Unit 7

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR IN

TOURISM

Determinants
Types of determinants
There are two types of determinants:

• those factors which determine whether or not someone

will be able to take a holiday or not
• those factors which determine the type of trip, if the first
set of determinants allow a holiday to be taken.

In this chapter we will generally be considering the latter set of factors. The type of trip taken
can encompass a huge range of vari- ables, including:

• the destination for the trip

• when the trip will be taken
• the mode of travel to be used
• the duration of the trip
• who will comprise the holiday party or group
• the type of accommodation that will be used
• the activities undertaken by the tourist during the holiday
• how much will be spent on the trip.

We can further subdivide determinants into:

• those which are personal to the tourist

• those which are external to the tourist.

These two types of factors are illustrated in Figures 5.1 and 5.2 respectively. Both are
generalized pictures but they serve to illustrate the variety of determinants that exist.
Some of these determinants can preclude the individual from taking any trip. Health
problems could be the best ex- ample of this phenomenon. Others will simply affect the type
of trip which is taken.
It is clear that the determinants listed in Figure 5.1 will not carry equal weight
with all tourists at all times. Different individuals will perceive certain determinants to be
more important than others, based on their attitudes, personalities,
 Determinants

Circumstances: Knowledge of:

health destinations
disposable income the availability of
available different tourism products
leisure time price differences between
work commitments competitor organizations
family commitments
car ownership

Individual Tourist
Attitudes and perceptions:
perceptions of destinations and
tourism organizations
political views Experience of:
preferences for particular countries types of holidays
and cultures different destinations
fear of certain modes of travel the products offered by different
how far in advance they like to plan tourism organizations
and book a trip taking a trip with particular
ideas on what constitutes value for individuals or groups
money attempting to find discounted prices
their attitudes to standards of
behaviour as a tourist

Figure 5.1
Personal determinants of tourist behaviour

principles, fears and past experiences. Even for the same individual the weighting given to
each determinant will vary over time with changes in age, family situation and experience as a
tourist. Personal determi- nants that are shared by a large proportion of the population may
represent a market opportunity for the tourist industry.
As economies grow in the Pacific Rim, and European and American companies fight
to compete in world markets, there are pressures on leisure time. Managers feel they need to
be at work as much of the time as possible. This has been one of the reasons for the growth of
intense short duration forms of vacation such as themed weekend breaks. These meet the
needs of tourists looking for a short break from work, which will stimulate them.

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 Determinants

Global, political, economic, social and technological factors

National, society-wide political, economic, social and technological factors

The influences of the media

The marketing activities of the tourism industry

Views of friends and relatives

Individual
tourist

Figure 5.2
External determinants of tourist behaviour

At the same time, many airlines have seized upon the determinant which can stop some
people taking any form of foreign holiday, namely, the fear of flying. This determinant clearly
reduces their po- tential market. Therefore, they have begun to offer courses to help peo- ple
overcome their fear of flying.
It is clear from these two brief examples, therefore, that the tourism industry can
exploit certain determinants for their own benefit, or seek to influence them, again for their
own benefit.
Perhaps the best example of the industry influencing and exploit- ing a determinant is
the issue of price. Many tourists like to feel they have found a holiday at a discounted price.
There is potentially considerable status value in being seen to have ‘negotiated’ a good deal
for a tourism product. Therefore, the industry emphasizes the bargain dimension in its selling,
with banner headlines in travel agencies and offers such as ‘free child places’, ‘20% off’ and
‘free insurance’.
The factors in Figure 5.2 can clearly be broken down into ‘sub- factors’ as the
following examples demonstrate.

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 Determinants

Political factors:

– government legislation and policy

– immigration restrictions and visa requirements
– civil disorder and terrorism
– the nature of the political system
– taxation policy, e.g. airport taxes
– tourist taxes.

The media:

– travel media, e.g. holiday features on television, in newspapers,

and guidebooks
– non-travel media, e.g. news programmes and wildlife pro-
grammes on television

Tourism organization marketing:

– foreign destinations’ advertising campaigns

– tour operator’s brochures
– travel agent’s special promotions.

The extent to which tourists’ behaviour is determined by their own personal

determinants or external determinants varies according to their own personality and lifestyle.
Extrovert people may be more in- clined to take account of external determinants, such as the
views of their many friends and relatives. Introverts may rely more on their own experiences.
Well-educated people who regularly watch news pro- grammes and take an interest in
worldwide social or environmental is- sues might be influenced by external factors such as the
human rights record of a particular country’s government. Those who either do not worry
about such things, or do not even know of the situation in that country, might not even
consider this factor.
It is also important to note that most determinants can be either facilitators or constraints
upon tourists who wish to turn their moti- vations and desires into reality. For instance, high
disposable income will be a facilitator while limited and low disposable income would be a
constraint. Likewise, a guidebook which painted a rosy picture of a resort would be likely to
persuade a potential tourist to visit it, in contrast to a negative portrayal which would
normally have the opposite effect.

The determinants of group travel

In the case of group travel, whether it be a family or a party of friends, the issue of
determinants is particularly complex. Each individual has his or her own determinants but the
group has a set of determinants of its own. Each individual’s determinants must be satisfied in
a way that

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 Determinants

keeps the group as a whole content. This means compromise on behalf of every group member.
Alternatively, a strong group member may impose his or her own determinants, such as a fear of
flying, on every other group member. The others would have preferred to fly to their holiday
destination, but find themselves taking a ferry instead to meet the needs of the domi- nant group
member.

