Study Notes on Travel Motivation and Tourism Segmentation

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TRAVEL MOTIVATION AND TOURISM

Chapter 2: Learning Outcomes

  • Students should be able to:
    • Discuss travel motivational theories.
    • Identify tourism market segmentation.
    • Determine specialized tourist segments.

2.1 Travel Decisions

  • Motivations for Travel:
    • Inquiry into why individuals leave familiar surroundings to travel.
The Tourists
  • Understanding essential questions:
    • Who are the tourists?
    • Why do they travel?
    • What are their expectations?

Consumer Behaviour

  • Definition:
    • The study of consumer characteristics and the processes involved in how individuals or groups select, purchase, and use goods and services to satisfy wants and needs.
  • Influences on Consumer Behaviour:
    • Interpersonal influences (e.g. learning shopping decisions from parents).
    • Individual characteristics (gender, age, personality).
  • Consumers tend to return to use goods/services as long as their needs are consistently met.

Travel Decision-Making Process

  1. First Decision: Trip Decision
    • Considerations: Time, money, health, interest, companions, personal versus expert information.
  2. Second Decision: Destination
    • General intent: Where and what activities do I want?
  3. Third Decision: Destination Commitment
    • Choice of appealing destinations.
  4. Fourth Decision: Trip Preparation
    • Planning specifics: departure date, itinerary, transportation, reservations, insurance.
  5. Fifth Decision: During-Trip Decisions
    • Navigating, dining, and activities during the trip.

2.2 Motivational Theories

Push and Pull Motivations
  • Concept:
    • Travelers are “pushed” by personal traits and needs to travel, while “pulled” by attributes of destinations.
  • Push Motivations: Explain escape from routine.
  • Pull Motivations: Explain the final destination choice.
  • Examples of Push and Pull Factors:
    • Push: Desire for escape, rest, adventure.
    • Pull: Beaches, prestige, cultural resources.
    • Example Scenario: "Stressed worker seeks a quiet seaside resort."
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
  • Framework: Describes human needs in a hierarchy motivating behavior:
    • Self-actualization
    • Esteem (status, respect)
    • Belongingness (affiliation, love)
    • Safety (security)
    • Physiological (basic needs: food, shelter).
  • As needs are satisfied, individuals progress to higher levels.
  • Application in Tourism:
    • Physiological: Tour packages with rest stops.
    • Safety: Healthcare services on cruises.
    • Belongingness: Group tours.
    • Esteem: Recognition programs for frequent travelers.
    • Self-actualization: Educational tours.
Travel Career Patterns (TCP)
  • Developed by Pearce, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, explaining tourist behaviors in a life cycle:
    • Core Motives: Novelty, escape, relationship.
    • Middle Layer Motives: Self-actualization, host-site involvement.
    • Outer Layer: Nostalgia, isolation, social status.

2.3 Market Segmentation in Tourism

Importance of Market Segmentation
  • Segmentation allows focusing marketing efforts on groups with similar wants and needs.
Common Approaches to Segmentation
  1. Geographic:
    • Segmenting based on customer location (nations, regions, etc.). e.g., Disney marketing differently based on regional proximity.
  2. Demographic:
    • Grouping by measurable characteristics (gender, age, income). Commonly used due to readily available data.
  3. Psychographic:
    • Segmenting by lifestyle, priorities, interests (e.g., targeting based on hobbies).
  4. Product-related:
    • Grouping based on specific needs or wants related to products in tourism.
The Segmentation Process
  • Steps in segmentation:
    1. Select segmentation approach.
    2. Create profiles of segments.
    3. Forecast market potentials.
    4. Estimate market share.
    5. Identify and target segments with appropriate marketing mix.

2.4 Specialized Tourist Segments

  1. Business and Professional Travelers:
    • High expenditure for business travel; not price-sensitive due to the nature of their travel needs.
    • Provide corporate pricing and first-class options.
  2. Incentive Travelers:
    • Associated with MICE (meetings, incentive travel, conventions).
    • Designed for employee motivation and focused on celebratory atmospheres.
  3. SMERFs:
    • Stands for Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal. This segment is significant for revenue, often holds events during off-peak business travel times.
  4. Mature Travelers:
    • Growing demographic over 60, possessing disposable income and valuing travel experiences.
    • Divided into sightseers, enthusiastic participants, and family-focused travellers.
  5. Special-Interest Travelers:
    • Focused tourism based on specific interests (e.g. adventure tourism). Often travel in groups with shared interests.
    • Defined as tourism undertaken for distinct reasons reflecting personal motivations.
Summary of Chapter 2
  • Chapter 2 provides insights on travel motivational theories and various tourism market segments, illustrating different psychological and demographic approaches to understanding traveler behaviors and needs.