Variety-seeking and inertial behaviour: the disutility of distance

This study incorporates the theories of variety-seeking and inertial behaviour into the tourist decision-making process by observing the dependence of an individual's current destination choice on his or her previous choice. The literature suggests that attributes characterizing a buying alternative are crucial in understanding the individual consumption pattern. Accordingly, this study proposes that the effect of the attribute 'distance' is contingent on a tourist's variety-seeking or inertial behaviour at the moment of choosing a destination, in the sense that these behaviour types could increase or diminish the negative effect of distance. The empirical application is carried out in Spain, by applying mixed logit models. The results show that variety-seeking behaviour reduces the dissuasive effect of distance and that inertial behaviour increases it.