Unit 4: TRAVEL

MOTIVATIONS
Understanding the different needs and wants of the tourists is the very heart of
knowing why they travel. This way, the industry will be able to recognize the
different approaches to satisfy existing and potential markets.

This lesson discusses how we can understand the tourists. It also enumerates
the different approaches of describing the tourist decision making process and
the different tourist typologies as classification of tourists based on their
behavior.

Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to

1. identify the models of understanding travel motivations
2. enumerate the different approaches of describing the tourist decision
making
3. discuss different tourist typologies as classification of tourists based on
their behavior

Suggested Teaching Strategies and Pedagogical

Activities

Activity 1: Inter-active Discussion

The teacher leads a discussion on the meaning of tourism, its importance and
characteristics. Afterwhich, the students may give their feedback and queries on the
lecture.

Knowledge Content:

How Can We Understand the Tourists?

Tourists are the main characters in the tourism industry and the tourism
industry exists to cater to their needs. Tourism businesses acknowledge the fact
that their success depends also on how much they know and understand their
tourists.

According to Goeldner and Ritchie (2003), a professional understanding of the

consumer is the core of the successful business practice in the tourist industry.
A good grasp of who their tourists are would guide businesses in their operations,
marketing and research, and development tasks. Clearly, a study on the behavior
of tourists is very vital to the tourism industry.

Understanding tourists requires a background on psychology and consumer

behavior. Tourism businesses should be concerned with what motivates tourist,
how they make decisions, what they think of the products they buy, how much
they enjoy and learn during their holiday experiences, how they interact with the
local people and environment and how they feel about their holidays (Goeldner
and Ritchie, 2003).

Travel Motivations
Knowing why tourists travel is the most fundamental question among the study
of tourist’ behavior. Although it is the most basic question, knowing the wants
and needs of tourists in traveling is a complicated task. The wants and needs of
tourist are often regarded as travel motivations.

As per dictionary’s definition, motivation is something that stimulates interest

or causes a person to act in a certain way. Needs and wants of tourists are seen
as the driving force that causes an individual to travel.

Cook (1999) simply explained travel motivation as the drive to travel.

Weaver and Lawton (2000) stated that travel motivation is different from travel
purpose in that indicates the intrinsic reasons why the individual is embarking
on a particular trip.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Over the years, many theories were developed to explain tourist motivations for
traveling. One very common theory used in the study of travel motivations of
tourists is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This theory by Abraham Maslow in his
1943 work, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” explains that as humans meet
basic needs, they seek to satisfy successively higher needs that occupy a set of
hierarchy. Below is a diagram of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
 Figure 1. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The pyramid of five levels
represents human needs which Maslow further grouped into two as deficiency needs
and growth needs. Deficiency needs are related to physiological needs while growth
needs are related to psychological needs. Table 4 summarizes the different human needs
identified by Maslow.

Table 3. Description of the Different Human Needs by Maslow

Human Needs Description
Physiological Needs Need to breathe, need for water, need to eat, need
to dispose of bodily wastes, need for sleep, need to
regulate body temperature, and need for sexual
activity, body comfort and exercise, etc.

Safety Need for security of employment, revenues and

resources; need for physical security (safety from
violence, delinquency, aggression); need for moral
and physiological security; need for familial
security; need for security of health

Love/belonging Need for friendship, sexual intimacy, having a

family and need to belong in a group

Esteem Need to be respected, need for self-respect and

need to respect others; need for recognition, need
for activity that gives the person a sense of
contribution and self-value

Actualization Need to make the most of one’s unique abilities

and need to strive to be the best

The theory emphasizes that the higher needs in the hierarchy will only come to focus
once all the lower needs are mainly or entirely satisfied. For example, an individual will
not feel any need for friendship or recognition unless his/her physiological and safety
needs are met or an individual will not have the need to travel unless his/her basic
needs and safety needs are met. Finding a job would be of higher priority than traveling
to some places.

