Tourism in Aotearoa NZ – Week 3: Tourist Motivations & Demand

Lecture Objectives

• Consider tourists as active stakeholders within the tourism system.
• Identify and explain key concepts in tourism demand (individual vs. market demand).
• Identify and explain principal theories of tourist motivation (motivational segmentation, intrinsic / extrinsic, Dann’s Push–Pull, Plog’s psychographics, etc.).
• Identify core determinants, enablers and inhibitors of tourism demand.
• Introduce guest‐speaker perspectives (Rachel Armstrong – Tourism NZ; Eliza Raymond – Good Travel).
• Prepare for Tutorial 1 (Week 3) – stakeholder mapping exercise.

System View: Origin–Destination–Linkages (ODL)

• Three spatial components:
  • Tourist-Generating Region (TGR / Origin): where demand is formed; produces bookings, money, information, and repeat visitors.
  • Tourist Destination Region (TDR): receives visitors; supplies experiences, receives receipts (exports the experience).
  • Transit Route Region: corridors that physically connect origin and destination.
• Environments interacting across ODL
  • Economic, socio-cultural, physical/environmental, political, etc.

Tourists as Stakeholders

Roles – Responsibilities

• Obey local laws and regulations.
• Avoid deliberate harm to the physical environment.
• Avoid deliberate offence of local cultural values / practices / religious beliefs.

Concerns & Interests – Rights

• Safety and security (crime, terrorism, disease).
• Freedom from discrimination and exploitation.
• Interest in changes to regularly visited places (e.g. bach, annual camping spot).
• Affected by policy changes (visas, legislation, site access, etc.).

Core Concepts in Tourism Demand

• Demand = the desire for a product or service.
  • $D_{individual}$ (single consumer)
  • $D<em>{market}=\sum D</em>{individual}$ (aggregate of consumers)
• Studying demand helps to:
  • Understand tourists’ preferences and tastes.
  • Track and respond to market trends.
  • Maximise satisfaction → repeat visitation & positive WOM.
  • Guide product / destination development (services, facilities, price points).

Unique Characteristics of Tourism Products (IHIP + U & C)

• Intangible – cannot be sampled prior to consumption; high reliance on images & promises.
• Heterogeneous – service quality varies across providers, employees, moments.
• Inseparable – production and consumption occur simultaneously; co-creation between host & guest.
• Perishable – unused capacity (seats, rooms) perishes at end of time period.
• Uncertainty – quality assessment often made post-consumption; risk perceived.
• Complexity – composite bundle combining transportation, accommodation, leisure, retail, hospitality.

Spectrum of Tourist Motivations (Lecture Collage)

Escaping (routine, boredom, responsibility, civilisation) · Risk mitigation · Food & shopping · Enrichment · Independence · Relaxation · Family & friends · Social contact · Learning · Risk taking · Nature enjoyment · Excitement & play · Volunteerism · Physical exercise · Wellness/health · Aesthetic expression · Curiosity · Fashion · Re-bonding · Family obligations · Roots/origins · Religion & worship · Competition/challenge · Recognition/status/prestige · Self-actualisation · Power · Sex · Happiness · Knowledge · Esteem · Belonging · Business meetings … etc.

Typologies & Theories of Motivation

Motivational Segmentation

• Grouping tourists according to dominant motives helps marketers create tailored products/communication.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic: activity done for inherent satisfaction (curiosity, pleasure, fun, challenge).
• Extrinsic: behaviour driven by outside reward/pressure (money, status, approval, avoidance of punishment).

Dann’s (1977) Push–Pull Framework

• Push forces (internal, socio-psychological): create desire to travel – escaping, social interaction, prestige, relaxation.
• Pull forces (external, destination attributes): specific attractions, climate, cultural resources, image.
• Interaction: push motives initiate travel intent; pull attributes influence destination choice.

