The Impact of Select Socio-demographic and Lifecycle Variables on the Importance Ratings of Vacation Enjoyment Attributes

The primary objective of this investigation was to identify the soft amenity attribute factors considered most important by interval resort owners in contributing to a satisfying resort vacation. A second objective was to determine whether attribute factor importance scores were effected by select socio-demographic and lifecycle variables. Using both focus groups and a Delphi survey technique, 1,200 randomly selected interval resort owners were asked to rate the mean importance of 75 soft amenity attributes on a five point Likert scale. Through factor analysis with varimax rotation, 18 vacation soft amenity attribute factors were identified. These factors accounted for 65.4% of the variance relating to vacation enjoyment. For subsequent analysis certain amenities were assigned to their second highest loading factor or omitted because they related to specific interval resort owner/manager issues. Mean scores for each of the remaining 14 factors was computed for each respondent and an analysis of variance or t-test was performed to compare the mean factor scores among different groups defined by the demographic and lifecycle variables. Hospitality and operating effectiveness and information on area attractions were rated as the most important vacation soft amenity factors. The independent variables of income, age and presence of children in the home exerted to greatest influence on attribute factor importance scores