The relationship between length of stay and land transportation mode in the tourism sector: A discrete–continuous framework applied to Swiss data

This study aims to investigate the relationship between travel mode and length of stay decisions in the context of domestic trips in Switzerland, formulating a discrete–continuous choice model. The adoption of this method allows us to explicitly recognize the interrelated nature of such decisions while testing and measuring the underlying correlation effects. The data source employed for the empirical analysis refers to the Household Budget Survey, which gathers information with regard to the 642 trips undertaken by Swiss resided tourists in 2010 and in particular to the most recent nonbusiness sojourn in this regard. The estimated correlation parameters reveal that tourists are likely to stay longer at the destination when travelling by train and appear to be less inclined to spend more extended sojourns when heading to the destination by car.