Micro Perspective of Tourism & Hospitality

The Psychology of Travel

A. Motivation for Travel

Several studies on tourist motivations have listed various reasons why people travel. The
following are the Tourist Motivations for Travel

A. Need for Escape or Change

The greatest reason for travel can be summed up in one word , “escape”
 Escape from the daily (dull) routine
 Escape from the familiar
 Escape from the job, the boss, customers
 Escape from the house
 Travel can provide diversity, it gives a person something that is new and exciting.

B. Travel for Health

 Development in modern medicine gave rise to the concept of health tourism.
 The search for long health & long life has popularized spas.
 Travel to China or Hongkong due to acupuncture or to the Philippines to consult to faith-
healers.
 The mineral water of different springs was believed to cure different ailments
 Majority of people think that travel regains one’s energy.

C. Sports
 Interest in sports, whether as a participant or as spectator, is attracting large segments of
the population.
 Hiking, scuba diving, skiing, games such as basketball, baseball etc…
 The Olympic Games w/c is held every four years attract millions of tourists.

D. Social Contact
 Much travel grows out of the “social nature” of people.
 They need contact & communication with others. They feel comfortable in a tour group;
where they develop friendships.

E. Status and Prestige

 Travel provides the means for ego and self-enhancement.
 Much travel is keep up and appear knowledgeable about foreign places.
 Being well-traveled enhances one’s status in the society & adds glamour to one’s
personality.

F. Travel for Education

 Travel offers an opportunity to satisfy the urge to learn.
 Advertising generates interests in a destination but much more persuasive is the interest
created by a good book, a movie or a television show (telenovela)

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  College students go in large numbers either on their own or as part of study groups
sponsored by universities, thus students combine travel with learning and receive
academic credit for doing so

G. Personal Values
 Many people are urged to travel to satisfy personal values, such as spiritual experience,
patriotism & wholesomeness.
 Pilgrimage to religious sites or holy places are undertaken for spiritual reasons.
 Trips to Disneyland satisfy personal value of wholesome entertainment.

H. Cultural Experience
 Cross cultural exchanges, experiencing how other people live & fostering international
understanding are some of the reasons to satisfy curiosity about other culture & lifestyles.

I. Shopping & Bargain Hunting

 To many people, the joys derived from buying certain good may be the major reason for
travel. Ex: Black Friday in USA and DSF in UAE.
 Bargain hunting or being able to get merchandise at a low cost is a travel motivator.
 Tourists shop not only “on the trip”, but also for a particular trip.

J. Professional and Business Motives

 More than 0ne-half of the all airline travel is done by business travelers.
 Approximately 60-70% of guests who check in at 5-star hotels around the world travel
for business reasons.
 Ex: a tourist may be attending convention in Las Vegas, but may spend half of his time
gambling in a casino.

K. Search for Natural Beauty

 Travel can satisfy one’s search for beauty in the environment and in the scenery.
 Most people are inspired by the beauty of nature

Four Classes of Basic Travel Motivators

1. Physical motivators – include those related to:
 Physical rest
 Sports participation
 Beach recreation
 Relaxing entertainment
 Other motivations directly connected with health

2. Cultural Motivators – include the desire to know about other countries, their music, art,
folklore, dances, paintings & religion

3. Interpersonal Motivators - pertain to the desire to meet other people, visit friends or relatives,
escape from routine

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4. Status and Prestige – concern ego needs and personal development, included in this are trips
related to business, conventions, study and pursuit of hobbies and education.
Travel would enhance one’s recognition and good reputation.
Japan Study Tour

Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

and Travel Motivations
Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Travel Needs & Motivations

Need Motive Tourism Related Activities

Physiological Recreation Escape, Relaxation, Relief of tension

Safety Security Health , Keep oneself active and healthy in

the future

Social Love & Affection Family togetherness, Enhancement of

relationships, Ethnic roots, Maintain social
contacts

Self-esteem Achievement Status One’s achievements. Prestige, Ego

enhancement, Business

Self-actualization Personal fulfilment

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Classification of Travelers Based on Purpose of Travel
The two major classifications of travellers based on travel purpose are the :

A. Business Travelers – they are divided into three categories, namely:

1. regular business travellers
2. business travellers attending meetings, conventions & congress
3. incentive travellers

