Tourist Sub-destinations: Shedding Light on a Neglected Touristic Behavior

The main objective of this paper is shed light on a neglected topic of Tourism Research: That of the destination decision making of tourists, when they decide on visiting a sub-destination within a primary one. The key characteristics of those tourists and their unique perceptions of value are unveiled, by juxtaposing them against the corresponding characteristics and value perception of tourists that visit the same destination as a main and primary one. The factors that have to be taken into consideration when measuring the image of a destination as a sub-destination, are examined. A self-administered questionnaire is used, whereas the location of the survey is the island of Aegina, an important and well known sub-destination of Athens, in Greece. The results indicate that there are significant differences between our two main groups of tourists, as hypothesized, even in their perceptions of value. This paper is viewed as one of the very first attempts to empirically test the criteria and reasons tourists decide to visit a sub-destination. A number of implications for the practice of marketing of tourism destinations are being developed, mainly by identifying the target markets that visit a sub-destination. The understanding the reasons for visiting sub-destinations and the value that tourists derive from their visits, enables the development of solid marketing programs, targeted at the enhancement of the experience of tourists in sub-destinations.