The Maslow hierarchy of needs is an explanation of an individual’s behavior. In tourism,

every piece of information that would help the business owner, managers and staff
understand tourist’ behavior is important. It may provide answers to questions why even
their most affordable package is not taken advantage of, why people choose certain
destinations, and so on.

The hierarchy of needs is used in the tourism industry in several ways:

1. Tourism experts also consider these different levels to be the intrinsic factor that
could drive a person to travel.

For example, an individual may join a cruise because of his/her need for
friendship. One of the attractions joining a cruise is the many opportunities it
provides its passengers of meeting new people. The level of needs would provide
tourism businesses guide in understanding their travel market and thus advertise
their products effectively. A cruise liner would emphasize in their advertisement
the chances of meting people instead of traveling to new places.

2. Tourism businesses could come up with different facilities and services with
features that attempt to address certain needs of tourists. Table 4 shows
examples of tourism services that are provided by tourism businesses to their
visitors.

3. They also use them as their competitive edge over others. The hierarchy of needs
guides them in coming up with specific services that they know would be
important to their clients. It may not be a main attraction but may also enhance
tourist experience.

For example, services that address needs of belongingness or esteem such as elite
programs and frequent visitors program or simple tokens that make the guest
realize that the tourism business knows them specifically. Most big hotel chains
train their staff to know the needs of their regular needs may vary from very small
things such as the type of flowers to put in their room, their choice morning
newspaper, their drinks, and their car rentals.

Table4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Tourist Needs

Physiological
Tour packages that offer frequent rest stops
Easily accessible food outlets in theme parks
Sleeping shelters strategically located
Safety
Reservation service provided at government-approved agencies or locations
Cruise ship lines providing, medical facilities and doctors
Tour guide services provided in exotic or unfamiliar locations
 Belongingness
Elite status in frequent-user programs such as gold, silver or bronze
Incentive travel awards for superior company performance
Flowers, champagne and other tokens provided to guests in recognition of
occasions
Self-actualization
Educational tours and cruises
Theme parks providing educational opportunities and glimpses of other
cultures
Learning the language and culture before traveling to another country.

Leisure Ladder Model

This model is developed by Philip Pearce (Roy, 1999). It attempts to explain
individual behaviors on the basis of stages, in a tourist life cycle which is said to
be similar to an individual’s experience of work. It is assumed that as the tourists
become more experienced, they also become more proficient and effective. It is
somehow similar to Maslow hierarchy of needs because the model also explains
that tourists ascend only to higher needs once lower needs for a tourist in every
stage of their tourist life cycle.

Relaxation and bodily needs

Need for basic needs services (food, space, toilets)
for restoration and personal maintenance and repair
Stimulation
Need for excitement and safety (fun and thrill of rides,
experience of the unusual, out-of-the-ordinary settings and different foods and
people.)
Relationship
Need to build and extend personal relationships
(tenderness, affection, joint activities, altruism and being directly involved)
Self-esteem and development
Need to develop skills, knowledge and abilities
(how others see a person and one’s desire to be competent in control, respected
and productive)
Fulfillment
Need to feel peacefully, profoundly happy
(magical as if transported top another world, spiritual and totally involved in
the setting)
Figure 2. Leisure Ladder Model
Crompton’s Push-and-Pull Model
This model emphasizes that the choice of destination of a tourist is driven by two
forces: push and pull. Push refers to the motivations created within the
individual; pull are motivations induced by attributes of a destination.

a.) The first force, push, pushes a tourist away (from home). Push refers to a
general desire to go and be somewhere else, without specifying where that
may be. Kozal pointed out that these are intangible, intrinsic desires of a
tourist to go on vocation (Hansal and Eiselt, 2004)and;

b.) The second one, pull, is a region-specific lure that pulls a tourist towards
a destination. The Pull, on the other hand, refers to the tangible
characteristics or attributes of a destination that are primarily related to
its perceived attractiveness.

