Tourism Consumer Behavior and Research

Vocabulary flashcards covering tourism consumer behavior, perceived risk, the consumer decision-making model, and hotel market research questionnaires.

Consumer Behavior

Refers to how individuals or groups go through the process of recognizing needs, searching for information, evaluating alternatives, making decisions, experiencing products/services, evaluating satisfaction, and behaving afterward.

The Tourism Consumer Decision Process

A sequential model illustrating how tourists and hospitality guests make decisions before and after purchasing a product or service.

Need Recognition

Stage 1 of the decision process where the customer identifies a specific need or desire, such as needing a break from work.

Information Search

Stage 2 of the decision process where the customer gathers details across sources like Google, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, travel websites, reviews, and recommendations from friends.

Evaluation of Alternatives

Stage 3 of the decision process where customers compare options not only by price (such as $\text{P}3,500$, $\text{P}4,500$, or $\text{P}6,000$) but also by attributes like cleanliness and facilities.

Purchase Decision

Stage 4 of the decision process where the customer selects a specific option to book, subject to final influences like availability.

Service Experience Stage

Stage 5 of the decision process where the customer directly consumes and experiences the service, which is critical in hospitality.

Post-Purchase Evaluation

Stage 6 of the decision process where the customer determines if the service was worth their money, resulting in satisfaction, neutrality, or dissatisfaction, and prompting actions like leaving a review or complaining.

Experiential Product

A characteristic of tourism products where the offering must be directly experienced rather than physically tested prior to purchase.

Intangibility in Tourism

A property of tourism services meaning they cannot be seen, touched, or stored before consumption.

Perceived Risk in Tourism

The multi-faceted risk (financial, safety, health, time, and performance) that makes booking a high-cost tourism purchase like a $\text{P}50,000$ family vacation more complex than buying a $\text{P}100$ snack.

George's Market Perspective

Treats tourism and hospitality consumer behavior as a core requirement for understanding the broader tourism and hospitality market.

Customer Profile Section

A portion of a research questionnaire designed to gather demographic details such as age and purpose of travel (Business, Leisure, Family, Event, or Other).

Booking Source Section

A questionnaire section asking guests how they discovered the hotel, including options like Facebook, Google, Friend/Family, TikTok, Booking platform, or Travel agency.

Importance Rating Scale

A $1$ to $5$ point scale ($1 = \text{Not Important}$ to $5 = \text{Very Important}$) measuring how much factors like Price, Cleanliness, Location, Staff service, Food, and Wi-Fi matter to hotel guests.

Satisfaction Rating Scale

An optional rating scale ($1 = \text{Very Dissatisfied}$ to $5 = \text{Very Satisfied}$) measuring guest satisfaction with Check-in process, Room comfort, Cleanliness, Staff courtesy, Restaurant/Food, and Overall experience.

Example Research Questionnaire

A survey tool used by hotels to gather accurate guest information to better understand customer needs and refine the $7\text{Ps}$ of marketing.

Open-Ended Questions Section

An optional portion of a hotel research survey that asks guests for qualitative feedback on what they liked most, areas for improvement, and additional comments.