Tourism Consumer Behavior - Kenya - Essay Example

Tourism Consumer Behavior Name Course Lecturer Date Tourism Consumer Behavior Introduction Making decision on the kind of products or services to consume is a process. Different consumers get attracted to different products and services for different reasons. Understanding consumer behaviors therefore becomes a critical aspect to understand the needs and the preferences of consumers. This discussion expounds on my own personal experience as a tourist, in reference to the various findings on consumer behavior. Personal experience I am privileged to have toured various destinations around the globe. Many people look forward to such opportunities but only a few manage to visit different countries and destinations either locally or internationally. As a tourist, I have had an opportunity to visit North America, Brazil and Africa national parks and more thrilling and appealing visit being the Maasai Mara wildebeest migration in Kenya. Visiting Kenya was always my desire. I developed the interest of visiting Kenya when I watched a documentary on the wonders of the world. I developed curiosity to watch how these animals crossed the Grumeti River in search of pasture. From the documentary, I find the event so thrilling and this made me to start doing my research about the country. I had no idea about the country and therefore, I begun to read more on the country; its location, the means of travelling, the facilities, and the culture of the people among many others. Coming from a family where parents moved from one country to another, contributed a lot to my interest to tour across the world. This then became my habit. I am also personally motivated to tour across the world to widen my scope of knowledge as well appreciate nature. The fact that I own various business, I have enough disposable income to allow me to travel various destinations to relax and have nice time with my friends. Therefore, travelling to Kenya required me to have full information about the location. Many questions crossed my mind as I pondered about this exciting tour. Wildebeest migration is an event that does not take place every time but during specific season between June and August. An estimate of one and half a million wildebeest, alongside with Thomson’s gazelle, zebras gather as they cross Grumeti River (Phelan, 2010). I had to understand the timing of the event so that I arrive early to experience this world most amazing wildlife migration experiences. Even though I had a number of options to visit, the major reason that compelled me to make a decision of visiting Kenya is because of the fact that I had never visited the country and had an opportunity to see these spectaculars migration of animals. I was therefore motivated by the new experiences. Having armed myself with information about the event, I as well found out on the effective mode of travel. There were many options such as scheduled air, water and chartered air but I decided to use scheduled air, as this was convenient for me. I received travelling information from the tourist organisations and travel media as well as from the Kenyan embassy. The embassy was also very instrumental in providing us with information about the political situation in the country. At that particular moment, the embassy informed me that the political climate was stable and all systems were in place hence there was no need to worry. Earlier own there were reports of terror attacks and the embassy had issued a travel advisory but at that, time the travel advisory had been lifted. Armed with this information, I evaluated the options and decided it was to be Kenya. I then applied for my visa and prepared to travel to Kenya. I board an airplane well prepared to go and have fun and experience the one of the spectaculars events in the face of the earth. Since the holiday was to take me duration of two months, I had budgeted for the entire period- from June to July. On arrival, I was welcome by a tourist organization that had already prepared accommodation for me and other tourists. The experience was very fulfilling, as not only I enjoyed the warm welcome, the wildebeest migration but also the delicious foods and strong culture of the people. The tour was worth and if another opportunity arises definitely, Kenya will be my first priority destination. Analysis and Discussion In line with my experience, I find Consumer behavior an interesting but complicated. This statement is especially germane in tourism field, where the decision to purchase by a consumer is of sentimental importance. Over the years, I have learnt that the consumption of tourism products is reliant upon discretionary time and earnings. In fact, recent research suggests that much concentration has been committed to establishing motives for travel behavior, both in terms of selecting one tourism product over another and putting into account the decision to devote time and money to tourism, rather than optional utilization of those resources (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2005). Through my experience as a tourist, I have come to learn that the holiday choice for a consumer depends on the interest, preference and disposable income. For instance, in my case, I was thrilled with experiencing the wildebeest migration and this motivated me to search for information and to make a decision to visit Kenya. To me, inspiration refers to the processes that drive individuals to behave as they do. It takes place when a need is stimulated that the consumer desires to accomplish. Once triggering of a need happens, a condition of strain exists that motivate the consumer to try to reduce or remove the need (Fratu, 2011). Marketers attempt to create goods and services that will offer the desired benefits and allow consumer to minimize this tension (Todd, 2007). Consumer behavior is an extremely significant