Transport mode differences on daily tourist expenditure and overnight stays for domestic tourism in Spain

Abstract

This paper examines differences in tourists’ expenditure and length of stay according to their chosen mode of transport, focusing on Spanish residents travelling within Spain. Specifically, we analyse: (i) the average differences between several transport modes (ii) the factors that explain the differences in the distribution between two transport modes, and (iii) the unconditional partial effects of various factors explaining expenditure and length of stay by transport modes. Methodologically, we employ an unconditional quantile regression framework using bootstrap replications to account for variability. The analysis is based on data published by the Spanish Domestic Tourist Expenditure Survey. Our results show that there is a significant difference in both length of stay and daily expenditure between tourists travelling by plane and by car. These findings suggest policy implications related to the design of geolocalized promotion and marketing campaigns, improving air transport connectivity and an increase in the availability of tourist packages for distant regions.