Motivation for Pleasure Travel - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 207

understand the value of this kind of academic revision. Some commentary and criticisms of a theory
or approach do not necessarily mean all of it is wrong or, more simply, that academics disagree.
Instead, it is more useful to see the comments as a part of a constructive process. For example, the
travel-career ladder model is currently being enhanced by referring to the system as travel-career
patterns, an approach that retains the multimotive focus but that accounts for some recent findings
that inexperienced travelers emphasize all motives whereas experienced travelers are more
selective in their ratings of motivation statements. Further, initial work suggests that a core spine
of motives (curiosity, relationships, relaxation) exists in everyone s motivation, and extensions to

this core vary with experience. Tourism students have a rich opportunity to participate in the
development of ideas in this field in graduate study as researchers develop this area of tourism
analysis in the next decade.

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SUMMARY

This chapter has argued that a theory of tourist motivation such as the travel-needs approach helps
summarize existing statements and ideas about the motives of travelers. It can also be useful in
answering the questions:

& Why do certain groups of travelers seek particular holiday experiences?
& Why do certain groups of travelers travel to destination X?

The chapter has stressed that these questions will not have one simple answer, but rather that
different groups of individuals will place different weightings on a structured set of answers, producing
shifting patterns of motivation. For example, young teenagers emphasize the motives of stimulation
and relationships in visiting theme parks, while young couples emphasize developing relationships and
the need for relaxation. For other travelers

— for example, those exploring exotic locations and

participating in more diverse forms of tourism a wider range of motives including self-development,

mastery, curiosity, escape, and self-ful llment will be involved. 19
Travel motivation studies can be the basis of many consumer analyses in tourism. A good
motivational pro le of visitors should be of assistance in understanding how well the destination
characteristics fit the needs of the travelers. The key to linking travel motivation studies to other
tourism studies such as destination choice lies in analyzing the activities offered by the destination
and the activities that ful ll the travelers

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motives. Thus, if visitors strongly motivated by the need
to enhance their understanding of art and history visit well-managed, high-quality cultural
attractions, then satisfaction is likely. A mismatch can also occur, such as the unfortunate visitor
to a tropical island who is seeking peace and quiet but is instead assaulted by a tourism product that
is set up for those seeking a party lifestyle

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that is, stimulation, excitement, and new relationships.
As tourism grows into an increasingly sophisticated consumer industry, the value of understanding
the needs of travelers will increase and the motivation of tourists will become a driving part of all
tourism studies.

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E KEY CONCEPTS E

consumers
destination attributes
discipline of psychology
Grand Tour
history
Maslow

motivation
needs
physiological needs
psychological theories
relationship needs
safety/security needs

self-development needs
self-esteem needs
tourism experience
travel motivation
travel-needs model