Travel Motivation and Market Segmentation in the Tourism Industry - Essay Example

Tourism in the 20th century as the business of attracting visitors and catering to their needs has grown as the world’s largest industry surpassing autos, steel, electronics, and agriculture (Sirgy & Su, 2000). It is undoubtedly a large source of foreign exchange, employment and income. Tourism is about people; it is social phenomenon. Tourism being a high foreign exchange earner, all attention, and resources are diverted to this industry. The word ‘tourism’ has always been a pleasant connotation, something to look forward to, something exciting and relaxing. With the changes in the structure of the society, more purchasing power in the hands of the people, rightly associated with more stress, tourism worldwide has grown beyond proportions. It is now declared as an industry like any other industry. Motivation has always been an important consideration in the field of tourism (Pearce & Lee, 2005). Motivation is seen as the driving force behind all actions. Travel motivation is challenging because of the different human needs. The purpose of travel is no more just business or pleasure. The tourist visitation patterns and the result of a destination choice pattern are influenced by the tourists’ motives and backgrounds. Tourist motivation can be defined "as the global integrating network of biological and cultural forces which gives value and direction to travel choices, behavior and experience" (Pearce, Morrison & Rutledge, 1998 cited by Espinoza). A desire for novelty and difference, the curiosity to remove the myths about exotic places gives tourism a boost. Tourism ranges from Jerusalem to Bangkok and shapes politics, creates identities, and manufactures history. Today we hear of spiritual tourism, health tourism, nature tourism, casino tourism, sex tourism, dark or grief tourism, sustainable tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, space tourism and heritage tourism. This paper will discuss how different forms of tourism have come into existence to meet different needs of the tourists especially in the context of New York as a tourist destination. Market segmentation in the tourism industry is based on travel motivation factors. A study conducted on Switzerland as a destination revealed that the number of leisure trips that any person undertook and the duration of the trips have reduced. These have been related to significant time constraints in certain segments of the traveling public. This is an indication that Switzerland’s travel market has entered the maturity stage. It also demonstrates that segmentation of market by grouping customers with homogenous needs and motivations helps to define quality perception since it is necessary to deliver quality that is anticipated (Bieger & Laesser, 2002). Segmentation criteria in this industry can include the purpose of travel, buyer needs, price, and user demographic, economic, geographic or psychographics characteristics. Hence segmentation becomes important and it should be measurable, viable and appropriate. As early as 1971, Lundberg had produced a bundle of 18 motivations which assumed to influence travel. This was later reduced to nine by Crompton in 1979 after series of interviews and they were broadly classified as “socio-psychological” and two as “cultural”. Segmentation of travelers on the basis of motivation has been found to one of the most effective methods. The push and the pull factors also determine demand and hence lead to better segmentation. Push factors are those which provide an impetus to make a trip (Josiam, Smeaton & Clements, 1999). Once the need has been induced, destination becomes the question. Pull factors are destination-specific. It is based on the assumption that people are pushed by their own internal, psychological forces and pulled by the external forces of the destination attributes (Bieger & Laesser, 2002; Yoon & Uysal, 2003). Push motivation is the desire to escape, for rest and relaxation, prestige, health and fitness, adventure and social interaction or family togetherness. Studies have revealed that the pull factors or the motivation to travel differs across people from different countries. Some of the factors that influence the choice of destination and travel include comfort, sports, culture, family, nature, adventure, sun, self-development and heritage. For instance, those living in snowbound and harsh areas would prefer areas where they could enjoy warm weather. Here there are several choices open to an individual. Some would prefer destination A and some others destination B. The pull factors must meet the needs of the individual that underlie the push factors driving the traveler. Once needs have been activated the generated motivation constitutes a major parameter in expectation formation (Gnoth, 1997). Expectations determine the performance perception of the services and the perception of experiences. Thus motivation impacts satisfaction levels and maximizing tourist satisfaction levels is essential for business success. Hence the entire process involves motivation and intent formation, the actual behavior and experience and finally evaluation. Based on these concepts of motivation, tourism industry has grown to cater to individual needs. Visitor image is very important for the destination. New York has everything to offer – diversity, culture and style (Iloveny, 2007). New York State has miles of rivers, lakes, oceans and state parks. There are Broadway