Until the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was regarded as an engine of economic growth and development as well as one of the fastest growing industries globally. The 2012 G20 heads of state recognised tourism as a key driver of economic growth and development, and heralded its potential to spur global economic recovery.
Tourism researchers report differences between first-time and repeat visitors in terms of their demographics, tripographics, destination perception, perceived value, and travel motivations. First-time visitors could be associated with a ‘new’ market and are those visitors who are visiting the destination for the first time (Um, Chon & Ro, 2006). Repeat visitors can be seen as part of an established customer base and are visitors who have visited the destination more than once (Kerstetter & Cho, 2004; Um et al., 2006). The majority of previous studies compared only one or a couple of these dimensions, with fragmented and sometimes conflicting findings. Consequently, the existing literature presents a rather mixed picture of the similarity and differences between the two groups (Fallon & Schofield, 2004; Kemperman, Joh, & Timmermans, 2003).
Furthermore, the extant literature suggests that first-time visitors are more likely to be younger and less likely to visit friends/family than repeat visitors (Gitelson & Crompton, 1984; Lau & McKercher, 2004). First-timers typically explore a destination widely and participate in a variety of activities, with particular interest in large-icon attractions and events (Lau & McKercher, 2004). First-timers also tend to have shorter stays at a destination (Lau & McKercher, 2004; Oppermann, 1998), and have more complex and differentiated images of destinations than repeat visitors (Fakeye & Crompton, 1991).
A recent study which undertook a systematic comparison of first-time and repeat visitors reported that first-timers’ behaviours are more tourism/travel oriented, while repeaters; behaviours demonstrate a recreation/activity orientations. First-timers are more active travel planners, while repeaters indicate more positive post-trip evaluations. Repeaters typically prefer self-catering accommodation and are less price sensitive (Tjørve, Lien & Flognfeldt, 2015).
Historically, South Africa has been receiving a higher number of first time visitors than repeat visitors (Kruger, Saayman & Hermann, 2014). The reasons for the low number of repeat visitors to South Africa for leisure purposes has not received the required research attention. Clearly, the importance of intention to revisit is a dimension that requires attention in South Africa. In a recent study which sought to determine the impact of continent of origin on first time visitors’ intentions to return to South Africa as a tourism destination, Ms R. Msimanga collected data randomly from 115 American and European tourists who visited a hospitality facility during December 2019 in the Mpumalanga province, South Africa.
REQUIRED:
4.1 -Identify the two research questions of Ms Msimanga’s study.
4.2 -State the aims of Ms Msimanga’s study.
4.3 -Formulate the null and alternative hypotheses for the two research questions of Ms Msimanga’s study.
4.4 -Specify the scales of measurement of the independent (IV) and dependent variables (DV) in each pair of research hypotheses stated in 4.3.
4.5 -Using the standard reporting format, interpret the output of the data analysis.
4.6 -Highlight a potential problem with the sampling approach employed by Ms Msimanga.
