Department of Hospitality Management MICRO PERSPECTIVE OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY

Module 1: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TOURISM

MODULE OBJECTIVES By the end of the module students will:

1. discuss the factors that motivate people to travel;

2. elucidate the relationship of needs, wants, and motives to tourist motivation;
3. describe the push/pull model;
4. explain the relation between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the travel motivations
listed in travel literature;
5. describe the characteristics of psychocentrics and allocentrics;
6. identify the characteristics of travelers based on purpose of travel; and
7. analyze the travel constraints.

I. The Psychology of Tourism A. Motivation for Travel

Several studies on tourist motivations have listed various reasons why people travel. Some of the
motivations listed in travel literature are:

1. escape;
2. relaxation;
3. relief of tension;
4. sun lust;
5. physical;
6. health;
7. family togetherness;

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 8. interpersonal relations;
9. roots or ethnic;
10. maintaining social contacts;
11. convincing oneself of one's achievements;
12. showing one's importance to others;
13. status and prestige;
14. self-discovery;
15. cultural;
16. education;
17. professional/business;
18. wanderlust;
19. interest in foreign areas; and
20. scenery.

Basic travel motivators can be divided into four classes:

1. Physical motivators — include 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 other countries— their music, art,
folklore, dances, paintings, and religion;
3. Interpersonal motivators — pertain to the desire to meet other people, visit friends or
relatives, escape from routine, from family, and neighbors;
4. Status and prestige motivators — concern ego needs and personal development. Included in
this group are trips related to business, conventions, study, and pursuit of hobbies and
education. Travel would enhance one's recognition and good reputation.

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. Tourists do not go on vacations just to relax and have fun, to experience another culture, or
to educate themselves and their children; they take vacations in the belief that these vacations will

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satisfy, either completely or partially, various 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. This awareness
must be accompanied by motivation. A motive enables a person to do something. Motivation occurs
when an individual wants to satisfy a need. To enable a person to be motivated to satisfy a need, an
objective or goal must be present. An individual will be motivated to buy a product or service if he
perceives that the purchase of that product or service will be beneficial in satisfying the need of which
he is now aware. Thus, it is the role of marketing to suggest objectives such as vacations, cruises, or
flights to satisfy needs, an awareness of which has already been created. This process is described in
Figure 1.

Source: Mill, R.C. And Alastair Morrison. The Tourism System Dubuque, IA; Kendall/Hunt, 1998

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II. Push/Pull Model The push/pull model explains the push and pull forces in human motivation. According to the push/pull
model, there are push and pull forces in human motivation. Internal factors or personal needs "push"
people to travel, while external forces or attractions "pull" them to certain destinations. Much travel is
motivated by both push and pull factors. For example, a college student has begun to feel the "push" to
get away from college for rest and relaxation and the "pull" to travel to a sunny beach for escape, self-
discovery, and scenic beauty.

Push factors are the intangible desires that generate within the person. Examples are need to escape,
self-discovery, rest and relaxation, prestige, challenge, and adventure. Pull factors are external travel
stimulators such as: scenic beauty, historical areas, cultural events, and sporting events.

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III. Theory of Motivation and Trave A study of travel motivations found in travel literature indicates that these motivations fit into the
l hierarchy of needs model of Abraham Maslow, a famous psychologist. Maslow proposed the following
Maslow's hierarchy of needs as determinants of behavior:
Motivations
1. Physiological Needs — hunger, thirst, rest, 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; and 5. Self-actualization — personal self-fulfillment.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This hierarchy suggests that lower needs demand more immediate satisfaction than the satisfaction of
higher needs. The first need is physical; the other four are psychological. To this original list, two
intellectual needs were added. These are:

1. To know and understand — acquiring knowledge; and

2. Aesthetics — appreciation of beauty.

The relationship between needs, motives, and references from tourism and literature is shown in Table
1.
Table 1. Maslow's Needs and Motivations Listed in Travel Literature

Need Motive Tourism Literature References

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Physiological Relaxation Escape
Relaxation
Relief of tension
Sun lust
Physical
Mental relaxation of tension

