Travel Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A travel researcher is comparing tourist satisfaction across five countries using surveys translated into different languages. What is the primary methodological concern?
- The surveys will take too long to complete
- Translation equivalence — questions may carry different meanings across languages and cultures (Correct answer)
- Five countries is too small a sample
- Satisfaction is impossible to measure with surveys
Correct answer: Translation equivalence — questions may carry different meanings across languages and cultures
Survey questions translated across languages may not carry identical meaning or cultural connotations, threatening the comparability of responses across countries.
Question 2: What is 'purposive sampling' and when is it appropriate in travel research?
- Randomly selecting travelers at an airport terminal
- Deliberately selecting participants who have specific characteristics relevant to the research question (Correct answer)
- Surveying the largest possible number of travelers regardless of profile
- Using only data that was originally collected for another purpose
Correct answer: Deliberately selecting participants who have specific characteristics relevant to the research question
Purposive sampling intentionally selects participants with relevant characteristics (e.g., adventure travelers only), appropriate when studying a specific subgroup rather than the general traveling public.
Question 3: An airline publishes on-time performance data showing 88% of flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. What additional information is needed to evaluate this claim fairly?
- The airline's logo and brand colors
- How 'on time' is defined, which routes are included, and how this compares to industry benchmarks (Correct answer)
- The names of the pilots on those flights
- Whether the airline serves hot meals
Correct answer: How 'on time' is defined, which routes are included, and how this compares to industry benchmarks
Without knowing the definition of 'on time,' which routes are included or excluded, and industry averages, it's impossible to determine whether 88% represents good or poor performance.
Question 4: What distinguishes primary research from secondary research in travel planning?
- Primary research is more expensive and therefore always more accurate
- Primary research collects original data firsthand; secondary research analyzes data someone else already collected (Correct answer)
- Primary research uses digital tools; secondary research uses paper surveys
- Primary research covers international destinations; secondary covers domestic
Correct answer: Primary research collects original data firsthand; secondary research analyzes data someone else already collected
Primary research involves collecting new, original data through surveys, interviews, or observation; secondary research analyzes existing datasets, publications, or reports.
Question 5: A travel blogger's post claims a certain airline 'always loses luggage.' This claim is best characterized as:
- A valid statistical finding based on industry data
- Anecdotal evidence that cannot be generalized to the airline's overall baggage performance (Correct answer)
- A peer-reviewed conclusion accepted by the aviation industry
- A legal finding supported by consumer protection agencies
Correct answer: Anecdotal evidence that cannot be generalized to the airline's overall baggage performance
A single person's repeated negative experiences represents anecdotal evidence that, while real to that individual, cannot be generalized to conclude how the airline performs for all passengers.
Question 6: Which statistical concept describes when a small change in a survey question's wording causes a large shift in responses?
- Sampling error
- Framing effect (Correct answer)
- Standard deviation
- Confidence interval
Correct answer: Framing effect
The framing effect occurs when how a question is worded influences respondents' answers, threatening the validity and consistency of survey data.
Question 7: A destination's tourism board claims visitor numbers grew 40% after a major marketing campaign. What additional evidence is needed to attribute growth to the campaign?
- The budget spent on the marketing campaign
- A control period or comparison group showing what growth would have looked like without the campaign (Correct answer)
- The number of social media posts made during the campaign
- Testimonials from tourists who saw the ads
Correct answer: A control period or comparison group showing what growth would have looked like without the campaign
Without a counterfactual (what growth would have occurred anyway), it's impossible to isolate the campaign's contribution from other factors like economic conditions or seasonal trends.
Travel Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5
A travel researcher is comparing tourist satisfaction across five countries using surveys translated into different languages.
What is the primary methodological concern?