Plog’s (1974, 2001) Psychographic Model

• Tourist personality continuum from Allocentric → Psychocentric:
  • Allocentric (Venturers): adventurous, novelty-seeking, low anxiety, prefer unexplored destinations.
  • Mid-centrics: mainstream majority; balanced risk/comfort.
  • Psychocentric (Dependables): familiarity-seeking, risk-averse, prefer developed, secure destinations.
• Bell-curve distribution: majority cluster in mid-centric region.

Crompton’s (1979) Motivation Categories (implied)

• Cultural; Novelty; Escape; Prestige; Regression; Enhancement of kinship relationships; Social interaction; Education.

Categorising Motives by Domains

• Physical: refreshment, outdoor life, sport, health, sex.
• Cultural: curiosity about foreign life, arts, heritage, events.
• Social: VFR, meeting people, status, fashion, hobbies, conferences.
• Spiritual: pilgrimage, nature communion, self-discovery.

Determinants of Tourism Demand

Conceptual Split

• Enablers: factors that increase ability/willingness to travel.
• Constraints/Inhibitors: factors that restrict travel.

Origin (Tourist-Generating Area) Factors

• Economic: personal income $Y_p$, income distribution, exchange rate $ER$.
• Social: demographics (age, family life-cycle), holiday entitlements, education.
• Political: taxation, foreign exchange controls, outbound travel regulations.

Destination (Tourist Destination Area) Factors

• Economic: relative prices $P_d$ vs. competitors.
• Supply: capacity, quality, diversity of attractions/services.
• Competition: substitute destinations, brand strength.
• Political: visa policy, entry controls, stability.
• Promotion: marketing effort by DMOs, media exposure.

Cross-cutting Factors

• Time and cost of travel.
• Seasonality (climate, school holidays).
• Health, safety, security perceptions.

Key Events Shaping NZ Demand (1990-2018 snapshot)

• Statistics NZ seasonally adjusted arrivals chart shows broad rise from ≈$50\times10^3$ to $350\times10^3$ monthly visitors.
• Demand sensitive to global crises (e.g., 9/11, GFC 2008), exchange-rate shifts, airline capacity, major events (Rugby World Cup 2011).

Inbound vs. Outbound Tourism (Trade Lens)

• Inbound tourism receipts = export revenue: foreigners purchase NZ experience.
• Outbound tourism expenditure = import leakage: residents purchase overseas experiences.

Tutorial & Assessment Preparation

• Tutorial 1 (Week 3): practise identifying individual tourism stakeholders within a news story.
  • Bring one 2025 NZ tourism news item to class.
• Upcoming focus: destination development, stakeholder contributions.

Guest Lectures – Insights & Values

• Rachel Armstrong (Consumer Insights Manager, Tourism NZ): will discuss data-driven understanding of visitors and demand patterns.
• Eliza Raymond (Co-founder, Good Travel): emphasises ethical/impact travel; links to stakeholder responsibility and tourist rights.

Ethical, Practical, and Strategic Implications

• Stakeholder framing places moral duties on tourists and industry alike (sustainability, cultural respect).
• Demand knowledge informs sustainable capacity planning (avoidance of overtourism).
• Motivation theories guide experience design (match push motives with authentic pull factors).
• Policymakers must balance enablers with controls to protect destinations while fostering economic benefit.

Quick‐Reference Equations & Terms

• Individual demand function (simplified): $D<em>i = f(Y</em>i, P, ER, P<em>s, M</em>i)$ where
  • $Y<em>i$ = disposable income, $P$ = price of tourism bundle, $ER$ = exchange rate, $P</em>s$ = substitute price index, $M_i$ = motivation strength.
• Market demand: $D<em>m = \sum</em>{i=1}^{N} D_i$.

Study Checklist – Week 3

• Can I list and explain five unique properties of tourism products (IHIP + U & C)?
• Can I distinguish intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation with examples?
• Can I apply Dann’s push–pull and Plog’s psychographic models to a real destination?
• Do I understand how economic variables at origin and destination shape demand?
• Am I prepared to identify stakeholders in a current‐affairs tourism article?
• Have I noted key data trends in NZ visitor arrivals from 1990-present?