issue for all marketing activities that have the tenacity to promote and sell tourism products. My experience has further convinced me to believe that comprehending consumer behavior is significant for growing new tourism products and services. It provides a clearer perspective of what consumers are interested in and the executive can reflect them in the development procedure. Understanding consumer behavior enables creation of productive and efficient advertising campaigns (Ryan, 1997). The information about the event was packaged well to entice tourists, I included. Consumer demands in this experience were well addressed. The tourists’ organizations in Kenya understood the customer and their consumption behaviors. They had done research and through their daily interactions, understood my needs and interests. Available research indicates that many aspects motivate consumer behavior: psychological aspects, social aspects, cultural aspects and even natural aspects (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2005). The first group comprise of individual aspects such as tourists’ personality, self-esteem, behaviors, inspirations, notions, lifestyle, age, and others. The second group comprises of social aspects such as culture, family, social class, and orientation groups (Frías et al. 2012). The third classification comprises of conditional aspects; time, physical setting, social setting, and mental state. Perception is a sophisticated procedure in making consumption decisions. It allows individual to choose, manage and explain sensory stimulation into purposeful image of the universe. The view of a tourism destination emanates from the collaboration of the impetus specific to it. I viewed my tourism destination distinctively from other tourists. Virtually never will a person view certainty fully and impartially (Oana & Mihai, n.d.). I ranked the tourism destinations and selected the one that I regarded ideal. Social aspects, such as culture, family or social level have a superior impact on attitude since they describe the person. Culture refers to customers, taboos, values and basic habits of the entire community inside which a person lives. Tourist who belong to a medium or inferior social fabric commit just a measly part of their time to travel. They normally travel forced by relatives or medical challenges and frequently travel in group to benefit from price discounts (Sharpley, 1994). My social upbringing and socialization contributed to my decision to travel and tour Kenya. Other tourists from different social status would not prefer touring Kenya because they have different attitudes and perspective about the same. Research studies indicate that an extensive range of variables motivates customers to buy tourism products and make some specific purchase decisions (Karthikeyan, Balamurugan & Saranya, 2012). Examples of these motivators include cultural, physical, emotional and status. Others include personality, their lifestyle, and their experiences amid other things. Motivators differ not just for every person, but as well as between market segments: for instance, some academics appear confident that normally segments are founded upon demographic criteria. They appear to presume that, according to the demographic segmentation, tourists are split in three major groups: young individuals who want to party, have fun, relax, and revel in their freedom; and elderly individuals who prefer peaceful and uplifting events (Leiper, 2007). In respect to my experience, I believe that, people are motivated to tour different places because of curiosity, leisure, relaxation, their personality and for refreshment. Others tour to acquire more skills and knowledge among many other reasons. My decision to travel to Kenya was for curiosity and the fact that the location/country is stable and secure. Other factors that facilitated my decision included availability of disposable income to cater for my travel and accommodation expenses. My experience in this event is similar to a number of studies findings. Consumers make a decision through various stages. The first stage is recognizing a problem, and then searching for information, evaluating alternatives, choosing the product and then outcome. In my case, the urge and desire to travel to Kenya emanated when I watched a documentary on the wonders of the world. The quest to travel became my biggest problem that made me to start searching for information about the country, the location, the means of travel and many other aspects. Through information search, I had to evaluate a number of tourists’ destinations that I could visit. During this process, I had to match the advantages with the disadvantages of a number of destinations. I finally made a decision to visit Kenya Maasai Mara to witness the migration. Deciding to apply for a visa and paying for the airplane was an indication that I was convinced that Kenya was my ideal location to visit. Therefore, this event clearly illustrates the various decisions that crossed my mind in selecting my destination. In making consumption decision, many factors come into play. One of the factors from my own experience was culture. I come from a culture where people are curious and always want to know what is happening. This actually contributed to my decision to travel to Kenya. Social class as well played a key role in my quest to travel to Kenya. I am economically stable and therefore was able to afford the cost/expenses involved. Psychological factors as well played a role in my decision to travel to Kenya. I am an individual that appreciate new things. I want to learn and know more about various aspects across the world. The opportunity to travel to Kenya was noble one, as it not only gave me an opportunity to experiences wildebeest migration but as well know the culture of the people and their way of living. Environmental factors such as political