Safety Security Health

Recreation
Keep oneself active and healthy
for the future

Social Love and Affection Family togetherness

Enhancement of kinship
relationships
Companionship
Facilitation of social interaction
Maintenance of personalities
Interpersonal relations
Ethnic roots
Show one's affection for family
members
Maintain social contacts

Self-esteem Achievement Status Convince oneself of one’s

achievement
Show one's importance to
others
Prestige
Social recognition
Ego enhancement
Professional / business

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Self-actualization Personal fulfillment

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 Source: Mill, R.C. and Alastair Morrison, The Tourism System Dubuque, IA: Kendal/Hunt, 1998

Those who say that they travel "to escape" or "to relieve tension" are satisfying the basic physiological
needs. The motivation may be for physical or mental relaxation. Passive and active vacationers are
motivated by a need for tension reduction. Passive vacationers are relieved from tension by submitting
to the surrounding environment. The active vacationer, on the other hand, achieves tension reduction
through physical activity.

Traveling for health and recreation attempts to satisfy one's safety needs. By taking care of his body
and/or mind, the traveler is protecting himself by assuring his own longevity.

The need for belonging and love pertains to the desire for affection, for giving and receiving love. The
organized tour is a method of encouraging and satisfying one's need for interpersonal relations and
social interaction. This motivation is commonly referred to as the "VFR" market or "visiting friends and
relatives." Part of this is the ethnic or roots market whose desire is to revisit the homeland or previous
residence of one's self or one's ancestors. The first group consists of those who are born somewhere
else and would like to return to their own homeland. The second group are those in later generations
who wish to experience the land of their ancestors.

Maslow's concept of the need for esteem has two components—that of self-esteem and that of esteem
from others. The need for self-esteem is shown in the desire to exhibit achievement, competence, and
independence. Esteem from others is explained by the concepts of prestige, status, and recognition.
Travel can also boost one's ego since travel may provide the tourist with a feeling of superiority.

Self-actualization can be regarded as a goal of leisure. Leisure is the state of being free from the urgent
demands of the lower-level needs. Vacations offer an opportunity to reevaluate and discover more
about oneself.

The need to know and understand is motivated by the desire for knowledge. Many people travel to
learn the cultures of other countries. Other motivations are education, wanderlust, and interest in
foreign parts.

The need for aesthetics is shown in those who travel for environmental reasons— to view the scenery.

Relating travel motivations with Maslow's need theory will produce two tangible benefits. The first
benefit is that the traveler is better understood and better motivated if he or she is recognized as a
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 person consuming products and services. This will enable the marketer to provide a better product or
service to the traveler. The second tangible benefit is that if one accepts Maslow's idea that the lower-
level needs should first be satisfied before the higher-level needs, we would expect that products and
services, including vacations, which are aimed toward the satisfaction of lower-level needs, would be
regarded as a necessity rather than a luxury.

IV. Classifications of Travelers Based on Personality A. Psychocentrics

Plog (1974) defines the “Psychocentric” as "self-inhibited, nervous and non-adventuresome; preferring
familiarity in vacation-travel destinations”. The term “psychocentric” comes from “Psyche”, meaning
“Self”, and “Centric”, meaning “focusing of interest patterns on varied activities”. Psychocentrics are
those dependable who have a firm belief on the fact that whatever happens to them is largely beyond
their control, so they often go for safe as well as consistent choices by choosing popular things.
Psychocentric tourists are usually non-adventurous. These tourists love to drive to the destinations,
often prefer family road trips. They travel less and like to stay shorter period of time at any destination
in typical accommodations and usually eat at family-type restaurants.

B. Midcentrics

“Midcentric” swing between the “Allocentric” and “Psychocentric”. Such types of Tourists located in the
middle of the continuum in Plog’s Psychographic Model have a balanced combination of both
personalities based psychographic traits. They lean in neither the tried-and true direction of the
“Psychocentrics” nor the variety-seeking direction of the “Allocentrics”.

C. Allocentrics

The term, “Allocentric” comes from the root words “Allo”, means “varied in form” and “Centric” means
“focusing of interest patterns on varied activities”.

