A model of similarity and its empirical test: Towards better understanding of Tourists' perceptions and choice of European vacation destinations

Abstract

A Commonality/Totality-based Ratio model of similarity is proposed and empirically tested in this paper. The model is based on Tversky' s ( 1977) feature matching approach and, like the linear contrast model, it is free from some of the problems that t he distance model faces due to violations of the metric axioms by empirically observed proximity (similarity or dissimilarity) data. The differentiating features of the model are 1) its non- linear formulation, and 2) its compatibility with spatial representation of similarity data in a multidimensional metric space. A theoretically and empirically robust representation of similarity could lead to a new set of perceptual mapping techniques. The new approach will be applied to enhance marketers' understanding of tourists perceptions and choice in the field of European travel and tourism.