Theories Of Motivation In Tourism

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Tourism industry has developed a lot in the last few decades (Cooper & Hall, 2008). In order to maintain and increase this development, the industry has to identify and understand tourists’ needs and motivations factors that force them to travel. Tourists had basic needs, which were continuously increasing and also changing form throughout the years. According to Maslow’s theory (1970) while basic needs are satisfied, motivations are created and determined by the following level. Motivation factors (motivators) are the factors, which are pushing or pulling a traveller to take a trip/holiday and those that make the tourist’s purchase desirable. There are factors that stimulate, motivate and ‘influence’ the traveller to take that particular kind …show more content…

Many theorists and academics have tried to explain these motivations and conducted various and different theories of motivators, based on tourists’ choices and typologies of their behaviours, which will be discussed more in-depth in this paper. Nonetheless, there is still confusion whether these theories can be applicable in practice and have accurate data and results (Holloway&Humphreys, 2012). In the following essay, a comprehensive literature review is conducted which will initially develop a definition and evaluation of important theories of travel motivations and typologies of tourist behaviour; then, it will continue by assessing if those theories are applicable in practice, in relation to the available tourism data and how efficiently can be supported and …show more content…

Push factors are socio-psychological motivations that “propel the desire to travel” where pull factors are “external factors that influence the person to travel as to fulfill their needs and desires” and attract a person to choose a travel destination (Brown, 2005; Page& Connell, 2014: 56). Many theorists applied the push and pull factors to their motivation studies and some specified motivations even more. For example, Crompton (1979) and Ryan(1991) (cited in Holloway&Hymphreys, 2012) classify the push factors to be: the need to escape and go away form the everyday routine, to take a break from the duties and work, the need to relax and recuperate, to explore other environments and for inner explore and self-fulfillment, also the need to gain prestige and status, the need for social integration and to strengthen relationships and family bonds. Pull factors are defined as the attractive factors of a destination, the reasons that enhance a destination: image or comforts and the need or expectation of novelty and education (Richardson& Fluker,2004 cited in Brown,2005). Additionally, the desire to take part in a recreational pursuit and reasons such VFR, attracting facilities, ideal weather, amenities, special events and accessible

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