A Study of Tourist Expenditure Pattern in Jammu and Kashmir: An Inter-regional Analysis

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the expenditure pattern of tourists in three geographical regions of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmiri. The study further investigates the nature of tourist spending with respect to different seasons - summer and winter. A survey method has been deployed to collect the primary data for the study. The regional and seasonal differences with respect to the expenditure pattern of the Jammu and Kashmir tourists are analysed with the help of ANOVA. From the ANOVA test, it is found that there is a significant difference in the mean expenditure of tourists visiting the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir. It was further analysed that the seasonal effect on tourist expenditure is stronger in Ladakh than in the Kashmir and Jammu regions and is stronger than the regional effect. The regression analysis has also been used to determine the impact of socioeconomic, demographic, travel-related, and expenditure-related variables on the total expenses of tourists. The regression results confirm that almost all variables significantly impact tourist expenditure. Still, travel-related variables have a more decisive influence than socioeconomic and demographic variables. This study enables the policymakers to obtain the necessary information to implement an adequate policy to attract tourists, who are heavy spenders. It is also beneficial for marketers and tour operators to know the attributes of tourists at a destination, provide them facilities accordingly, and offer them genuine, affordable, and attractive packages to boost their business and tourism inflow to Jammu and Kashmir.