stability made me to select Kenya as my favorable alternative as well. The advice from the embassy on the stability of the country was an added advantage, as I could not travel a location or country that has insecurity. My experience however was different to some extends in line with some studies. Nowadays, internet and especially social media have become a very strong medium of communication and marketing. Consumers and market use the platform to seek information and share on various aspects concerning various aspects tourism included (Toader et al., 2014). In my case, I did not use this source of information to make my decisions relating to the location I wanted to visit. However, it is an appropriate source of information if it is well utilized. Advertisements through the internet helped me to understand clearly the location I was going. I however was very keen to read between the lines of these advertisement not be duped. Many of the advertisements that we encounter are misleading and therefore, it become important that before being carried away by them, one should take enough time to investigate their sincerity. This experience has to greater level enabled me to understand my consumption behavior better. Different individuals have different interest, preferences, and consumption behaviors (Sharpley, 1994). In my case, I have come to realize that, I always make the right decision when it comes to selecting the kind of services or products I want. I just do not pick up something but take time to interrogate an issue by searching for information to act as my basis of the decision. I am an individual’s who is curious and will take enough time to investigate to an issue to ensure that I make the right decision. I also understand that some of the business entities do not adhere to business ethics and go ahead to advertise and engage in illegal business to get the attention of customers. Because of this realization, I am always very keen when making my purchasing decisions. Furthermore, I do know that, I value quality and I will always make my purchasing decision if I am satisfied that I will get the value of money from the product or services that I am buying. This is the reason I take enough time to scrutinize the service or product to find out this value. Getting to the point of making a purchase therefore will have involved various processes. This strategy has enabled me to make proper decisions when it comes to consumption or purchasing of my products and services. Even though, I have the money to buy the service, I must always factor in a number of issues. Sensitivity has been very crucial in my consumption behavior and this has enabled me never to regret for the decisions I have made. Selecting Kenya Maasai Mara as my tourist destination was the best alternative I could make and I have never regretted. The literature has therefore helped me in making the sense of what happened. Most of the issues concerning my consumption behaviors are in the literature. The decision to making a purchase is clearly explained in the literature. This decision processes I experienced rhymes with what is in the literature. However, there are some aspects in the literature which I did not use or adopt in my consumption behaviors. I did not use social media as my tool to source information. I also did not encounter many cases of violation of business ethics throughout the process. Most ads on the internet and information was authoritative and genuine. The various theories and models can still be adopted in our purchasing behaviors to ensure that people make the right decisions. For instance, the theories may not fit all scenarios but should therefore be applicable to situations that are suitable to ensure that purchasing decisions made are good. In conclusion understanding the process, theories and models relating to consumer behaviors is important for the consumers as well as the sellers. Consumers have different reasons that compel them to act the way they do. From my experience as a tourist in Maasai Mara, I have learned more on how consumptions decisions are made. My own experience rhymes with a number of literatures, which explains the reason why I was contended with the services, I received. Understanding the right theory and models is therefore key to ensuring fulfillment in the consumption decision-making process. References Fratu, D. (2011). Factors of Influence and Changes in the Tourism Consumer Behavior, Transilvania Vol. 4(53):120-126. Frías, D et al. (2012). The Formation of a Tourist Destination's Image via Information Sources: the Moderating Effect of Culture. International Journal of Tourism Research, 14(5): 437- 450. Horner, S. and Swarbrooke, J. (2005).Leisure Marketing: A Global Perspective. Elsevier Butterwort-Heinemann. Meethan, K. (2001). Tourism in Global Society. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice Hall. Karthikeyan, N., Balamurugan,T., & Saranya, S. (2012). An empirical study on choice of tourist destination offered by kerala tourism development corporation (ktdc) - thekkady. Asia Pacific Journal of Research in Business Management, 3(1): 1-1. Leiper, N. (2007).Tourism Management. New York, NY: Palgrave. Oana, S., & Mihai, T. (n.d.). “Consumer Behavior in the Different Sectors of Tourism,”Studies in Business and Economics, 274-284. Phelan, C. (2010). Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move. In: Booklist, 107(8): 1-5. Ryan, C (ed.) (1997). The Tourist Experience: A New Introduction. New York, NY: Basic Books Sharpley, R. (1994). Tourism, Tourists and Societies. London: Rutledge. Swarbrooke, J., & Horner, S. (2009). Consumer Behavior in Tourism. London: Butter- Heinemann. Toader, C et al. (2014). Aspects regarding factors that contribute to the choice of tourism destinations by tourists. Agricultural Management / Lucrari Stiintifice Seria I, Management Agricol, 16(4): 140-143. Read More