HTT167

FUNDAMENTALS OF TOURISM
CHAPTER 2: TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS
 HTT167 –
CHAPTER 2

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this topic, students should be able to:

a. Discuss travel motivational theories

b. Identify tourism market segmentation
c. Determine specialized tourist segments
 2.1 Motivational theories

What has motivated people to leave familiar

surroundings and travel to distant places?
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

PUSH AND PULL MOTIVATIONS

Travellers are both “pushed” to travel by personality traits or

individual needs and wants, and “pulled” to travel by appealing
attributes of travel destinations.

• The push motivations are useful for explaining the desire or travel.
• The pull motivations are useful for explaining the actual destination
choice.
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

List of push and pull factors

Push Pull
Desire for escape Beaches
Rest and relaxation Recreation facilities
Health and fitness Historic sites
Adventure Reasonable prices
Prestige Cultural resources
Social interaction Undisturbed nature
Novelty seeking Ease of access
Exploration Cosmopolitan environment
Learning new things Shopping facilities
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS Sel

f-
act
A general framework uali
for describing human zati
needs through on
hierarchy to explain nee
human behaviour and Esteemdsneeds
motivation in general.

Belongingness needs

Safety needs

Physiological needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

How the concept of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applied in tourism?

Physiological
• Tour packages that offer frequent rest stops
• Easily accessible food outlets in theme parks
• Sleeping shelters strategically located along the Appalachian Trail for overnight

Safety
• Reservation service provided at government-approved agencies or locations
• Cruise ship lines providing medical facilities and doctors as part of their
standard services
• Tour guide services provided in exotic or unfamiliar locations
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

Belongingness
• Group tours with people having similar interests and/or backgrounds
• Group recognition gained by belonging to frequent-user programs
• Trips made to explore one’s ancestral roots

Esteem
• Elite status in frequent-user programs (diamond, gold, silver “memberships”)
• Incentive travel awards for superior company performance
• Flowers, champagne, and other tokens provided to guests in recognition of
special occasions

Self-actualization
• Educational tours and cruises
• Trekking through Nepal, a personal challenge to one’s physical limits
• Learning the language and culture before travelling to another country and then
practicing on arrival
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

TRAVEL CAREER PATTERNS (TCPS)

TCPs was developed by Pearce, based on Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs, but it goes further by providing more detailed insights into
specific tourist behaviours.

• The TCP model attempts to explain individual behaviours on the basis of stages in
tourist’s life cycle.
• It is very similar to the stages individuals experience in their working careers. Just as
a person tentatively enters a career and eventually becomes more proficient and
effective based on experience, so do tourists as they venture into travel activities.
• Illustrated in three (3) layers, consists of different travel motives:
a) Core Motives: very important, (e.g.: novelty, escape/relax, enhance relationship)
b) Middle layer: moderately important, internally oriented (e.g.: self-actualization)
and externally oriented (e.g.: nature, host-site involvement)
c) Outer layer: common, less important, (e.g.: nostalgia, isolation or social status)
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

Travel Career Patterns Model

 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

THE PSYCHOCENTRIC-ALLOCENTRIC MODEL

Developed by Stanley Plog, the different needs and wants of tourists

are described based on observable and consistent patterns of behaviour
using personality characteristics.

• Plog originally classifying tourists along a continuum with

allocentrics anchoring one end, and psychocentrics anchoring the
other.
• In an update, Plog suggested the terms ventures and dependables as
better descriptors for the end points.
• In general, ventures are seeking adventure through travel, whereas
dependables are seeking the comforts of familiar surroundings in
tourism experiences.
 2.1 Motivational theories (cont.)

Psychocentric-Allocentric Personality Characteristics

Psychocentrics/Dependables
Prefer familiar travel destinations
Like commonplace activities
Prefer relaxing sun-and-fun spots
Prefer driving to destinations
Prefer heavy tourist services and
facilities
Prefer familiar rather than foreign
Prefer purchasing complete tour
packages
Allocentric/Venturers
Prefer non-”touristy” destinations
Enjoy discovering new destinations
Prefer unsual destinations
Prefer high activity levels
Prefer adequate tourist services and
facilities
Enjoy interacting with people from
different cultures
Prefer basic tour arrangements
 2.2 Segmenting the tourism market
• The task of meeting diverse needs and wants led to the idea of market
segmentation.
• Common approaches to segmenting markets can be achieved by
grouping customers according to the following variables:

Geographic Demographic
segmentation segmentation

Psychographi Product-
c related
segmentation segmentation
2.2 Segmenting the tourism market (cont.)

