Applying Statistics to TourismTOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS"Applying Statistics to Tourism
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-Have an expert statistician examine the questionnaire before it is distributed. A questionnaire written in such a way that the data cannot be either tabulated or analyzed will be nothing more than a costly exercise in frustration. It is a lot easier to fix a questionnaire before distribution than after the data are already collected. -Select the style of questionnaire that best suits your needs. Information may be gathered in person, by telephone, or through the mail. Each style of information gathering has its own pluses and minuses. Beware of hidden costs that make what appears to be the least expensive option in reality the most costly. A trained statistician can help you decide which style best fits your needs. -Test your questionnaire prior to distribution. Make your questionnaire say what you mean, not what you assume you mean. If people misinterpret what you are saying you have collected a lot of worthless data. This misinformation is not only useless it is harmful, as decisions based on false information can prove to be costly. In order to avoid such pitfalls, run a pre-test to see if ambiguities have crept into to your questionnaire. -Design your questionnaire carefully and in a professional manner. A good questionnaire must be developed in such a manner that each question means the same thing to each and every person who responds to it. When writing a questionnaire avoid the use of vague terms, or words filled with double-entendres. Ask only questions that correspond directly to your tourist industry's goals. -Fight the urge to ask unrelated questions. A questionnaire's length does matter! Most tourists on vacation do not want to be bothered with filling in a questionnaire. If you are too ambitious and ask too many questions you will be rewarded with a questionnaire that goes unanswered. One of the biggest mistakes is when nations have their incoming passengers fill out questions that ask meaningless question written on unreadable forms. If the visitor cannot read the form because the print is too small then the answers given will often be invalid.
- Get the cooperation of the people who are going to distribute the questionnaire before you develop it. A non-distributed questionnaire is nothing more than a very expensive academic exercise! Bring the idea of a questionnaire before the next meeting of your hotel and restaurant association or Chamber of Commerce. Take a straw poll to see if people will cooperate in its distribution before spending the money to develop the questionnaire.
- Develop a reward system that encourages the desire to respond. The further someone is in both place and time from his vacation spot the less likely he is to fill out the questionnaire, and the less accurate the given information will be. Some form of a reward system, such as a coupon for a discount at a local establishment may be the incentive needed to increase the response rate as well as the usefulness of your data.
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2016 Alice Business Today - September 2016 |