Tourist Motivation
There is no one approach or model that is widely accepted as the standard for
assessing tourist motivation. This is due to the diverse combination of products and experiences that comprises the tourism industry, and the associated wide range of tourist interests and needs. Motivations and needs also change over time, such as over
the course of a lifetime, from one trip to the next, and from one activity to the next on the same trip.
In addition, many tourists are not aware of what motivates them to
take a certain trip or visit a particular attraction, except in the most general of terms which typically include recreation, relaxation, education and escape from their work-a-day world.
One example of a tourist motivation model that incorporates significant elements of supply is that suggested by Mayo and Jarvis (1981). They proposed that travel motivation can be divided into the following four types, based on what the tourists most wish to gain, see or experience in the trip. More than one of these can occur at the same time, though one tends to be more prominent than the others for any single trip.
1. Physical Motivators: The desire for physical rest, sports participation, beach recreation, relaxing entertainment and health considerations.
2. Cultural Motivators: The desire for knowledge of other countries, including their music, art, folklore, dances, paintings and religion.
3. Interpersonal Motivators: The desire to meet new people; to visit friends or relatives; to escape from routine, family, or neighbors; or to make new friendships away from the home setting; to experience anomie (which refers to social interactions in an anonymous setting).
4. Status and Prestige Motivators: The desire for recognition, attention, appreciation and a good reputation among family, friends and acquaintances in the home setting. (This is also referred to as ego enhancement.)
The advantage of this approach is that participation in specific activities can be used to classify motivations. Visitation to a museum is, therefore, an indication of a cultural motivation, while going to a beach would be a type of physical motivation.
The attachment of motivation to activities facilitates the easy collection of data on tourist behavior at its most apparent level, making this approach preferred by local and national tourism boards
There is no one approach or model that is widely accepted as the standard for
assessing tourist motivation. This is due to the diverse combination of products and experiences that comprises the tourism industry, and the associated wide range of tourist interests and needs. Motivations and needs also change over time, such as over
the course of a lifetime, from one trip to the next, and from one activity to the next on the same trip.
In addition, many tourists are not aware of what motivates them to
take a certain trip or visit a particular attraction, except in the most general of terms which typically include recreation, relaxation, education and escape from their work-a-day world.
One example of a tourist motivation model that incorporates significant elements of supply is that suggested by Mayo and Jarvis (1981). They proposed that travel motivation can be divided into the following four types, based on what the tourists most wish to gain, see or experience in the trip. More than one of these can occur at the same time, though one tends to be more prominent than the others for any single trip.
1. Physical Motivators: The desire for physical rest, sports participation, beach recreation, relaxing entertainment and health considerations.
2. Cultural Motivators: The desire for knowledge of other countries, including their music, art, folklore, dances, paintings and religion.
3. Interpersonal Motivators: The desire to meet new people; to visit friends or relatives; to escape from routine, family, or neighbors; or to make new friendships away from the home setting; to experience anomie (which refers to social interactions in an anonymous setting).
4. Status and Prestige Motivators: The desire for recognition, attention, appreciation and a good reputation among family, friends and acquaintances in the home setting. (This is also referred to as ego enhancement.)
The advantage of this approach is that participation in specific activities can be used to classify motivations. Visitation to a museum is, therefore, an indication of a cultural motivation, while going to a beach would be a type of physical motivation.
The attachment of motivation to activities facilitates the easy collection of data on tourist behavior at its most apparent level, making this approach preferred by local and national tourism boards