Geographic Segmentation

i. Grouping potential tourism customers based on their location is the

oldest and simplest basis for market segmentation
ii. Even though people in the same location do not usually have similar
needs and wants, their location often has an important impact on
their selection of travel.
iii. Common geographic segmentation variables include: nations,
regions, states/provinces, counties, cities.

e.g.: the Walt Disney Company advertises California Disneyland heavily

in the western United States and the Pacific Rim countries (such as
Japan); whereas it markets Walt Disney World Florida more heavily
in the eastern States and Europe.
2.2 Segmenting the tourism market (cont.)

Demographic Segmentation

i. Demographic segmentation is the most commonly used for market

segmentation.
ii. Consumers are grouped according to variables that define them in
easily measurable way.
iii. The variables include: gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, education
level, income, household size, and family situation.
iv. It is frequently used because information about people’s objective
characteristics is routinely collected and widely available (data
gathered and reported by most national government offices)

e.g.: Tour operators and cruise lines are using demographic

segmentation when they develop special tours or cruises featuring
nostalgic, educational, religious, or ethnic experiences.
2.2 Segmenting the tourism market (cont.)

Psychographic Segmentation

i. Psychographic segmentation relies on standard psychological

personality measurement that compels a person to react consistently
to his/her environment.
ii. Involves grouping people on how they live, their priorities, and
their interests.
iii. Has been used by cruise lines and resorts to target individuals with
similar hobbies, sport preferences, and musical interests.
iv. Sometimes, psychographic segmentation is called lifestyle
segmentation (activities, interests, opinions).
 2.2 Segmenting the tourism market (cont.)

Product-related Segmentation

i. Grouping potential buyers directly from what people indicate they

need or want in a particular good or service.
ii. The variables include:
- The benefits people seek in the good or service (e.g.: the ability to
guarantee the availability of a room at a hotel)
- The amount of good or service used (e.g.: light users such as
occasional leisure travellers versus heavy users such as business
travellers)
- The degree of company loyalty shown by the consumer in relation
to the specific good or service (e.g.: participation in frequent-user
programs)
 2.3 Specialized tourist segments

5 large and distinctive segments of tourism consumers:

Business and Professional Travellers
i. Often required to travel as a part of their day-to-day activities and
contribute high direct spending on business travel expenditure.
ii. Tourism service suppliers have offered a wide array of services and
benefits (e.g.: business & 1st-class cabins, corporate pricing,
discounts and rebates, travel lounges, preferred check-ins,
conference rooms, upgrades, etc.

Incentive Travellers
i. A sub-segment of the broader MICE (meetings, incentive travel,
conventions, and events)
ii. Incentive travel awards are designed to achieve high employee
productivity and motivation and to create competition to win awards.
iii. The planning and settings for incentive travel awards requires
celebration atmosphere to celebrate success, thus becomes a top
dollar tourism business
 2.3 Specialized tourist segments
SMERFs
i. Stands for Social, Military, Education, Religious and Fraternal.
ii. A large market in terms of potential revenue, they tend to hold
events on weekends that create traffic when business travel volume
is low.
iii. This market is not always price sensitive (willing to spend).
iv. Because of the size, growth and need of personalized service by this
market, service providers create unique service offerings (vacation
clubs, reunions, weddings, etc.)

Mature Travellers
i. By 2050, those people over 60 years old will more than double, and
by 2100 it will more than triple of the world population.
ii. Fastest growing segments, have time and desire to travel, have the
wealth and disposable income, actively seek for travel professionals
services.
iii. Provide many opportunities for travel firms to meet the needs of
these travellers.
 2.3 Specialized tourist segments
Special-Interest Travellers
i. More and more travellers are focusing their vacation attention on
experience and are selecting a destination based on the ability to
participate in one or more of their favorite pastimes.
ii. This selective for of tourism is now called special-interest tourism
(SIT). Defined as “tourism undertaken for a distinct and specific
reason; thereby indicating that the special-interest tourist has a
specific interest-based motivation for his/her travel to another
destination”.
iii. Tour operators now offering tours with:
- a list of special interests/activities (e.g.: opera, wine, and
battlefields)
- geographic area (e.g.: Antartica)
- affinity groups (e.g.: single women)
 Summary and references

Chapter 2 provide an insight view on:

1. Different travel motivational theories .
2. Various tourism market segmentation

References:

1. Cook, R. A., Hsu, C .H. C., & Taylor, L. L. (2018). Tourism: The
Business of Hospitality and Travel (6th ed.). Pearson