shows, shopping and fine dining. In fact it has got everything that a discerning tourist may need or expect. It has something for every palate, every motivation. Tourists would derive satisfaction as their motivation to travel and their expectations would be met in full. Studies have revealed that almost 40 percent of the people of the nation have a positive image of New York and it was the most desired tourist destination (CNN, 2001). Low crime rate is a part of the attraction to New York. The food and restaurant segment in the New York city is a great attraction for the tourists from within the country who come to spend the weekend in New York. The motivation to travel is the comfort and luxury, family outing and togetherness. They all converge at Spice Market and Tao and Balthazar, which demonstrates the motivation for travel (Defoe, 2005). Tourism is an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition (Johnson, 1996). This framing has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs. Tourism’s framing of history has assumed increased significance that has led to the emergence of heritage tourism (or gazing in the past). Heritage tourism raises doubts about authenticity and about representation of geographical and historical knowledge. There have been allegations that local events are highlighted as national, political and cultural processes which leads to the contention that heritage tourism is merely and invariably ‘bogus history’. Heritage has undergone a process of industrialization and the modern tourist seeks escape. As he is alienated, he seeks authenticity. One form of escape from the anxieties of the modern day life is the experience of the past, which is now packaged and sold as authentic. Museums offer the chance to step back in time and experience what life was but the commoditization has altered the events and histories to pacify the modern taste. Fortunately the costumes, buildings and the artefacts remain the same. Museums serve ‘as a potent social metaphor and as a means whereby societies represent their relationship to their own history and that of other cultures’ (Johnson, 1996). The motivation to travel in this case is identification with the cultural heritage, recognizing one’s identity and learning at the heritage. The 102-storey Empire- State building is another attraction in New York. Almost 13,000 visitors take the view on a typical day. The demand is so heavy that the management charges double the fee for those who want to escape the regular queue (Defoe, 2005). The Statue of Liberty is the American symbol of freedom and was gifted to the United States in honor of the friendship established during the French Revolution (Cross, 2007). Prentice and Andersen (2007) cite Franklin who contends heritage is a serious business of the everyday because it is concerned with who we are, how we will be and how we make sense of the cultural world we find ourselves in. Museums have functions beyond the collection, preservation and conservation. They can serve to renew citizenship through cultural diversity and imagining. Traditionally museums wanted to encourage cognitive benefits through visiting, which culminated in educating the visitor. As the visitor’s interest is captured, he is tempted to ask questions; as his curiosity is aroused, he is inspired to find out more. Over the past decade emotional responses have also been sought leading to insight. As one feel emotional, it involves the declaration of one’s inner identity. Tourists are attracted to museums where artefacts are familiar or can be imagined in use in familiar ways. In New York the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 2-million-square-foot home to works by artists is a great tourist attraction even today (Defoe, 2005). The Ellis Island Immigration Museum offers a look into the immigrant experience (Cross, 2007). Human mind is creative and forever looks for change, challenge and adventure. Human beings nurture a desire to be challenged, to seek adventure and to undertake activities that have an uncertain outcome and carry risk (Allen-Craig, n.d.). They also have a desire to be protected from injury and death and the right to claim compensation of some sort. They want to experience the thrill of the adventure but not the essence of risk. This pursuit for adventure has paved the way towards a new form of tourism, commonly known as adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is about gaining thrills, excitement and accomplishment. Adventure travel is strenuous, and involves outdoor travel to remote or uninhabited locations, usually in the midst of nature and involves risks, effort and commitment (Eagles, 1995). Adventure tourism could involve physical activities or it could be associated with contact with nature or different cultures. The settings too are varied in adventure tourism which could be a remote or rural setting, could be in wilderness, outdoor or involve unusual or exotic locations. It can take place on the land, sea, mountains or air. Mountain climbing, white-water rafting, trekking, deep-sea diving, mountain biking, kayaking, wildlife tourism and ecotourism also come under the fold of adventure tourism. All these demonstrate that adventure tourism is characterized by level of risk, uncertainty of outcome and involves training. The core characteristics of adventure tourism include challenge, uncertain outcomes, risk, anticipated rewards, stimulation and excitement, escapism and separation, and are full of contrasting emotions. One of the fastest growing sectors in adventure tourism is space tourism which falls under the category of adventure tourism. Those who involve themselves in adventure tourism are explorers of unspoilt, exotic parts of the plant and who seek challenges (Millington et al., 2001 cited by Bentley, Page & Macky, 2007). New York offers such attractions like biking tours and is also meant for those who love an outdoor experience because the city has much to offer in that segment. The city offers dinner cruises, bike tours, and then there are the zoological parks and the botanical gardens. Adventure tours like canoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, skiing, fishing, mountain biking, and for those interested even study tours in geology, flora, and fauna are all offered. These are all packaged along with food, equipment, camps and rescue training program. These are offered as day trip or overnight trips as per individual requirement (Marchuk, n.d.). Dark tourism’ is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main them (Stone, 2005). The phrase dark tourism was coined in 1997 (MacMillan 2002) to describe the phenomenon of people traveling to the scene or place of disaster to see for themselves the place where it happened. There was massive outpouring of public grief in the months following the death of Princess Diana in August 1997. People’s extravagant display of public sorrow for individuals they have never met led to the movement being called dark tourism. The words grief tourism and grief tourists were subsequently associated with visitors to the site in New York where the Twin Towers were demolished on 11th September 2001. It was in 2002 that the terms grief tourism and grief tourists first began to emerge as people flocked to Soham in Cambridgeshire following the deaths of two young schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, who were tragically murdered by the caretaker of their local school. The term is not widely used even today although a lot of travel does take place in what can be termed as dark tourism. If the local sightseeing brochures of any country are looked into, the major sightseeing places covered include forts (from war was fought), the memorials (victims of war), tombs (of martyrs or heroes), the birth place or the disaster locations. All these ultimately amount to what today is known as dark tourism. Dark tourism is an old concept in a new world Tourism (Stone 2005). Essentially the dark tourism concept examines the attraction of death, disaster, and atrocity, and its associated suffering through a plethora of dark tourist sites and exhibitions. Ground Zero (the location of the Twin Towers) is the most popular tourism attractions in the New York City. The tour guide charges $15 per head to point out where the fire-fighters raised the flag. Within months, the site was flushed with hawkers having souvenirs on sale ranging from Ground Zero NYC T-shirts and baseball caps to Day of Terror commemorative books and DVD montages of the disaster. Does this allow visitors to pay their respects or do people capitalize on the tragedy? When tourists visit Taj Mahal or the Pyramids it is not called dark tourism, then why for the Twin Towers? This means that with time memories of death and disaster is banished from the mind and it ceases to be a dark spot. In this case even Ground Zero, over a period of time would cease to be a part of ‘grief tourism’. Or perhaps disasters like these would continue to carry the label of grief tourism because the phrase has come into existence only with recent events. Thus it is evident that when the push factors arose in an individual he decides on the destination. New York as a destination has immense potential and has everything on offer right from heritage tourism, museums, parks and nature, adventure, to even dark tourism. For those whishing to relax in style there are numerous luxury hotels with find dinning and Broadway shows. New York offers excitement, enraptures the tourist, educates them on its heritage and has plenty of adventure activities. Everything is being offered as a package which helps in boosting the local economy as well. Even Ground Zero has become a very popular tourist destination where the push factor is their own psychological need and the pull factor is the attributes of the destination. An individual looks for intrinsic motivation and then decides on the destination. He then measures his experience from his expectations. An experience of travel to New York would meet all of a tourist needs to travel which include the motivation to relax, indulge in luxury, identify with culture and heritage or have some adventure. Hence, New York as a destination has enough to motivate the traveler and make an informed decision. References: Allen-Craig, S., (n.d.), CURRENT INITIATIVES – LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN OUTDOOR RECREATION, 20 Oct 2007 Beiger, T., & Laesser, C., (2002), Market Segmentation by Motivation: The Case of Switzerland, Journal of Travel Research 2002; 41; 68 Bentley, T. A., Page, S. J., & Macky, K. A., (2007), Adventure tourism and adventure sports injury: The New Zealand experience, Applied Ergonomics 38 (2007) 791–796 CNN (2001), Poll: New York top tourist destination, 20 Oct 2007 Defoe, J., (2005), New York City: Apple of our eye, Bloomberg News, 20 Oct 2007 Eagles, P. F. J., (1995), Understanding the market for sustainable tourism, 20 Oct 2007 Espinoza, A. R. 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