Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 22.2
Advantages of prospect theory.
(Butler 1980). Another important argument in changing tastes in tourism is analysis derived
by Pearce and Lee (2005) based on travelling motivation and experience. Changing tastes in
tourism are inherent to Plog's (1974) tourist typologies, which describe a novelty seeking scale
(in addition to that of Cohen 1972).
Following the CCB and Characteristic theory (Gorman 1980; Lancaster 1966) economic
factors must be explained by basic
constraints
for decision-making, which are money (consumer's
budget constraint) and time. However, there is strong evidence that within tourism the product
must be regarded as multifaceted (Echtner and Jamal 1997; Gaburn and Jafari 1991; Jafari and
Ritchie 1981; Jafari 1990, 2001, 2002; Tribe 1997) and includes not only economic restrictions
but also psychological and social constraints. Among research on constraints, Blazey (1987)
examined how age (particularly adults over 55 years old), health and presence of a travel com-
panion infl uence each other and can restrict consumer choices; health and money are also
restrictors found by Fleischer and Pizam (2002) among Israeli seniors; Pennington-Gray and
Krestter (2002) and Nyaupane, Morais and Graefe (2004) found that personal fears constrain
participation in specifi c activities (such as skiing); Woodside Krauss, Caldwell and Chebat (2006)
conclude that the primary decision of travelling, the one that dictates whether a person travels
or not, is infl uenced by a person's context and lifestyle. Silva and Correia's (2008) study, based on
southeast Portugal citizens, suggests that besides the structural inhibitors of time and money,
intrapersonal motivation and interpersonal factors are determinant in tourism choices.
The classical theory can only function within a
competitive environment
where the producers
act as pathetic price takers, who are incapable of coordinating their strategies or of manipulating
tourist fl ows. However, Papatheodorou (2001) argues that suppliers are able to reap the advantages
of their oligopolistic power to the detriment of consumers and destinations. As was mentioned
above, the main carrier of the consumer
utility
in CCB is stated wealth. Thus, prospect theory
brings to us value function which defi nes individuals' perceptions of gains and losses. At the same
time perception can be explained through motivation and its components, namely objective
attributes, social motivations and own motivations.
Furthermore, the tourist has
cognitive ability and is able to evaluate all alternatives
(
certainty
).
However, Decrop (1999) shows that tourists are incapable of perceiving and evaluating all
