A comparison of international travel between an emerging and a mature source market

Little research has been published on the evolution of markets, but markets, like destinations, should evolve over time. A market's collective travel behavior should change as residents become more experienced international tourists. Market evolution may be triggered by rapid economic development. As Tourists become more experienced, their destination choice, travel patterns and package tour propensity should change. This paper compares the international travel patterns of similar source markets at different stages of their travel life cycles. Hong Kong can be considered as an established source market, whereas Macau is a rapidly emerging source market. The study identifies significant differences in destination choice, package tour propensity, long-haul travel propensity, motivations and behavior within destinations. The authors conclude the paper by offering a number of propositions about market evolution.