Tourism: Micro Perspective

• This module studies the micro perspective of tourism and hospitality
• It's an in-depth study of the tourism industry's market segments and client profiling, including travel motivations and aligning strategic and tactical business solutions

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the factors that motivate people to travel
• Understand the relationship of needs, wants, and motives to tourist motivation
• Describe the push/pull model in tourism
• Explain the relationship between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and travel motivations
• Identify traveler characteristics based on travel purpose
• Analyze travel constraints

What is Tourism?

• Tourism involves a person's movement from their usual environment to another place
• Travel must be for leisure, business, or recreation
• Trips last between 24 hours and 365 days

Psychology of Tourism

• It studies individuals acting as tourists, analyzing behavior concerning emotional factors, health, and well-being
• Psychology examines behavior, experiences, and relationships
• Social psychology focuses on individuals influenced by groups
• Environmental psychology considers the influence of physical settings

Motivation for Travel

• Motivations include escape, relaxation, relief of tensions, and sunlust
• It also includes physical and mental health, family togetherness, and interpersonal relations
• Roots/Ethnic considerations, maintaining social contacts, self-discovery, cultural or business interests are other motivations
• Showing achievements, importance to others, status, prestige and wanderlust can also be motivators.

Basic Travel Motivators

• Physical motivators: rest, sports, beach recreation, relaxation, and health-related activities
• Cultural motivators: desire to learn about countries, music, art, folklore, dances, etc.
• Interpersonal motivators: meeting people, visiting friends/relatives, escaping routine with family/neighbors
• Status/prestige motivators: ego needs and personal development through business, conventions, study, hobbies, and education enhancing recognition

Travel as a Means to Satisfy

• Vacation travel satisfies needs and wants, whether completely or partially
• Viewing travel as a way to satisfy needs/wants is key to understanding tourist motivation.

Needs, Wants, and Motives

• A need becomes a want through awareness, which requires motivation
• Motivation enables a person to act, especially when wanting to satisfy a need

Push/Pull Model

• This model explains human motivation through push and pull forces
• Internal factors or personal needs "push" people to travel
• External forces or attractions "pull" them to certain destinations

Push/Pull examples

• Push factors involve intangible desires generated within a person like the need to escape
• Pull factors are external travel stimulators like scenic beauty or events
• Travel is often motivated by both push and pull factors

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Abraham Maslow, a prominent psychologist, proposed a hierarchy of needs as determinants of behavior
• Psychological needs: hunger, thirst, rest, activity

Maslow's Hierarchy levels

• Safety needs: security, freedom from fear and anxiety
• Social needs: love, affection, giving and receiving
• Self-esteem: self-respect and esteem from others
• Self-actualization: personal self-fulfillment

Motivations Listed in Travel Literature

• Relaxation meets physiological needs
• Security meets safety needs
• Love and affection meet social needs
• Achievement and Status meet self-esteem needs
• Self-actualization meets self-fulfillment need

Tourist Motivations

• The need for escape or change: Seeking diversity and new experiences
• Travel for Health: Health tourism has grown due to medicine advancements that includes spas and seaside resorts
• Sports: Participating in, or spectating sports, is an attraction
• Social Contact: Travel for contact/communication due to the social nature of humans
• Status and prestige: Travel offers ego/self-enhancement and feelings of superiority

Travel for Education

• Satisfies learning urges by developing interest through observation
• Personal Values: Travel satisfies personal values like spiritual experience/patriotism.
• Cultural Experience: Seeking cultural experiences is a primary reason for international travel

Shopping and Bargain Hunting

• Travel may be driven by the satisfaction of buying goods, especially at low costs
• Professional and Business Motives: Engaging in works, profession and business purposes
• Search for Natural Beauty: Seeking beauty in the environment and scenery

Classification of Travelers

• Regular Business Travelers: Company sponsored, well-educated, high-level jobs, frequent flyers
• Business Travelers: Attending Meetings, Conventions, or Congresses
• Incentive Travelers: Rewards from firms given for accomplishments or as encouragement

Pleasure/Personal Travelers

• Resort Travelers: Well-educated with high incomes in professional/managerial positions
• Family Pleasure Travelers: Travel for educational experiences, new activities, and family bonding
• The Elderly: Active affluent individuals (50+) with money to travel extensively
• Singles and Couples: Fulfilling emotional, intellectual, and physical comfort

Travel Constraints

• Lack of money
• Lack of time
• Lack of safety and security
• Physical disability
• Family commitments
• Lack of interest in travel
• Fears of travel