TOURISM (AND)

PSYCHOLOGY
The tourist behaviour in the hospitality
environment

ALEXANDRA VELESCU
 TOURIST BEHAVIOUR

The third millennium tourist expects their product to

meet criteria such as: safety, security, ecological
content, authenticity and specificity (Stoian, 2016).

There are several criteria of segmentation for

tourist behavior, used in the tourism industry:

 the loyalty level to a certain destination

(Nedela, 2013)

 visiting a country for the first time with an

interest in everything that represents a touristic
attraction (Gherasim and Gherasim, 1999)
INFLUENCE FACTORS ON TOURIST BEHAVIOUR
The personality of the tourist, defined by the set of
characteristics, beliefs, attitudes and habits
distinguishes it from other individuals, and is one of
the most important factors to define the behavior
towards the tourism firms and the services they
provide (O’Connor, 2014).

For example, one factor that has an effect on the

behavior of one person is the state of spirit.
Characterized by good or bad mood, by
excitement or calm, by optimism or pessimism, will
impress the tourist's behavior (before, during and
after consuming services) with very specific features.
TOURIST BEHAVIOUR

However, in the tourism industry, sometimes only

’profit-making’ is what counts the most and the
tourist is seen only as the one allocating money in
exchange of hospitality services (Pearce, 2013). As a
result, the personality of the tourist is lost in this
transition.

It is also well-known that the behaviour of the tourist

is inter-linked with his/hers decision-making process.
For instance, there are theories stating that people
often choose their holiday environment on the
premises that it is dissimilar that to the one at their
workplace (Pearce, 2013).
DOES NATIOALITY IMPACT BEHAVIOUR?

Variables such as demographic factors, levels of satisfaction,

motivation, or perception are the main factors of influence in
analyzes based on the nationality of tourists (Rosca, 2015).

One of the most important aspects of tourism development

is to understand the cultural differences between international
tourists and the host society. These differences are mainly related to
cultural values and the needs and perceptions of both tourists and
hosts (Reisinger and Turner, 2003).

Although it may be difficult and even risky to generalize the profile

and motivation of the tourist, the features suggested however
indicate that there are significant differences between the interests,
expectations and motivations of the tourist coming from different
cultural backgrounds (Rosca, 2015).
HOW ARE TOURIST’S EXPECTATIONS IN A HOTEL?
One theory of motivation belongs to Frederick Herzberg, who shared the
motivating factors in two categories: factors that generate satisfaction and
factors whose absence generates dissatisfaction.

For example, if a hotel is missing hot water, it could be a reason for

dissatisfaction for many customers; on the other hand, the mere existence
of hot water is not usually sufficient to satisfy customers.

According to this theory, in order to ensure the satisfaction of the tourists,

the service provider has to do two things:
 to ensure that he has eliminated all the factors of dissatisfaction
 to create satisfaction
The most common, and the most important
type of challenge in the hospitality and
tourism industry is interaction between the
tourist and the staff.

This occurs from the very beginning of the

planning phase (from the tour-operator) and
might end if the customer is feeling unsatisfied
when finishing his/hers trip.

People always seek to have a successful

holiday, therefore are demanding their
requests to be fulfilled in an appropriate
manner. However, the satisfaction level the
service/good is being perceived depends a
great deal on the personality of the tourist and
their culture.
EXPECTATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR

There are researches proving that expectations have an impact on the

traveler’s decisions, how and what kind of services they prefer and impacts
also their desire to return to the same destination (Aksu et al, 2010). The
tourists’ expectations also depends on their individual personality.

One of the main reasons why a holiday can turn into a disappointment is
the difference between expectations and reality in terms of quality and
accommodation facilities.

Tom Peters, a management specialist, says customer satisfaction is not

enough. "We do not want to satisfy the client, we want to enthusiasm, to
delight him!" (Peters, T. and Waterman, R., 1982).
Most tourist want all their needs and expectations
to be fulfilled, and some might turn out to be
extremely unreasonable. But that happens only
because in the ‘environment’ they were used to
be (until the moment of travelling) is most of the
times different.

In the hospitality industry, this is happening almost

everyday. People are coming with a set of
requests, and demanding to be provided. This is
why it is very important to be prepared to deal
with all sort of situations and all sort of characters.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aksu, A., İçigen, E.T., Ehtiyar, R. (2010). A Comparison of Tourist Expectations and Satisfaction: A Case Study from
Antalya Region of Turkey

Gherasim, T. and Gherasim, D. (1999). Marketing turistic.

Nedelea, A. (2003). Piaţa turistică.

O’Connor, K. (2014). Psihologia Si Comportamentul Turistilor. Retrived October 19, from

https://www.scribd.com/document/228629658/Psihologia-Si-Comportamentul-Turistilor

Pearce, P. L. (2013). The Social Psychology of Tourist Behaviour: International Series in Experimental Social
Psychology

Peters, T., Waterman, R. (1982). In Search of Excellence, New York, London: Harper & Row

Stoian, T. (2016). Comportamentul turiștilor. Retrieved October 19, from

https://www.scribd.com/doc/296337293/Comportamentul-turistilor

Reisinger, Y., & Turner, L. W. (2003). Cross-Cultural Behaviour in Tourism Concepts and Analysis, Elsevier.

Rosca, I. (2015). FINDINGS ON CROSS-CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF TOURISTS