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This chapter seeks to introduce partial least squares (PLS) practitioners to the generation and evaluation of predictions from their path models, both as a means of validating the practical usefulness of their models and for forecasting future outcomes.

Studies in tourism and hospitality currently offer strong research utility by explaining how personal, regional, or commercial factors generally relate to positive outcomes for the industry. However, the practical utility of our studies is limited to general policy-making suggestions based on the significance of antecedent factors. Could we use our models to predict, say, a new subject’s potential behavior in the future, or forecast how a particular region or commercial interest will fare in the coming year given new data? In addition, before we even have access to data on new subjects, can we use our existing samples to validate that our current models have the potential to make …