This push-and-pull model was exemplified by Lundberg (cited in Hansal and

Eiselt, 2004), in an advertisement directed towards potential tourists showing
sunny beaches with sunbathers. The advertisement promotes a specific location
and generates a push force that attempts to pry potential tourists out their
homes.

Figure 3. Push and Pull Model

Tourists’ Decision Making Process
Another way of understanding tourists is knowing how they decide on tourism
product/services and destinations. Their decision-making process would provide
tourism business insights to effective marketing and advertising techniques to
effectively reach their target markets.

The decision-making process of tourists is a very significant piece of information

for the tourism industry. There are a number of frameworks that explained this
process. The following discussions show the works of Schmoll, Matheison and
Wall, and Hansal and Eiselt.

Mathieson and Wall

A five-stage model of travel-buying behavior. Similar to the Schmoll model, their
model also identifies four interrelated factors which includes:

1. Tourist profile (age, education, income, attitudes, experiences and

motivations)
2. Travel awareness (image of destinations’ facilities and services which is
based upon the credibility of the source)
3. Destination Resources and Characteristics (attractions and features of the
destination)
4. Trip features (distance, trip duration and perceived risk of the area visited)

Travel
Infromation Travel Travel
decision
Felt need/ collection and preparations satisfaction
(choice
travel desire evaluation by and travel outcome and
between
image experiences evaluation
alternatives)

Figure 4. The Five Stage Model of Decision Making by Mathieson and Wall

Table 6. Stages of the Buying Behavior of Tourists

Felt need of travel desire A desire to travel is felt and reasons for and against that
desires are weighed.
Information and Potential tourists utilize travel intermediaries, brochures
evaluation and advertisements as well as friends, relatives and
experienced travelers. This information is evaluated
against both economic and factors such as accessibility
and alternatives.
Travel decision Stage advancement occurs with destinations, mode of
travel, accommodations and activities being selected.
 Travel preparations and Travel takes place once bookings are made and clothing
travel equipment and equipment are arranged.
Travel satisfaction During and after travel the overall experience is evaluated
evaluation and the results influence subsequent travel decisions.

Hansal and Eiselt

Hansal and Eiselt (2004) provided a simple explanation of the decision-making
process of tourists. This process is divided into two phases which are described
as:

Planning phase – where travelers decide on the basic parameters

concerning their trip. Decisions in this phase are made at home, usually
over a significant amount of time prior to modification or completely
revamped.
Modification phase – during which details are decided. This phase covers
modifications made during advertised in brochures that travelers obtained
from tourist information centers or decision to stay at a hotel whose
services are announced on a billboard.

Models describing tourist decision-making process would make a long list. They
have basically the same purpose and that is to guide the tourism industry in
understanding how tourist get motivated in traveling, what things influence or
discourage them to travel, and where they get information, and purchase their
selected product. In short, these models have two fundamental roles: to identify
factors that influence the decision making of the tourists and to enumerate the
stages of their decision making.

Schmoll Model
The Schmoll model emphasizes four successive fields which he believed exert
influences on the decision of tourists (Cooper and Fletcher, 1993).

Table 5 explains the factors (fields) influencing the decisions of tourists based on
Schmoll’s model.

Table 5. Factors Influencing the decision on tourists (Schmoll)

Field 1. Travel These comprise external stimuli that can awaken an
stimuli individual’s desire or need to travel in the form of promotional
stimulations, personal and trade recommendations.
Examples: advertising and promotion, travel literature,
suggestions, reports from other travelers, travel trade
suggestions and recommendations
 Field 2. Personal These determine customer goals in the form of travel desires
and social and expectations and the objective and subjective risks
determinants thought to be connected with travel.
Examples: socio-economic status, personality features, social
influences and aspirations, attitudes and values, motivations,
desires, needs and expectations

