Predicting vacation rental intentions along the Florida/Alabama gulf coast using the theory of planned behavior

Most research predicting future behaviors have used the Theory of Reasoned Action or the Theory of Planned Behavior. A visitor's intention to return has been used as a measure of potential repeat patronage in travel and tourism research. As real estate development companies continue to saturate the tourism market, it is becoming more important for management companies to retain and build their existing client base. According to Petrick, Morais, and Norman, "with a market that appears to be getting more competitive every year, it is becoming more and more important for managers at entertainment destinations to examine the variables related to attracting and retaining entertainment travelers." Research reports that companies find it more cost efficient to focus on retaining clients rather than seeking new ones. Resorts may gain important information for accomplishing this objective by attempting to understand visitors' intentions to return. While intent does not guarantee behavior, past research has linked intentions to actual behavior. Understanding visitors' intentions and their psychosocial antecedents can thus provide useful marketing information. This study focused on vacation rentals (nontraditional whole-ownership condominium resorts) along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast. The Theory of Planned Behavior has been used successfully in predicting and explaining visitor intentions in traditional lodging markets such as the hotel/motel market. However, the theory has not been used to understand the vacation rental market. In the downswing of the current economy and with the increase of industry competition for gaining market share, there is a need for better understanding the underlying variables that affect customer retention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relation between intention to return to a vacation rental along the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast and the antecedent variables of attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioral control.