Is vacation destination a positional good?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59490/ejtir.2026.26.4.8137Keywords:
air travel, vacation destination, positional goods, stated choice experimentsAbstract
The number of vacation flights is increasing, and since flying is a highly polluting mode of transport, it is important to better understand how people choose their vacation destination. This paper examines whether vacation destination is a positional good, as suggested by van Wee (2021). This means that their valuation of a destination depends on where their peers travel to.
This is investigated in a context-dependent choice experiment, in which respondents chose between vacation trips that varied in destination, travel cost, and travel time, given that their friends travelled to a higher, lower or equally valued destination.
The results show that for almost three-quarters of the respondents, positionality plays a role. More specifically, it was found that the importance of the vacation destination decreases when friends travel to a less attractive place and, conversely, increases when they travel to a more attractive one.
An important implication of this finding is that the welfare loss from policies aimed at curbing the growth of air travel may be smaller than currently assumed. After all, others are also affected by the same policies, meaning they too may no longer be able to visit the most attractive destinations, thereby diminishing the relative value of those destinations.
Downloads
References
Bimonte, S. (2023). Social scarcity and tourist's life satisfaction: An empirical and theoretical analysis. International Journal of Tourism Research, 25(5), 517–526. https://doi.org.10.1002/jtr.2585
Bronner, F. & R. de Hoog (2018). Conspicuous consumption and the rising importance of experiential purchases. International Journal of Market Research, 60(1), 88–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470785317744667
Carlsson, F., Johansson-Stenman, O., & Martinsson, P. (2007). Do you enjoy having more than others? Survey evidence of positional goods. Economica, 74(296), 586–598. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0335.2006.00571.x
Duffy, R. (2002). A trip too far: Ecotourism, politics and exploitation, Earthscan.
Eijgelaar, E., Peeters, P., Neelis, I., de Bruijn, K., & Dirven., R. (2021). Travelling large in 2019: The carbon footprint of Dutch holidaymakers in 2019 and the development since 2002. Breda University of Applied Sciences.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
Green, W.H. & Hensher, D.A. (2003). A latent class model for discrete choice analysis: Contrasts with mixed logit. Transportation Research, 37(8), 681–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-2615(02)00046-2
Gupta, S. & Chintagunta. P. K. (1994). On using demographic variables to determine segment membership in logit mixture models. Journal of Marketing Research, 31(1), 128–136. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151952
Hirsch, F. (1977). The social limits to growth. Routledge and Kegan Paul PLC.
Hoen, A., & Geurs. K. T. (2011). The influence of positionality in car-purchasing behaviour on the downsizing of new cars. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 16(5), 402–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2011.03.003
International Air Transport Association (IATA) (2025). IATA long-term air transport passenger demand projections [Report]. https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/iata-long-term-air-transport-passenger-demand-projections/
Johansson-Stenman, O., Carlsson, F., & Daruvala, D. (2002), Measuring future grandparents’ preferences for equality and relative standing. Economic Journal, 112(479) , 362-383. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0297.00040
Kamakura, WA., & Russell, G.J. (1989). A probabilistic choice model for market segmentation and elasticity structure. Journal of Marketing Research, 26(4), 379–390. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378902600401
Kouwenhoven, M., Muller, J., Thoen, S., Willigers, J., & de Jong, G. (2023). Values of time, reliability and comfort in the Netherlands 2022: New values for passenger travel and freight transport (Technical report). KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis. https://english.kimnet.nl/site/binaries/site-content/collections/documents/2024/04/03/new-values-of-travel-time-reliability-and-comfort-in-the-netherlands/Technical+report+Significance_+Values+of+Travel+Time+in+the+Netherlands+2022_final.pdf
Litman, T. (2011). Mobility as a positional good: Implications for transport policy and planning. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. https://www.vtpi.org/prestige.pdf
Ory, D.T., & Mokhtarian, P. L. (2005), When is getting there half the fun? Modeling the liking for travel. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 39(2-3), 97–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2004.09.006
Oswald, L., & Ernst, A. (2020). Flying in the face of climate change: Quantitative psychological approach examining the social drivers of individual air travel. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 68–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1812616
Steg, L., Vlek, C., & Slotegraag, G. (2001). Instrumental-reasoned and symbolic-affective motives for using a motor car. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 4(3) 4,151–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1369-8478(01)00020-1
Veblen, T. (1899), Theory of the leisure class. Macmillan
Verhoef, E. T., & van Wee, B. (2000), Car ownership and status. Implications for fuel efficiency policies from the viewpoint of theories of happiness and welfare economics. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 0(1), 41-56. https://doi.org/10.18757/ejtir.2000.0.1.3494
van Wee, B. (2021). Accessibility and mobility: Positional goods? A discussion paper. Journal of Transport Geography, 92, Article 103033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103033
Wood, J. V. (1989), Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes. Psychological Bulletin, 106(2), 231-248. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-2909.106.2.231
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Eric Molin, Jorge Quesada, Sihyun Yoo, Bert van Wee
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
