Harrah Collage of Hotel Administration University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 1996 Reproduced witti permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1381036 UMI Microform 1381036 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Thesis of Sharon Regev for the degree of Master of science in Hotel Administration is approved. Chairperson, Wesley S. Roehl, Ph. Exarmning Committee Member, John T. Bowen, Ph. D Examining Committee Member, Susan Ivancevich, Ph. D Graduate Faculty Representative, Dan Ivancevich, Ph. D Dean of the Graduate College, Ronald W. Smith, Ph. D University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 1996 II Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This research is based on a survey conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. Using econometric methods that allow inferences from the sample to a population that is not included in the sample, the following model was estimated. The model is based on two simultaneous decisions - the decision to visit Israel and the decision on how much money to spend on the visit The estimates permit the computations to be made on the likelihood that a certain individual, from the general population, will choose to visit Israel. The main conclusion of this study is that the promotion of Israel in different maricet segments should emphasize different elements. For instance, tourists whose main interests are religious (pilgrimage), visit Israel in very high proportions. Therefore, it is important to find ways to increase their expenditures. Alternatively, among other groups of potential tourists, whose probability of visiting Israel is low, Israel’s attractiveness as a possible destination should be advertised. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................................................................................viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................I Purpose of the Research................................................................................................3 The Research Extent .....................................................................................................4 Delimitation ...................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER TWO: UNDERSTANDING THE MOTIVATION OF TOURISTS..................7 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 7 Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 7 Implication for the Current Paper .............................................................................. 12 CHAPTER THREE; METHODS........................................................................................... 15 Preface.......................................................................................................................... 15 Survey Design and Data Collection ........................................................................... 15 Issues in Demand Modeling ........................................................................................16 Limited-Dependent and Qualitative Variables ..................................................... 17 Censored Regression Models ..................................................................................19 Models with Self-Selection .................................................................................... 20 Tourist’s Decision Problem ................................................................................... 21 Simultaneous estimation .....................................................................................22 Processing the Data.................................................................................................26 Religion................................................................................................................ 26 Country of origin .................................................................................................27 Purpose of the visit ..............................................................................................27 Type of accommodation ..................................................................................... 27 First visit ...............................................................................................................28 Package tour........................................................................................................ 28 Income .................................................................................................................. 28 Length of the visit ................................................................................................28 Expenses ...............................................................................................................29 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Models ..............................................................................................................29 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS................................................................................................32 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 32 A Brief Description of the Data ................................................................................. 32 Simultaneous Estimation Results ..............................................................................38 Model A ..................................................................................................................