Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
Data Collection
The sample population of this study consists of residents of Virginia who are 18 years old or above and 
took at least one leisure trip away from home in the past 18 months. The sample for this study was proportionally 
stratified on the basis of the population of the counties and cities in Virginia and was randomly selected from each 
county and city. A self-administered mail survey method was utilized to collect the data. Respondents were asked to 
complete the questionnaire and return it in a self-addressed, prepaid business reply envelop. Three weeks after the 
survey was mailed, a reminder postcard was sent to those who have not returned their survey. 
Three hundred and fifty-three usable questionnaires were utilized in the data analysis of the study with a 
response rate of 12%. The data were checked for the representativeness and non-response and late-response bias. 
The analysis showed that there were no statistical differences on the demographic characteristics between the 
sampled data and the Virginia census data. The sample was also free from non-response and late-response bias.