The dynamics of destination attribute importance

The importance construct plays a vital role in evaluating visitor perceptions and experience of tourism destinations. This article examines the dynamics of attribute importance assessment at destination level with respect to Orlando, Florida. The article addresses previous findings relating to timing, evaluates alternative methods of importance measurement and assesses both the sensitivity of IPA outcomes to the choice of importance measure and the relevance of the three factor theory of satisfaction at destination level. Three main findings emerge. Firstly, the importance of Orlando's features does not change significantly over the course of the holiday or with increasing visitation levels. Secondly, the type of importance measure and the dynamic nature of importance relating to response variance influence IPA outcomes. Thirdly, the hierarchical factor importance model identifies 'basic', 'performance' and 'excitement' satisfaction factors in both first-time visitor and repeater markets. The article offers recommendations for further research. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.