Relationship of Household Characteristics and Lodging Expenditure on Leisure Trips

This study examined the U.S. household lodging expenditure patterns on vacation. A number of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were identified as significantly contributing to the explanation of expenditure variations. As the principle method used in the study, Tobit modeling was applied to differentiate between current and potential demands, both of which were measured in marginal spending on lodging. Two ANOVA procedures were also performed not only to provide relationship information in bivariate settings, but also to demonstrate the appropriateness of the Tobit method. The study was conceptually founded on consumer behavior and household production theories and used a national survey data.