The objective of this exploratory study was to determine the extent to which friends and/or relatives influence the travel decision-making process beyond the role of information provider. The sample for this study was non-locals visiting three historic sites in Pennsylvania. Seventy-five percent of the groups sampled were visiting friends and/or relatives in the region. Respondents were requested to indicate (based on an allocation of 100%) who within the group had made various trip-related decisions. Friends and/or relatives were found to play a dominant role or were the sole decision maker between 29% and 39% of all decisions, respectively. The results indicated that friends and/or relatives shape behavior in a more direct fashion than previously documented.
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Gitelson et al. (1995) studied this question.