Regular Business Travelers- the cost of the trip is shouldered by a company; hence travel is not
influenced by personal income.
 The volume & rate of growth of business travel is not greatly affected by the cost of
travel.
 This means that business travellers will continue even if the price of travel increases.
Characterisitics of regular business travellers
1. well educated
2. rich
3. have high-level jobs
4. tend to fly often
Most recent surveys have shown that ratio of women business travellers to men business
travellers have grown rapidly.
Major differences between male and female business travellers:
1. Women business travelers are slightly younger.
2. They tend to stay longer at destinations.
3. They are more apt to be unmarried than males.
4. They are more likely to attend a meeting or convention.
5. They are more likely to book through a travel agent.
6. They have a greater preference for downtown accommodation
facilities closer to work.
7. They are more concerned with security aspects of accommodation facilities.
Notes:
 Many airlines & hotels are exerting efforts to cater to the business travelers.
 Airlines have been offering first-class seat service & first-class passenger lounges in
airport terminals.
 Most recent innovations include special check-in arrangements , bigger seats.
 Many hotel chains have begun to allocate whole floors or wings of their buildings for
business travellers seeking greater luxury in their accommodations. Rooms are more
spacious & contain more personal “giveaways” & express check-in and check-out
service.
 Normally, airline & hotel companies add a surcharge to their regular prices for business
executive travellers.

Business Travelers Attending Meetings, Conventions, Congresses – 20% of all business travel
trips (source: Travel Pulse ) are for the purpose of attending meetings, conventions and
congresses.

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Incentive Travelers – special type of business travel. It is given by firms to employees as a
reward for some accomplishment or to encourage employees to achieve more than what is
required.
 Incentive trips usually last for five days and usually include spouses.

B. Pleasure / Personal Travelers

This group consists of people travelling for vacation or pleasure. They are also called as
nonbusiness travellers.
 They different spending patterns ; travel services is elastic, meaning they are very much
concerned with increase in the price of travel services , since the cost of travel is usually
shouldered by the traveller himself.
 The traveller likewise chooses the vacation area.
Traveling for pleasure is the largest segment of the international market and the fastest
growing. The reasons are :
1. rising income levels in developed countries
2. urbanization
3. higher educational levels
4. increase in leisure time & length of paid holidays
Categories of Pleasure/Personal Travelers
1. resort travellers
2. family pleasure travellers
3. the elderly
4. single and couples

1. Resort Travelers
Surveys have shown that resort travellers are better educated, have higer household
incomes and more likely to have professional or managerial positions. It is also notable that
majority of resort travellers have families with children.

2. Family Pleasure Travelers

Three groups of Family Pleasure Travelers
a. Junior families – with parents aged 20-34 having preschool and/
or grade school children
b. Midrange families – with parents aged 35-44 with grade school and / or
high school children only.
c. Mature families – with parents aged 45 or over with children who are of high school
age and older.

Three Objectives of Family/Pleasure Trips

a. To use travel as an educational experience for their children
b. To do something different
c. To bring the family together

3. The Elderly – persons who are “50 plus” age bracket and are called active affluents or people
with money & the desire to travel extensively.

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4. Singles and Couples – they take their vacations to fulfil their psychological, intellectual and
physical needs by giving them opportunity to rest, relax, escape and routines of pressures of
daily living, enjoy the naturalness of life and to express total freedom.

Travel Constraints
1. Lack of Money - less money means less travel. People with more disposable income will be
able to travel more than those who just earn enough to live on.
2. Lack of time – lack of available time. Financial ability are insufficient if one does not have the
time to travel.
3. Lack of Safety and Security – lack of security in public places, hotels and travel centers cause
people to remain in the security of their neighbourhood and home. Tourist will not go to
destinations that they consider unsafe.
4. Physical Disabilty – bad health or physical handicap may keep people at home. Elderly are
more susceptible to this, age 70 and above travel less because long trips are tiring, changes in
food are upsetting and strange bed may cause sleeplessness.
5. Lack of Interest in Travel – mainly due to preference to simply stay at home; maybe due to
dislike of travel, shyness in meeting people, dislike of changing routine etc.
6. Fears – fear of flying is quite common , some people prefer land travel than air travel. Fear of
the unknown keeps people from travelling. Many travellers are afraid to go to countries where
they cannot understand the language and some fear on getting around an unfamiliar city/place.

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