The myth of rational decision-making

Tourists do not make wholly rational decisions based on perfect infor- mation. They may be
ignorant of many of the determinants listed in Figures 5.1 and 5.2. Alternatively, they may be well
aware of the determinants but choose to ignore them. For example, a young couple with two small
children and stressful jobs may know they cannot afford a holiday, but they feel so desperate for a
break from the daily routine that they decide to take a trip anyway. This is not rational behaviour,
although to anyone in their situation it is wholly under- standable! As in other aspects of life,
pressure and emotion often over- whelm logic.

The role of unforeseen circumstances and opportunism

Following on from the issue of rational decision-making, are the twin matters of unforeseen
circumstances and opportunism. Plans based on a tourist’s current situation may become obsolete
literally overnight owing to unforeseen changes in their personal circum- stances. An obvious
example relates to the tourist’s health, where a decision to take a skiing holiday based on good
previous experiences of such holidays would need to be rethought if the prospective tourist broke a
leg!
Unforeseen circumstances can have a positive effect on tourist be- haviour. A family may have
decided that they cannot afford to take a trip from the UK to France this year. Then the value of the
pound against the euro rises dramatically and newspapers start offering cheap ferry tickets. This
persuades the family to change its mind and take a short trip to northern France.

The last minute discounted purchase phenomenon

The concept of determinants is geared to the idea of a relatively long period spent by the tourist
planning the vacation, gathering infor- mation and evaluating alternatives. However, one of the
growing phenomena of the tourist industry is the ‘last-minute purchase’ deci- sion. Here the
determinant is a desire to escape at short notice and a willingness to accept a less than ideal product
if the price is low enough.

The role of the tourism industry

The tourism industry plays a major role in effecting the determinants of tourist behaviour. For
example, it:

• develops products specifically to match the determinants of some tourist

behaviour; for example, it can offer packages designed for tourists who
have particular health problems such as mobility diffi- culties
• provides information to prospective tourists on everything from health
problems to visa requirements, destination climate data to the
destination’s cultural attractions
• designs its promotional messages to fit the key determinants of the
behaviour of different groups of tourists. This might include empha-
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discount deals for those with limited incomes or those who like to search
for bargains, reassurance about the safety of a destina- tion or selling the
resort as one which has good facilities for children
• influences determinants such as offering people with limited budg- ets the
opportunity to purchase tourism products on credit with re- payments
over a period of time.

A key role is played in this respect by the travel agent who is the in- termediary between producers
 Determinants

in the tourism industry and their clients. As Ryan (1997) says: ‘The information provided becomes
part of the information that determines a holiday-maker’s expectations. The travel agent possesses
the means to create the antecedents of success or failure of the holiday.’
Poor or inappropriate advice from an agent that leads to the tourist having an unsatisfactory holiday
may well determine their future be- haviour. It might make them:

• avoid using the same agent in the future

• decide not to buy the products of the same tourism organization again
• give a negative view of their holiday destination to friends and rela- tives.
Time lapses and determinants
Many tourists probably make purchasing decisions under the influence of determinants, or
perceptions of determinants, which are outdated. They might have perceptions of destinations and
tourism organiza- tions which are no longer accurate.
For example, someone might still have an image of a quiet unspoilt Greek island as it was twenty
years ago, when they last visited it. This may persuade them to make a return trip to the island,
which is now highly developed and crowded. Or a business traveller may avoid booking with
an airline because of its reputation gained a few years ago for being unreliable and having old
aircraft. However, in the inter- vening period this problem might have been eliminated by the pur-
chase of new aircraft.
Tourism organizations must be aware of these time lapses and out- dated determinants of tourist
behaviour when planning their market- ing activities.

One-off experiences of determinants of tourism behaviour

The industry should not underestimate the impact of one-off bad ex- periences as determinants of
future tourist behaviour. A delayed flight or a failure of the airline to deliver a pre-ordered special
diet meal on one flight can result in tourists:

• boycotting the airline in future

• giving negative views about the airline to friends and relatives.
Conclusions
The determinants of tourist behaviour are complex and diverse. They include personal determinants
which are different for each tourist. There are also external determinants, which will be interpreted
in dif- ferent ways by individual tourists. Finally, we have also seen that the issue of determinants is
linked to other matters, such as the actions of the tourism industry, the idea of rational decision-
making, last-minute purchases and the composition of holiday parties.In the next chapter, we will see
how motivators and determinants combine in the purchase decision process.
Discussion points and essay questions
1 Describe the ways in which personal circumstances such as health, family
commitments, and work commitments could influence the type of trip
taken by tourists.
2 Discuss the range of media that might influence tourist behaviour and the
ways in which they might affect purchase decisions.
3 Explore the reasons why tourists’ perceptions may not accurately reflect
the main determinants that are, in reality, affecting them at a particular
time.
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Exercise 67

Carry out a survey among a small group of your friends/colleagues/ fellow students to try to
identify which of the determinants in Figures
5.1 and 5.2 were the most influential when they last booked a holiday. Then produce a report,
outlining your results, and noting any difficul- ties you experienced in collecting and interpreting
the data.