Field 3. External These involve the prospective traveler’s confidence in the

variables service provider, destination image, past experience and cost
and time constraints.
Examples: Confidence in travel trade intermediary,
destination service, previous travel experience, assessment of
objectives, subjective risks, constraints in time, cost, etc.
Field 4. These also have a bearing on the decision and its outcome.
Characteristics and Examples: cost/value relations, attractions/amenities offered,
features of the range of travel opportunities, quality / quantity of travel
service information, type of arrangement offered

Tourist Typologies
Tourist typologies refer to classifications of tourist based on their behavior. Over
the years, the number of tourist typologies has grown. It is an indicator of how
marketers have relied on understanding their consumers through their behavior.
These typologies serve as guide to tourism business owners as to what products,
services and facilities should be sold to certain tourists having the same
behavior. Marketers and planners as well as managers of tourism businesses
consider these typologies to guide their marketing, planning and development,
and management functions.

Several tourist typology models were developed by tourism experts and scholars.
Some of the more popular models include the following:

Plog’s Psychocentric-Allocentric Model

Stanley Plog classified tourists along a continuum with allocentrics on one end
and psychocentrics on the other end. Generally, allocentrics seek adventure
while psychocentrics seek the comforts of familiar surroundings in their tourism
experiences. Table 6 describes further the allocentric and psychocentric tourists.

Table 6. Psychocentric-Allocentric Model

PSYCHOCENTRICS ALLOCENTRICS
Dependables Venturers
Intellectually restricted Intellectually curious
Low risk-taking Moderate risk-taking
Withhold income Disposable income
Use well-known brands Try new brands
Territory bound Exploring/searching
Sense of powerlessness Feel in control
 Free floating anxiety/nervousness Relatively anxiety free
Non-active lifestyle Interest/involved
Non-adventurous Adventurous
Lacking in confidence Self-confident
Prefer familiar travel destination Prefer non-tourist area
Like common place activities Enjoy sense of discovery and delight in
new experiences before others have
visited the area
Prefer sun-and-fun spots, including Prefer novel and different destinations
considerable relaxation
Low activity level High activity level
Prefer destinations they can drive to Prefer flying to destinations
Prefer heavy tourist development (lots of Seek off-the-beaten path, little known
hotels, family-type restaurants, tourist local hotels, restaurants
shops, etc.)
Enjoy meeting and dealing with people
Prefer familiar atmosphere (hamburger from a strange or foreign culture
stands, familiar-type entertainment,
absence of foreign atmosphere)

Complete tour packaging, appropriate, Tour arrangement should include basics

with heavy scheduling of activities (transportation and hotels) and allow
considerable freedom and flexibility

Travel less Travel more frequently

Spend more income on material goods Spend more of income on travel
and impulse buys
Little interest in events or activities in Inquisitive, curious about the world and
other countries its peoples
Naïve, non-demanding. Passive traveler Demanding, sophisticated, active
traveler
Want structured, routinized travel Want much spontaneity in trips
Expect foreigners to speak in English Will learn language or foreign phases
before and during travels
Want standard accommodations and Tour accommodations should include
conventional (American) meals adequate-to-good hotels and food, not
necessarily modern or chain type hotels;
and few “tourist type” attractions
Buy souvenirs, trinkets, common items Buy native arts/crafts
Prefer returning to same and familiar Want different destinations for each trip
places
Enjoy crowds Prefer small numbers of people

Centrics is the third type of travelers according to Stanley Plog. Centrics occupy
a psychological middle ground between Dependables and Venturers. Most
travelers fall into this category. They like a little adventure in their lives but not
too much.
 Centrics

Dependables Venturers

Less daring More daring

Destinations
Travel only Prefer Comfortable Comfortable Prefer Travel to
to nearby familiar with familiar with less- unusual very unique
places places foreign known exotic places
destinations foreign places
destinations
Products
VFR Escorted tours Cruises Fly-drive Independent
Travel by car packages travel
Figure 5. The Plog Continuum

Cohen’s Tourist Typology

Eric Cohen categorized tourists into four: organized mass tourist, individual
mass tourist, the explorer and the drifter. This is similar to Plog’s model wherein
psychocentrics are further divided into organized and individualized and the
allocentrics into explorers and drifters.

