A systematic comparison of first-time and repeat visitors via a two-phase online survey

Tourism researchers report differences between first-time and repeat visitors in terms of their demographics, tripographics, destination perception, perceived value, and travel motivations. The majority of previous studies focus on comparing only one or a couple of these dimensions, with fragmented and sometimes conflicting findings. Consequently, the existing literature presents a rather mixed picture of the similarity and differences between the two groups. This article offers a systematic comparison of first-time and repeat visitors via demographic and tripographic characteristics, travel planning behavior, pre- and post-trip congruency in travel activity preferences, and post-trip evaluation. The findings indicate that first-timers’ behaviors are more tourism/travel oriented, while repeaters’ behaviors demonstrate a recreation/activity orientation. First-timers are more active travel planners, while repeaters indicate more positive post-trip evaluations. Plus, on-site experiences influence the two groups’ activity preferences.