State Level Research: Typology and Direction

The increasingly competitive environment for travelers dollars compels state travel offices to review their long term plans. An important part of that planning process is the role research will play in understanding travelers behavior. The types of research states might find most useful is the subject of this paper. Research studies are aggregated into four categories delineated as: Assessment, Monitoring, Product Positioning and Forecasting. Examples of each categorical type are briefly reviewed in terms of function and expected outputs. A strategy for designing an optimum research mix is also suggested