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Christian Laesser
Title
Prof. Dr.
Last Name
Laesser
First name
Christian
Email
christian.laesser@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 25 25
Homepage
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1 - 10 of 13
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PublicationThe 2016 St. Gallen Consensus on Advances in Destination ManagementThis article communicates the main insights of the third Biennial Forum on Advances in Destination Management (ADM), held in Vail, Colorado (USA). The substance of scholars’ and practitioners’ discussions can be divided into five topical domains: (1) relevance of experiences to the destination concept, (2) destination strategy and resilience, (3) the future of DMOs, (4) tourism taxation and regulation, and (5) big data and visitor management. For each domain, a goal-centered research agenda is offered, built on conference participants’ collective sense-making efforts during the three-day conference, followed by a dedicated consensus session.Type: conference paperJournal: Journal of Destination Marketing & Management
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PublicationType: conference paper
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PublicationDMOs bridging structural holes in destination networks : A perspective based on actor's networks( 2012-08-26)One of the main functions of Destination Management Organizations (DMO) in community-type of tourist destinations is to coordinate the supply network and therefore to serve as bridg-ing organization in a fragmented and complex system of organizations, institutions and stake-holder groups. Traditional research on the roles of DMOs, including the coordinating func-tion, builds on descriptive case studies and on the discussion of the cases at organizational/ destination level. We propose to change the perspective by analyzing the actor's level with the help of structural hole analysis of local elite networks. Thus, instead of describing the organi-zational role of coordination, we effectively measure the bridging value of the actors affiliated to the DMO in the network of the destination. The results of six selected destinations show that among the top four/ five bridging individuals in networks of between 13 to 42 actors, there are always not only the DMO directors but also at least one board member of the DMO. The paper concludes with further research in DMO board composition and evolution.Type: conference paper
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PublicationPredicting Online Travel Purchases: The Case of Switzerland( 2009-05-28)This paper examines why and under what conditions prospective travelers complete their bookings through online services compared to other methods. The study is based on a repre-sentative survey within 1,898 Swiss households. The results show that the likelihood of book-ing online increases if someone is drawn to a website to gather information in the first place, and if the product sold through the website is transparent and well-understood (either per se or because the customer is familiar with the product), or if any other booking-related communication would impose a financial charge, independent of the socio-demographic background of the prospective travelerType: conference paper
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PublicationThe Swiss regional airport network - identifying brokerage roles and simulating structural changes( 2009-08-24)Regional airports play a secondary but important role in the transport system of a country. The study presented in this paper analyses the Swiss regional airport system, consisting of six locations and respective institutional networks of main suppliers, customers, and cooperation partners. A first analysis of the network based on betweenness centralities and brokerage roles presents a rather large network of 112 institutions with only eighteen being relevant for the network configuration. A further analysis of average distances simulates a series of possible mergers with the aim to compare overall network strengths against costs. The results indicate a loosely connected system with high cost efficiencies and relatively weak links. Further options to improve network effectiveness and hence to develop an overall regional airport strategy in Switzerland are discussed.Type: conference paper
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PublicationHealth travel motivations and activities : The Swiss case(Travel & Tourism Research Association, 2008-06-17)This study investigates predictors (stated motivation and reported leisure activities) of health travel as opposed to a control group incorporating all other travel of the Swiss resident population, a well matured market. An a-priori segmentation of more than 11,000 trip cases (health travel as opposed to non health travel) was chosen as means of methodological concept, and stepwise logistic regression of 25 types of motivations and 72 types of activities towards group membership served as means of analysis. There appears to be a mature perception of health travel in the developed Swiss market, comprising rewarding elements of beauty, indulgence, and regeneration combined with demanding elements such as (challenging and stimulating) sports, including mountain biking, hiking, and golf.Type: conference paper
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PublicationDoes size matter? On the productivity and profitability of cableway operationThis paper discusses the impact of size, measured in turnover on profitability, i.e. EBITDA per turnover, exemplified by one of the leading industries in alpine tour-ism - cableways. It empirically investigates practitioners' as well as scholars' claim according to which the cableway industry could become more productive and prof-itable by consolidation. The results, drawn from multiple types of regressions, show that there is a significant and logarithmic association between size and profitability. From the nature of that association one can conclude that smaller companies are more likely to gain in productivity and profitability from consolidation than larger companies, which have to find other ways to improve their performance.Type: conference paperJournal: International tourism research and concepts / International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST)Volume: 2
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PublicationSolo travel - Explorative insights from a mature market (Switzerland)( 2007-06-17)Riklin, ThomasThis study examines solo travel, and offers a conceptual framework of solo travelers, a profile of these types of travelers (by socio-demographic characteristics), and a profile of travels (by specific descriptors). The data for this study emerged from a comprehensive survey of Swiss travel behavior conducted 2004 by the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). The conceptual model proposes an a priori segmentation of four types of solo travel, delineated on the combination of the departure status (a single, one-person household, compared to a collective, multi-persons household) and arrival status (solo travel, compared to group travel), thus creating a two-by-two matrix with four segments overall. The results of the profiling reveal significant differences between the solo travel groups, as well as towards a control group incorporating all other travel. They include income, profession, and age, as well as familiarity with the destination, choice of type of accommodation, expenditures and various types of trips. However, no significant differences can be reported with regard to the choice of destination.Type: conference paper
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PublicationCustomer Value of Second Home Ownership: Insights from a Mature Market (Switzerland)(Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, 2007-12-03)
;Weinert, RobertThis paper discusses the customer value of second home ownership. Because non-rented second homes are an increasing problem in many Swiss alpine destinations (under-utilisation of costly communal infrastructure, visual impairment, loss of potential income from visitors) an investigation into the drivers and barriers of renting out second homes is needed. This study presents the results from approximately 50 in-depth interviews using the means-end approach in a hierarchical value map. The results reveals that the prime reason for renting out second homes is economic, and the reasons people do not rent out are psychological. Therefore, measures to increase the willingness to rent include economic incentives, but also reducing psychological barriers. -
PublicationTravel expense estimation by hedonic regression - The case of Switzerland( 2006-12-04)This paper estimates the expenditures of Swiss travellers by means of a hedonic regression. Based on the constituting elements of a trip (number of travel companions from the same household, duration of trip, choice of destination, means of transport and accommodation), the overall and marginal costs of a trip (and thus expenditures) are estimated by log-linear regression. The key determinants of travel expenditure are (1) with regard to domestic tourism the number of participating household members, and (2) with regard to international tourism the duration of a trip. With regard to all forms of tourism, the type of accommodation has the comparably highest effect on trip expenditures.