Table 7. Cohen Tourist Categories

The organized mass tourist
Package tour fixed itineraries, planned stops, guided organizers making the
decisions
Familiarity at a maximum and novelty at a minimum
The individual mass tourist
Tour not planned by others
Tourist having some control over his/her itinerary and time allocations
Major arrangements made through travel intermediary of home country ways
and mixing little with locals
Dominant familiarity
The explorer
Tourist usually planning his/her own trips and trying to avoid developed
tourist attractions
Desire to mix with locals but still protected within the environmental bubble
Dominant novelty, tourist not fully integrating with locals
The drifter
Tourist plan their trip alone
Tourist avoid tourist attractions and live with the locals
Almost entirely immersed in the host culture, sharing its shelter, food and
habits
 Novelty is dominant and familiarity disappears

Global Travel Survey

This survey done in the United Kingdom in 2005 has a more general approach
to classifying tourists into adventurers, worriers, dreamers, economizers and
indulgers. These are based on how tourists perceive traveling.

Table 8. UK Global Travel Survey Tourist Classification

Adventurers
Are motivated to seek new experiences
Value diversity
Seek new activities, cultures and people
Are independent and in control
Travel plays a central role in their lives.
Don’t need to be pampered
“I feel confident that I could find my way around a city that I have never visited
before.” I really hate traveling with a group of people, even if they’re people I
know.”
Worriers
Suffer considerable anxiety about traveling
Travel is relatively unimportant to them.
Are not particularly adventurous
“Most traveling is too stressful for me.” “I worry a lot about home when I’m
away.” “I have a fear of flying”.
Dreamers
Are fascinated by travel
Their own travel tends to be more mundane than might be expected given their
travel ideas.
Their trips are oriented more toward relaxation than adventure.
Lack confidence in their ability to master the details of traveling
Anxious about the stresses of travel
“I feel like I have to travel to enjoy life fully.” “I like to be able to impress people
by telling them about the interesting places I’ve visited.” I really rely on maps
and guidebooks when I travel to a new place.”
Economizers
They travel primarily because they need a break; travel is not a central activity
for them.
Seek value in travel
Their experience of travel does not add meaning to their lives.
Their sense of adventure is low.
”Traveling first-class is a waste of money, even if you can afford it.”
Indulgers
Like to be pampered
Their travel is not a central or important experience
 Are generally willing to pay for a higher level of service when they travel
Do not find travel intimidating or stressful
“I don’t worry about how much things cost when I travel.” “it’s worth paying extra to
get the special attention I want when I travel.”

Pearce’s Traveler Category

Pearce developed 15 traveler categories based on major role-related behaviors.

Table 9. Major role-related Behaviors for 15 Traveler Categories.

