Determinants of recreational boater expenditures on trips

The objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of recreational boater expenditures on trips to help generate strategic insights on marketing for private and public sectors in boating businesses. Tobit analysis was applied to data from the 1998 Michigan boating survey. Boaters' sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. travel distance, type of destination, and trip patterns were important determinants of total expenditures on boating trip. However, the importance of these factors varied by type of spending: restaurants, groceries, boat fuel, auto gas, and shopping/entertainment. Decomposition of the tobit marginal effects indicated the market participation response was more important than the quantity factor. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.