THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRAVEL

A. MOTIVATION FOR TRAVELSeveral studies of tourist motivations have listed

various reasons why people travel. Some of these motivation listed in travel literature are:

-escape -convince oneself of one’s achievement-relaxation -show one’s importance to others-relief of tension -status and prestige-sunlust -self-discovery-physical -cultural-health -education-family togetherness -professional/business-interpersonal relations -wanderlust-roots or ethnic -interest in foreign areas-maintain social contacts -scenery

FOUR BASIC TRAVEL MOTIVATORS 1.) Physical motivators – includes those related

to physical rest, sports participation, beach recreation, relaxing entertainment, and other motivations directly connected with health.

2.) Cultural Motivators – include the desire to know about the other countries----their music, art, folklore, dances, paintings and religions.

3.) Interpersonal Motivators – pertain to the desire to meet other people, visit friends or relatives, escape form routine, from family, and neighbors.

4.) Status and prestige motivators – concern ego needs and personal development.

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.

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.

MASLOW’S THEORY OF MOTIVATION AND TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS

MASLOW’S THEORY OF MOTIVATION AND TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS 1.) Physiological Needs- hunger, thirst,

rest and 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

TOURIST MOTIVATIONS A. The Need for Escape or Change -the greatest reason for travel can be summed up in one word. “escape”.B. Travel for Health - the search

for health and long life has popularized the spas, seaside resorts, as well as sun resorts.

C. Sports - people demand activity and excitement during their leisure hours to relieve them from the boredom of their work.

D. Social Contact- Much travel grows out of the social nature of people. Human beings are social animals.

E. Status and Prestige- travel provides the means for ego or self-enhancement. Travel to a poor country can provide traveler with a feeling of superiority.

F. Travel for Education- the search for knowledge and truth is inherit in every individual. Travel offers an opportunity to satisfy the urge to learn.

G. Personal Values- many people urged to travel to satisfy personal values, such as the search for spiritual experience, patriotism, and whole-someness.

H. Cultural Experience- cross cultural exchanges, experiencing how other people live and fostering international understanding.

I. Shopping and Bargain Hunting- to many people, the joy derived from buying certain goods may be the major reason for travel.

J. Professional and Business Motives- a great number of professional and business motives. Conference and conventions about education, commerce, and industry increase annually.

K. Search for Natural Beauty- travel can satisfy one’s search for beauty in the environment and in the scenery.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF TRAVELERS BASED ON PERSONALITY 1.) Psychocentrics, or people centered

on self, are inhibited and unadventurous. When travelling, they prefer “safe” destinations.

2.) Allocentrics, or people having interest and attention on other persons, are highly curious and thrive on stimulation and change. More adventurous kind of traveler.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF TRAVELERS BASED ON PURPOSE OF TRAVEL A. Business Travelers

-majority of travelers in most developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are the business travelers.

They are divided into three categories namely:

1.) Regular Business Travelers- among business travelers, the cost of the trip is shouldered by the company; hence, travel is not influenced by personal income.

2.) Business Travelers Attending Meetings, Convention, Congresses- a regular formalized meeting of associations or body or a meeting sponsored by an association or body on a regular or ad hoc basis.

3.) Incentive Travelers- 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.

B. Pleasure/Personal TravelersThis group consists of people

traveling for vacation or pleasure. They are also called non-business travelers.

This kind of travelers are classified into the following categories:

1.) Resort Travelers- surveys have shown that resort travelers are better educated, have higher house-hold incomes, and are more likely to have professional and managerial positions.

2.) Family Pleasure Travelers- divided into 3 groups.The junior families. Parents aged 20-34 and

having a pre-school or grade school children only.

Mid-range families. Parents aged 35-44 with grade or high school children.

Mature families. Parents aged 45 and over with children who are of high school age and older. -

3.) The Elderly – these are the travelers age are “50 plus”

4.) Singles 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, enjoy the naturalness of life, and to express total freedom.

THE ROLE OF TOURISM IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Several developing countries have used

tourism development as an alternative to help economic growth. Reasons for these are: First, there is a continuous demand for international travel in developed countries. Second, as income in developed countries increases, the demand for tourism also increases at a faster rate. Third, developing countries need foreign exchange to aid their economic development.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has concluded that tourism provides a major opportunity for growth for countries that are at the intermediate stage of economic development and require more foreign exchange earnings

TOURISM MULTIPLIER The term multiplier is used to describe

the total effect, both direct and secondary, of an external source of income introduced into the economy. Tourism multiplier or multiplier effect is used to estimate the direct and secondary effects of tourist expenditures on the economy of a country.

COST BENEFIT RATIOThose concerned with developing

the tourism industry, whether a government or a private individual, would like to know the extent of potential benefits and their costs. Benefits divided by costs-benefit ratio.

To arrive at these ratios, the following procedures are used:

1. Determine where the tourist dollar is spent2. Determine what percentage of each expenditure

leaves the local economy3. Derive a “multiplier effect”, a ratio applied to

income that reflects multiple spending within an economy

4. Apply the multiplier effect to the tourist expenditures to arrive at the total benefits of tourist expenditures in dollars

5. Derive a cost-benefit ratio expressed as dollars received/ dollars spent; and

6. Apply the cost-benefit ratios to tourist expenditures to provide estimates of income and costs of tourist business to a community, for both the private and public sectors

THE SOCIAL NATURE OF TRAVEL Travel is brought about by the social nature

of man. Human beings, as social animals, feel comfortable in a tour group. They feel that their trips is more enjoyable and free from anxiety if they join a group tour. Camaraderie often develops friendships that last for a year.

THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF TOURISM Tourism is concerned with the movement of

and contact between people in different geographical locations.

SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES AND THEIR EFFECT ON TRAVEL A. Age B. Income and Social Status C. Education D. Life Stages of the Family

THE RISE OF NEW TRAVEL PATTERNS A. Travel Clubs B. Airline Group and Arrangements C. Special Interest Group