construct lifestyle in market segmentation: The behaviour of tourist consumers" by Gonzalez and Bello (2002) argue that traditional segmentation techniques are inadequate to meet the needs of modern tourism consumers. They posit that lifestyle needs to be factored in, so that tourism operators can be better-equipped to meet the needs of tourists. The authors note in particular where there are similarities in purchasing patterns between people with very different socio-economic and demographic terms. The flip side to this is also noted -- that people can differ quite a bit in terms of lifestyle despite having demographic similarities. Thus, by factoring in lifestyle, marketers can improve their segmentation of the tourism market and this will give marketers a better chance to appeal to different lifestyle segments.

Olaghere (2010) gives a critique of this paper. He notes that using easily-observed lifestyle variables can deliver a 94% correct categorization of individuals, reinforcing the...
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