An investigation of measurement error in visitor expenditure surveys
International Journal of Event and Festival Management
ISSN: 1758-2954
Article publication date: 1 June 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether providing additional prompts in a visitor expenditure survey results in higher reported expenditure.
Design/methodology/approach
Respondents to a self‐completion survey of event visitors were randomly allocated either an aggregated or disaggregated expenditure format in a quasi‐experimental design. ANOVA is used to identify significant differences in mean reported expenditure to the alternative formats.
Findings
The research finds that provision of additional prompts in the expenditure module of a visitor survey results in higher reported expenditures in half the expenditure categories and, most importantly, in total expenditure.
Research limitations/implications
Collection of accurate visitor expenditure data is critical to estimation of the economic benefits of tourism and special events. Over or under estimation of direct expenditures associated with an event may have implications for future investment in the event by public and/or private agencies.
Originality/value
Very few field tests of this fundamental issue in measurement error have been reported in the tourism literature. The few reported examples have tended to report results inconsistent with a priori expectations, although they have been based on very small sample size and therefore are limited by low power. This study is based on a large sample size and produces results consistent with a priori expectations.
Keywords
Citation
Raybould, M. and Fredline, L. (2012), "An investigation of measurement error in visitor expenditure surveys", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 201-211. https://doi.org/10.1108/17582951211229735
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited