SUMMARIZE THIS WHOLE CHAPTER

CHAPTER 1

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TOURISM

Learning Objectives: At the end of this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Discuss the factors that motivate people to travel. 2. Elucidate the relationship of needs, wants and motives to tourist motivation. 3. Describe the push/pull model. 4. Explain the relation between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the travel motivations listed in travel literature. 5. Describe the characteristics of psychometrics and allocentrics. 6. Identify the characteristics of travelers based on purpose of travel 7. Analyze the travel constraints. The Psychology of Travel A. Motivation of Travel Several studies on tourist motivations have listed various reasons why people travel. Some of the motivations listed in travel literature are 1. Escape 2. Relaxation 3. Relief of tension 4. Sun lust 5. Physical 6. Health 7. Family togetherness

8. Interpersonal relations 9. Roots or ethnic 10. Maintain social contacts 11. Convince oneself of one's achievements 12. Show one's importance to others 13. Status and prestige 14. Self-discovery 15. Cultural 16. Education 17. Professional/business 18. Wanderlust 19. Interest in foreign areas 20. scenery Four (4) Basic Travel Motivators 1. Physical motivators include those related physical rest, sports participation, beach recreations, relaxing entertainment, and other motivations directly connected with health. 2. Cultural motivators include the desire to know about other countries- their music, art, folklore, dances, paintings, and religion. 3. Interpersonal motivators pertain to desire to meet other people, visit friends, or relatives, escape from routine, from family, and neighbors. 4. Status and prestige motivators included in this group are trips related to business, conventions, study, and pursuit of hobbies and education. B. Travel as a Means to Satisfy a Need and Want The key to understand tourist motivation is to view vacation travel as a vehicle to satisfy one's needs and wants." Tourists do not go on vacations just to relax and had fun, to experience another culture, or to educate themselves and their children. They take vacations in the belief that these vacation will satisfy, either completely or partially, various needs and wants. C. Relationship of Needs, Wants, and Motives

The difference between a need and a want is awareness. It is the duty of people involved in marketing to convert needs into wants by making the individual aware of his need deficiencies. This awareness must be accompanied by motivation. A motive enables a person to do something.Motivation occur when an individual want to satisfy a need. To enable a person to be motivated to satisfy a need, an objective or goal must be present. An individual will be motivated to buy a product or service if he perceives that the purchase of that product or service will be beneficial in satisfying the need of which he is now aware. Thus, it is the role of marketing to suggest objectives such as vacations, cruises, or flights to satisfy needs, an awareness of which has already been created. Push/Pull Model The push/pull model explains the push and pull forces in human motivation. According to push/pull model, there are push and pull forces in human motivation. Internal factors or personal needs "push" people to travel, while external forces or attractions "pull" them to certain destinations. Much travel is motivated by both push and pull factors. For example, a college student has begun to feel the "push" to get away from college for rest and relaxation and the "pull" to travel to a sunny beach for escape, self-discovery, and scenic beauty. Push factors are the intangible desires that generate within the person. Examples are: need o escape, self-discovery, rest and relaxation, prestige, challenge, and adventure. Pull factors are external travel stimulators such as: scenic beauty, historical areas, cultural events, and sporting events. Maslow's Theory of Motivation and Travel Motivation A study of travel motivations found in travel literature indicates that these motivations fit into the hierarchy of needs model of Abraham Maslow, a famous psychologists. Maslow proposed the following hierarchy of needs as determinants of behavior. 1. Physiological Needs hunger, thirst, rest, activity; 2. Safety Needs safety and security, freedom from fear and anxiety; 3. Social Needs love, affection, giving and receiving

4. Self -Esteem self-respect, and esteem from others 5. Self-actualization personal self-fulfillment

This hierarchy suggests that lower needs demand more immediate satisfaction than the satisfaction of higher needs. The first need is physical; the other four are psychological. To this original list, two intellectual needs were added. These are: 1. To know and understand- acquiring knowledge; and 2. Aesthetics- appreciation of beauty Tourist Motivation A. The need for escape or change

