Segmenting Tourism Companies with Relational and Technological Bases

Purpose – The objective of this study is to achieve a travel agencies segmentation based on both relational (trust, commitment, satisfaction, and loyalty) and technological (advancement and use of Information and Communication Technologies) criteria that improve the understanding of their strategic behaviours. Methodology/Design/Approach – The segmentation methodology uses a tandem approach: correspondence and hierarchical cluster analysis. From a sample of 256 travel agencies, four segments have been identified. Relational criteria have made it possible to segment only the retail agency market, while technological criteria have been shown to be more capable of segmenting the wholesale agency market. Findings – Perceptions of trust, commitment, switching costs, satisfaction and loyalty towards the main supplier -relational variables-, as well as the ICT advancement and use in the relationship show a high discriminatory power that allows the identification of four significant different segments. The first segment (“High relational & ICT orientation”) comprises retailer travel agencies with small size, -mainly outbound tourist operators- with an important local presence. The second group shows the lowest levels of relational and technological variables, and it includes the largest agencies with international and national markets. The third segment is clearly technology-oriented, but not relational, and it is associated with international scope of activity and whose main customers are companies. Finally, the fourth group -mainly local tour operators- shows low levels of technological orientation, which may be due to the short duration of the relationship with their supplier. Originality of the research – The results allow for a better understanding of the travel agencies groups that are clearly differentiated in their relationship and use of ICT with their main providers. From the customer’s perspective, the segmentation obtained allows for a more appropriate selection of their suppliers, and from the service provider’s perspective, a deeper understanding of the homogeneous segments according to the characteristics of the relationship.