Does the Visiting Friends and Relatives’ Typology Make a Difference? A Study of the International VFR Market to the United States

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Abstract
Using data from the In-Flight Survey of International Travelers for 1997, this study analyzed international visiting friends and relatives’ travelers (VFRs) to the United States. Three of the factors in an initial typology of VFRs were tested for their effects on travel expenditures. These typology factors (sector, scope, accommodation used) were found to have a significant influence on the expenditures of international VFRs to the United States. VFRs for whom VFR was the main travel purpose differed in their spending patterns from those for whom it was a secondary purpose. VFRs who used commercial accommodation had different expenditures from those who exclusively stayed in private homes. VFRs from individual countries differed in travel expenditures. Besides partially validating the typology, this study determined that international VFRs made substantial use of commercial accommodation and had significant expenditures on food and beverages, transportation, gifts and souvenirs, and entertainment.

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