The greatest reason for travel can be summed up in one word, "escape"- escape from the dull daily routine; escape from the familiar, the common place, the ordinary escape from the job, the boss, the customers, the house, and the accelerated pace of modern life. According to Russ Johnston, a marketing research director, everyone is searching for change. Travel can provide diversity. It removes a person from familiar surroundings to something that is new and exciting. For example, a business executive who travels with his wife from his home and stays overnight in a destination wishes to get away from the routines and demands of his family and profession. An employee who goes to a beach resort is looking for a change from the daily routine. B. Travel for health Development in the field of medicine has influenced travel for centuries, giving rise to the concept of health tourism. The search for health and long life has popularized the spas, seaside resorts, as well as sun resorts. Majority of people think of vacationing as a means of regaining one's energy, interest, and job enthusiasm for the job. The mineral water of different springs was believed to cure different ailments, such as rheumatism, heart and circulation disorders, diabetes, and problems of the kidneys and gall bladder. Health-related travel is not limited to trips to thermal springs. "Reducing ranches" attract middle-aged women with weight problems. Romania, with its restorative Gerovital attracts the elderly. American suffering from different maladies go to China or Hong Kong to undergo acupuncture or to the Philippines to consult faith-healers. As populations begin to age in industrialized societies, health tourism will become increasingly popular. C. Sports Interest in sports, either as a participant or a spectator is attracting large segments of the population. People demand activity and excitement during

their leisure hours to relieve them from the boredom of their work. They indulge in activities, such as hiking, surfing, scuba diving, mountaineering, and skiing. Millions attend a variety of games, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. The Olympic Games which is held every four years attract millions of tourists.

D. Social contact Much travel grows out of the social nature of people. Human beings are social animals. They need contact and communication with others. They feel comfortable in the tour groups have reunions after the tour took place. According to Charles Metelka, travel increases the "sociability resources" of individuals. It makes them more interesting to themselves and to others. E. Status and Prestige Travel provides the means for ego or self enhancement. Travel to a poor country can provide the traveler with a feeling of superiority. Travel can also provide a means of mingling with the wealthy and social elite. Much travel is done to keep up with the Joneses and to appear knowledgeable about foreign places. Being well-traveled enhances one's status in society. A trip to an out-of-the-ordinary destination adds glamour to one's personality. F. Travel for Education The search for knowledge and truth is inherent in every individual. Travel offers an opportunity to satisfy the urge to learn. Once an interest has been developed in a destination area, the urge to see that area emerges and the interest grows as knowledge increases.

Advertising generates interest in a destination but much more persuasive is the interest created by a good book, a movie, or a television program. When a person reads a book about a place, or sees a television program with that place as backdrop, he or she suddenly discovers a desperate desire to go there. James Michener's Hawaii undoubtedly caused thousands of readers to want to visit the islands. Many school teachers go to Europe every summer. College students also 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 Personal values are an important travel motivator. Many people are urged to travel to satisfy personal values; such as the search for spiritual experience, patriotism, and wholesomeness. Pilgrimages to religious sites or holy places such as the Vatican, Lourdes, Jerusalem, and Mecca are undertaken for spiritual reasons. Trips to Disneyland in Los Angeles and Tokyo and to Corregidor in the Philippines are made to satisfy personal values of wholesome environment and patriotism.

H. Cultural Experience Cross -cultural exchanges, experiencing how other people live and fostering international understanding are some of the reasons to satisfy curiosity about other cultures, lifestyles and places. Studies conducted among travelers abroad reveal that seeking a new cultural experience is a primary reason for international travel. North Americans are attracted to go to Europe because their ancestors came from there and their history classes are full of stories about it. In Europe, they can learn about its culture by viewing its cities and visiting its cathedrals and castles. Travelers may have the feeling of becoming part of the culture by attending a London Theater in England, by joining the bullfight crowd in Spain, or by drinking beer in Munich.

I. Shopping and Bargain Hunting The joy of buying certain goods may be the major reason for travel. J. Professional and Business Motives Conference and conventions about education, commerce, and industry increase annually.

K. Search for natural beauties Travel can satisfy one's search for beauty in the environment and in the scenery. The Learning Process of a Tourist An individual will buy a vacation package if he or she has learned that the purchase will satisfy an important need. The tourist compares various alternatives with a list of criteria to determine which alternatives will most likely satisfy a particular motive. The resulting inclination will have an effect on the decision to buy. This inclination may be positive or negative depending on how well a chosen alternative will meet the motivation. The number of alternatives will vary according to the characteristics of travelers. Travelers who have previously visited many foreign destinations have a large number of alternatives to choose from than those who have not. A destination will be included as an alternative if the destination has previously satisfied the traveler. The level of satisfaction depends on one's expectation of a situation, as well as one's perception of an actual situation. If the level of expectations is higher than the actual experience, the tourist will be dissatisfied. For the traveler to be satisfied with a product, service, or situation, the level of actual experience must be equal to or greater than the level of expectation. Hence, the level of service given to the vacationer must

be given great importance to assure a quality experience and a high level of satisfaction that will bring the traveler back. Effect of Consistency and Complexity on Leisure Travel Edward J. Mayo and Lance Jervis, in the Psychology of Leisure Travel, believed that individuals differ in the amount of psychological tension they can handle. Too much repetition or consistency results in boredom and a corresponding amount of psychological tension greater that he could handle. To reduce the tension, he will attempt to introduce some complexity in his life. This explains why a tourist, who for many years spent his vacation in a particular vacation spot, will either change the destination or the method of reaching it. Similarly, too much complexity may result in more tension than a person can endure. To reduce the level of tension, he will introduce consistency into that experience. For example, a Filipino tourist in Europe may find the different language and culture (complexity) need to be balanced by staying in a hotel chain with which he is familiar (consistency).

Classification of Travelers based on Personality A. Psychocentrics People centered on self, are inhibited and adventuresome. They have a strong desire for consistency and the familiar. When traveling, they prefer to visit "safe" destinations. They do not like to experiment with accommodations, food and entertainment. They look for experiences that will not result in personal stress or involve unusual situations. B. Allocentrics

People having interest and attention on other persons, are highly curious and thrive on stimulation and change. They have a strong need for variety and new experiences. When, traveling, they seek destinations that offer them an opportunity to experience totally different cultures and environments. They tend to accept challenges, meet the residents, tryout local foods and drinks and stay in native lodging. C. Midcentrics Persons with midcentric personality are not particularly adventurous, yet they are not afraid to try new experiences as long as these are neither too odd nor too challenging. Classifications of Travelers Based on Purpose of Travel The two major classifications of travelers based on travel purpose are the business travelers and the pleasure/personal travelers. A. Business travelers Majority of travelers in most developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are business travelers. They are divided into three categories, namely: 1. Regular business travelers Among business travelers, the cost of the trip is shouldered by a company; hence, travel is not influenced by personal income. The volume and rate of growth of business travel is not greatly affected by the cost of travel. This means that business travelers will continue even if the price of travel services increases. Many studies have been conducted to find out the characteristics of regular business travelers. The result of these surveys revealed that business travelers are well-educated, rich, have high-level jobs, and tend to fly often.

More recent surveys have shown that ration of women business travelers to men business travelers have grown rapidly. These surveys show that there are major differences between male and female business travelers. Some these are: Women business travelers are slightly younger. They tend to stay longer at their destinations. They are more apt to be unmarried than males. They are more likely to attend a meeting or convention. They are more likely to book through a travel agent. They have a greater preference for downtown accommodation facilities.

Many airlines and hotels are exerting efforts to cater to the business executive travelers. Airlines have been offering first-class seat service and first-class passenger lounges in airport terminals to these travelers for many years. More recent innovations include special check-in arrangements, bigger seats, and sleeper seats. Many hotel chains have begun to allocate whole floors or wings of their buildings for business travelers seeking greater luxury in their accommodations. The room or suites are more spacious, contain more personal "giveaways," and they provide their guests with complimentary dinks and express check-in and check-out service. Normally airline and hotel companies add a surcharge to their regular prices for business executive travelers. They have achieved greater marketing successes in doing so. Airlines, particularly in the United States, have begun to search out and reward frequent flyers by logging their air miles in airline computers. The rewards offered include discounts on future trips and sometimes even free trips. B. Business Travelers Attending Meeting, Conventions, and Congress Travel Pulse Surveys indicate that 20% of all business travel trips are for the purpose of attending meetings, conventions, and congresses. A congress, convention, or conference is a regular formalized meeting of associations or body or a meeting sponsored by an association or body on a regular or adhoc basis.

Conventions are classified into four kinds, namely: International, continental, national, and regional conventions. International conventionsusually involve members and nonmembers from more than two foreign countries, and they take place in different countries every year. They are generally nonprofit and attract persons with common field of interest. Continental Conventionshave delegates coming from a continental such as North America, Europe, or Asia. National Conventionsare meetings organized by associations at the state, provincial, or regional level. Normally, these organizations hold their conventions within their own regions. C. Incentive travelers Incentive travel is a special type of business travel. It is travel given by firms to employees as a reward for some accomplishment or to encourage employees to achieve more than what is required. Incentive trips have risen sharply according to the Society of Incentive Travel Executive (SITE). Salespeople are given trips for reaching a set goal in overall sale of a particular item or in the number of new accounts. Experts say that these incentive trips last for five days and usually include spouses. Prize trips are often combined with business and sales meetings, especially those to foreign destinations in order to be eligible for tax deduction. The most popular overseas destinations are Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Europe. Within the United States, the most popular incentive travel destinations are Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, California, and New Orleans. The increasing popularity of incentive travel has led to the establishment of incentive travel organizations. They negotiate with suppliers such as hotels and airlines to determine the cost of incentive travel trips. Thus, they act as specialized types of tour wholesalers. To their prices, they add a markup of 15% to 20% for their services and costs in packaging the incentive travel trip. 2. Pleasure/ Personal travelers

