ThinkTrip consulting is grounded in original research — peer-reviewed, quantitatively rigorous, and designed with direct application for destination marketers and DMO leaders. Not borrowed frameworks. Not industry white papers. Real studies, real data, real implications.
Both studies were conducted by Bryan Lavin through Johnson & Wales University and are designed with direct applicability for destination marketers, DMO leaders, and tourism operators. The methodology is academic. The outcomes are immediately actionable.
JWU × CETYS Universidad · TRVL 3035 · N=111 pre-trip / N=11 post-trip
A pre/post perception study examining how Northeast U.S. travelers imagine Ensenada before visiting — and how that perception shifts after direct experience. Grounded in the Cognitive-Affective-Conative (CAC) model and a validated 27-item, 7-category perception index, the study surfaces dramatic shifts in wine awareness, culinary expectations, and cultural perception with direct strategic implications for the destination’s DMO and tourism operators.
Key takeaway: Ensenada’s wine region dramatically outperforms expectations once experienced — but is virtually unknown beforehand. This is a marketing problem, not a product problem.
Wine as a purchase factor jumped +43.2 points after direct exposure to Valle de Guadalupe — the single largest item-level shift in the study.
Restaurant variety for dietary needs scored just 25.0 post-trip — lowest item in the study and a critical brand liability for a destination marketing gastronomy.
Geography held strong across both samples (70.5 → 72.2) — confirming the landscape as a durable, reliable asset.
Cruise port dependency identified as the destination’s most significant structural barrier to independent visitor growth.
DBA Dissertation · Johnson & Wales University · N=142+ · SPSS Analysis
This doctoral study fills a critical gap in tourism marketing literature: while the impact of user-generated content (UGC) on travel decisions is well-documented, almost nothing existed on what motivates travelers to actually create and share content with destination brands. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior — extended to include empowerment and technical acumen — the study analyzed U.S.-based traveler responses using stepwise and enter-method regression to identify the key predictors of UGC co-creation.
Key takeaway: Empowerment is the most powerful predictor of UGC co-creation. Destinations that make visitors feel capable, invited, and equipped to share — rather than just asked — generate dramatically more authentic content.
| Hyp. | Variable | Result |
|---|---|---|
| H1 | Positive attitude → willingness to co-create UGC | Supported |
| H2 | Social norms → willingness to co-create UGC | Supported |
| H3 | Low perceived barriers → willingness to co-create UGC | Partial |
| H4 | Technical acumen → willingness to co-create UGC | Supported |
| H5 | Empowerment → willingness to co-create UGC | Supported |
Empowerment drives co-creation more than any other variable. Clear prompts, specific instructions, and making visitors feel capable — not just asked — is the most effective UGC lever.
53% of customers want specific instructions on what to create, but most brands assume motivation is enough. The gap is significant.
Age is a moderating factor, but empowerment predicts UGC co-creation across all age groups — making it the most universally applicable lever.
Validated, peer-reviewed instruments adapted from published tourism and consumer behavior literature. All items calibrated to 0–100 perception indexes for consistent comparability across destinations and time periods.
The Ensenada study captures the gap between imagined and lived destination experience — the most strategically useful form of perception data available to a DMO.
Data analyzed using SPSS with correlation matrices, stepwise regression, and enter-method linear regression. Cronbach alpha reliability testing applied to all composite variables.
Research anchored in established academic frameworks — the CAC model for destination perception, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (modified to include empowerment and technical acumen) for UGC motivation.
Both studies are designed to be repeatable. The perception index is portable and adaptable to any destination. The UGC motivation framework can be deployed by any DMO seeking to improve content campaign performance.
Student reflections, peer guide evaluations, and in-destination observations add operational texture that pure quantitative data cannot capture.
Most destination consulting is experience-based. That’s not nothing — experience matters. But experience without data produces strategies built on assumptions, and assumptions are expensive when they’re wrong.
ThinkTrip’s research background means every engagement is informed by more than intuition. When we make a recommendation, we can show you why. When we identify a gap in your destination’s brand perception, we can quantify it. When we suggest a UGC strategy, it’s grounded in a study that tested what actually moves travelers to participate.
That’s the difference between advice and analysis — and it’s what separates a ThinkTrip engagement from a consultant who has strong opinions and a lot of air miles.
“Destinations that invest in annual perception tracking gain not just data — but a feedback loop that connects marketing strategy to lived experience in real time.”
ThinkTrip doesn’t cite industry reports and call it research. Both studies were designed, conducted, and analyzed by Bryan Lavin — producing original findings specific to tourism and directly applicable to DMO strategy.
The research is peer-reviewed and methodologically sound — and interpreted by someone who has run sales strategies at a CVB, led professional development for 4,000+ tourism professionals, and sat in the rooms where destination decisions get made.
The Ensenada perception framework isn’t a one-off. It’s a portable methodology ThinkTrip can deploy for any destination — producing credible, benchmarkable data that justifies funding and builds board confidence.
An examination of the gap between DMO strategic priorities and stakeholder perception of value — tourism operators, residents, elected officials, and the business community.
A portable, validated instrument for measuring the gap between a destination’s intended brand identity and how it is actually perceived by visitors, residents, and industry partners.
A follow-on study examining real-world outcomes of empowerment-based UGC campaign strategies applied across multiple destination types and market sizes.
ThinkTrip can design and execute a custom perception study, stakeholder research program, or UGC strategy audit — using the same rigorous methodology that produced these studies, scaled to your destination’s size and budget.