Discovering the hotel selection preferences of Hong Kong inbound travelers using the Choquet Integral

Modeling MCDM requires the simultaneous consideration of multiple criteria but traditional statistical techniques can only evaluate these factors independently. As such, it is vital for managers to have a clear picture of customers' preferences in order to design more focused marketing strategies; whereas the existing body of work is unable to meet such a requirement. To tackle these challenges, we introduce a new technique based on deploying an aggregation function, the Choquet Integral (CI), in the tourism context. Focusing on a case study of the Hong Kong hotel industry, we demonstrate how this technique can be used to discover the preferences among travelers that affect their hotel selections. A set of criteria based on these preference profiles is then constructed. The findings are expected to benefit tourism managers worldwide. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.