Traveler Information Services in Rural Tourism Areas. Appendix B: Qualitative Interviews and Focus Groups

801250PDFResearch PaperTravel behaviorTravel surveysAdvanced traveler information systemsIntelligent transportation systemsTouristsRural transportationArizonaMissouriUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationClark, HughCJI Research Corp.NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATIONNTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMSNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-SurveysNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-Travel DemandNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human FactorsAGR-INFRASTRUCTURE-Intelligent Transportation SystemsUS Transportation CollectionQualitative interviews were conducted with key informants and with tourists in northwest Arizona in Flagstaff and near the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, and in Branson, Missouri, in August and September 1998 (respectively). The interviews asked generally how tourists sought travel information and made travel decisions. The interviews did not concentrate solely on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) components in decision making. The study group was interested not only in whether the tourists had, for example, seen a kiosk, or the Arizona.tripusa.com website, but also in how they made travel plans and found tourist information about travel destinations, sub-destinations, routing, lodging, and dining. By understanding their entire decision making process, and placing ITS in that context, the study could better understand how ITS would eventually be used as it becomes more widespread and recognized. This report discusses the findings of those interviews. Appendix, 51p