This group consists of people traveling for vacation or pleasure. They are also called nonbusiness travelers. Experiences and research have shown that nonbusiness travelers have different spending patterns from business travelers. In general, the demand for travel services by nonbusiness travelers is elastic with respect to prices. This means that nonbusiness travelers are very much concerned with the increase in the price of travel services since the cost of travel is usually shouldered by the traveler himself. The traveler likewise chooses the vacation area. Traveling for pleasure is the largest segment of the international market and the fastest growing. The reasons for the growth are the rising income levels in developed countries, urbanization, higher educational levels, increase in leisure time, and the length of paid holidays.

Pleasure/personal travelers are classified into the following categories. A. Resort traveler Surveys have shown that resort travelers are better educated, have higher household incomes, and are more likely to have professional and managerial positions. It is also notable that majority of resort travelers have families with children. B. Family pleasure traveler The family pleasure travelers can be divided into three groups, namely: Junior families, Midrange families, and mature families. These are defined according to the ages of the husband and wife and the educational stages of their children as follows.

1. Junior Families. With parents aged 20-34 having pre-school and/or grade school children only. 2. Midrange Families. With parents aged 35-44 with grade school and/or high school children only. 3. Mature Families. With parents aged 45 or over with children who are of high school age and older. C. The elderly An examination of population trends in developed countries particularly in North America clearly indicates that the population is aging. At present, there are many people who are fifty years of age and over, including a greater number of people in the retirement age category. These population shifts have made the elderly persons a lucrative target for tourism destination areas. Persons in the "50 plus" age bracket are called active affluents or people with the money and the desire to travel extensively. Active affluents generally search for learning experiences, cultural enrichment, socialization, and activities which lead to self-fulfillment.

D. Singles and Couples Another important segment of pleasure travel consists ofsingles and couples. They take their vacations to fulfill their psychological, intellectual, and physical needs by giving them the opportunity to rest, relax, escape the routine of pressures of daily living, and enjoy the naturalness of life, and to express total freedom. A resort chain that targets singles and couples is the Club Mediterranean. Club Med is not the only organization which taps the singles and couples pleasure travel segment; other resorts and destinations particularly in the Caribbean region have also targeted this market segment. Travel Constraints The main constraints to travel are: 1. Lack of Money- is the major travel constraint. Less money means less travel. The wealthy members of society are the ones who travel most. 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 is another inhibiting factor to tourist travel. The desire to travel and the financial ability to travel are insufficient if one does not have the tome to travel. A senior company executive may have plenty of money to spend but very little time available. A combination of time and money must be present for travel and tourism to take place. 3. Lack of Safety and Security- Lack of security in public places, hotels, and travel centers cause people to prefer to remain in the security of their neighborhood and home. Areas may acquire the reputation of being dangerous and thus become less desirable travel destinations as what has happened in the Philippines, the Caribbean, and parts of Mexico, Spain and Italy, where there has been a sharp increase in the number of thefts, robberies, shootings, and assaults among the local people. Tourists will not go to destinations that they consider unsafe. 4. Physical Disability- Physical disability in the form of bad health or physical handicap may keep people at home. Elderly who are more susceptible to illnesses such as heart trouble, hypertension, arthritis, and bronchitis travel less. After the age of 70, very few travel because for most of them, long trips are tiring, changes in food are upsetting, and a strange bed may cause sleeplessness. 5. Family Commitments- Family commitments inhibit travel. Parents with young children find it inconvenient and expensive to go on holiday. During the child-rearing period, family obligations increase significantly for women and to a similar but lesser degree, for men. Travel is curtailed and more time is spent at home. Indeed, family commitments of any kind, whether it be young children, taking care of the sick, or looking after older people really affects travel. 6. Lack of Interests in Travel- This is mainly due to a preference to simply stay at home. This condition may be due to a variety of factors, such as dislike of travel, shyness in meeting people, dislike of changing routine, and many more.

7. Fears of Travel- Some people do not want to travel because of fears of travel. Fear of flying is quite common and accounts for many people who insist on driving to a vacation area instead of boarding a plane. Fear of the unknown keeps many people from leaving their own country or even their own city. Many travelers are afraid to go to countries where they cannot understand the language. Some potential travelers are afraid of the unfamiliar decisions they will have to make in a strange place such as how much to tip and how to get around a strange city. All these fears are deterrents to travel.

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