Understanding the Blurry Picture of Tourism Expenditure in a Cruise Destination (Geirangerfjord – Norway)

Tourism expenditure in destinations is an important element of tourism research and has been the subject of numerous studies. This paper seeks to understand the complex pattern of expenditure within a distinctly defined geographical area, namely the destination Geirangerfjord in Western Norway. This is done by using a new approach where total expenditure is divided into three different measures of expenditure, which are then used to compare spending patterns of three important visitor groups in the destination - cruise visitors, individual visitors on land and land visitors staying overnight. By investigating socioeconomic, travel related, destination related and psychological explanatory variables, drivers of expenditure for each of the three groups are compared. The study reveals that different groups visiting Geirangerfjord diverge both with respect to spending patterns, as well as factors explaining these patterns. Based on the findings and previous literature in the field, the article proposes a new integrated “opportunity framework” in which to understand spending in a destination.