Tourist
Takes photos, buys souvenirs, goes to famous places, stays briefly in one place, does
not understand the local people
Traveler
Stays briefly in one place, experiments with local food, goes to famous places, takes
photos, explores privately
Holidaymaker
Takes photos, goes to famous places, is alienated from society, buys souvenirs,
contributes to the visited economy
Jetsetter
Lives a life of luxury, is concerned with social status, seeks sensual pleasures, prefers
interacting with people of his/her own kind
Businessperson
Concerned with social status, contributes to the economy, does not take photos,
prefers interacting with people of his/her own kind, goes to famous places
Migrant
Has language problems, prefers interacting with people of his/her own kind, does not
understand the local people, does not live a life of luxury, does not exploit local people
Conversationist
Interested in the environment, does not buy souvenirs, does not exploit the local
people, explores places privately, takes photos
Explorer
Explores places privately, is interested in the environment, takes physical risks, does
not buy souvenirs, keenly observes the visited society
Missionary
Does not buy souvenirs, searches for the meaning of life, does not live a life of luxury,
does not seek sensual pleasures, keenly observes visited society
Overseas Student
Experiments with local food, does not exploit the local people, takes photos, keenly
observes the visited society, takes physical risks
Anthropologist
Keenly observes the visited society, explores privately, is interested in the
environment, does not buy souvenirs, takes photos
Hippie
Does not buy souvenirs, does not live a life of luxury, is not concerned with social
status, does not take photos, does not contribute to the economy
International athlete
Not alienated from own society, does not exploit the local people, does not understand
the local people, explores places privately, searches for the meaning of life
 Overseas journalist
Takes photos, keenly observes the visited society, goes to famous places, takes
physical risks, explores places privately
Religious pilgrim
Searches for the meaning of life, does not live a life of luxury, is not concerned with
social status, does not exploit the local people, does not buy souvenirs

Market Segmentation
Market segmentation is similar to tourist typology. It is another way of classifying
tourists and understanding them.

Segmentation is sort of grouping people with the same characteristics such as

geographic, demographic, psychographic and product-related characteristics.
Table 10 summarizes the different segmentation and the variables examined.

Table 10. Tourist Market Segmentation

Geographic segmentation Grouping of potential tourist is based on their
location
Example: Markets from Japan, China, Europe
Demographic segmentation Grouping is based on the tourist’s gender, age,
ethnicity, occupation, education, income,
household size and family situation.
Example: Senior Travel Market; Family; Single
Women; Yuppies
Psychographic segmentation Grouping is based on how tourists live and on their
priorities and interests
Example: allocentric, psychocentric
Product-related Grouping of tourists is based directly on what they
want and need in a particular good or service.
Example: Food Tourist, Adventurers,
Ecotourist
Segmentation
The segmentations indicated in Table 10 also provide the tourism industry with
another approach to understanding tourists. These segmentations are like boxes
wherein people with same characteristics are put together.

One final point

Review Questions A lesson you must keep in mind
is this: There’s no right or wrong
way to travel, no right or wrong
personality type, just different
Note: The review questions will serve as guide kinds of people who like
questions for recitation and assignments.
different kinds of things.
1. Discuss how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is used to understand tourists’
motivation to travel?

2. Compare the decision-making process models cited in this module.

Identify the model that reflects how your family or you and your friends
decide on which place to go for vacation.

3. Based on the psychocentric-allocentric model of Stanley Plog describe

what kind of tourist you are.

4. What are the different types of segmenting tourists?

 Self-Check

I. Identify the following activities if it describes an allocentric or a

psychocentric.

_________1. Dependables
_________2. Territory bound
_________3. Intellectually curious
_________4. High activity level
_________5. Like common place activities
_________6. Prefer heavy tourist development
_________7. Enjoy meeting and dealing with people from a strange or foreign
culture
_________8. Complete tour packaging
_________9. Travel more frequently
_________10. Enjoy crowds
_________11. Want different destinations for each trip
_________12. Will learn language before or during travels
_________13. Accommodation not necessarily modern or chain type
_________14. Expect host community to speak English
_________15. Prefer small number of crowds

II. Identify the types of tourist according to the Global Travel Survey the
following scripts below:

_________16. “I feel confident that I could find my way around a city that I have
never visited”
_________17. “Traveling first-class is a waste of money, even if you can afford it”
_________18. “I like to be able to impress people by telling them about the
interesting places I’ve visited”
_________19. “I don’t worry about how much things cost when I travel”
_________20. “Most traveling is too stressful for me”

Answer to Self-Assessment Questions: (please proceed to appendix A)

If you got…
20 CONGRATULATIONS! THAT WAS AN AWESOME JOB!
19-15 Very Satisfactory
14-10 Satisfactory
9 and below Please read the module again