The Allocentric tourists, often called as “Ventures”, are the individuals who seek new experience, enjoy
interacting with people from different cultural background, want to explore the unusual or little known
places, prefer adventure in a wide range of activities and are pretty much comfortable in making choices
that involve some degree of variation or risk factors as they have a strong feeling that they can control
or manage even the adverse situations whatever they have to face while travelling. Even they are not
committed to a structured itinerary. Rather they like to have the freedom to make their own
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 arrangements and to choose a variety of activities and tourist attractions while exploring an area. Such
tourists prefer to fly to the destinations.

V. Tourist Motivations A. The Need for Escape or Change

The greatest reason for travel can be summed up in one word, '{escape"— escape from the dull daily
routine; escape from the familiar, the commonplace, the ordinary escape from the job, the boss, the
customers, the house, and the accelerated pace of modern life.

According to Russ Johnston, a marketing research director, everyone is searching for change. Travel can
provide diversity. It removes a person from familiar surroundings to something that is new and exciting.
For example, a business executive who travels with his wife from his home and stays overnight in a
destination wishes to get away from the routines and demands of his family and profession. An
employee who goes to a beach resort is looking for a change from the daily routine.

B. Travel for Health

Development in the field of medicine has influenced travel for centuries, giving rise to the concept of
health tourism. The search for health and long life has popularized spas, seaside resorts, as well as sun
resorts. Majority of people think of vacationing as a means of regaining one's energy, interest, and
enthusiasm for the job.

The mineral water of different springs was believed to cure different ailments, such as rheumatism,
heart and circulation disorders, diabetes, and problems of the kidneys and gall bladder.

Health-related travel is not limited to trips to thermal springs. "Reducing ranches" attract middle-aged
women with weight problems. Romania, with its restorative Gerovital attracts the elderly. Americans
suffering from different maladies go to China or Hong Kong to undergo acupuncture or to the
Philippines to consult faith-healers. As populations begin to age in industrialized societies, health
tourism will become increasingly popular.

C. Sports

Interest in sports, either as a participant or a spectator, is attracting large segments of the population.
People demand activity and excitement during their leisure hours to relieve them from the boredom of
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their work. They indulge in activities, such as hiking, surfing, scuba diving, mountaineering, and skiing.

Millions attend a variety of games, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer in the United States,
Europe, and Latin America. The Olympic Games which are held every four years attract millions of
tourists.

D. Social Contact

Much travel grows out of the social nature of people. Human beings are social animals. They need
contact and communication with others. They feel comfortable in a tour group. In the group, the
traveler may develop friendships that may last for years. Some tour groups have reunions after the tour
took place.

According to Charles Metelka, travel increases the "sociability resources" of individuals. It makes them
more interesting to themselves and to others.

E. Status and Prestige

Travel provides the means for ego and self-enhancement. Travel to a poor country can provide the
traveler with a feeling of superiority. Travel can also provide a means of mingling with the wealthy and
social elite.

Much travel is done to keep up with the Joneses and to appear knowledgeable about foreign places.
Being well-traveled enhances one's status in society. A trip to an out-of-the-ordinary destination adds
glamour to one's personality.

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F. Travel for Education

The search for knowledge and truth is inherent in every individual. Travel offers an opportunity to
satisfy the urge to learn. Once an interest has been developed in a destination area, the urge to see that
area emerges and the interest grows as knowledge increases.

Advertising generates interest in a destination but much more persuasive is the interest created by a
good book, a movie, or a television program. When a person reads a book about a place or sees a
television program with that place as backdrop, he or she suddenly discovers a desperate desire to go
there. James Michener's Hawaii undoubtedly caused thousands of readers to want to visit the islands.

Many school teachers go to Europe every summer. College students also go in large numbers either on
their own or as part of study groups sponsored by universities. Thus, students combine travel with
learning and receive academic credit for doing so.

G. Personal Values

The notion of personal values is an important travel motivator. Many people are urged to travel to
satisfy personal values, such as the search for spiritual experience, patriotism, and wholesomeness.
Pilgrimages to religious sites or holy places such as the Vatican, Lourdes, Jerusalem, and Mecca are
undertaken for spiritual reasons. Trips to Disneyland in Los Angeles and Tokyo and to Corregidor in the
Philippines are made to satisfy personal values of wholesome environment and patriotism.

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H. Cultural Experience

Cross-cultural exchanges, experiencing how other people live, and fostering international understanding
are some of the reasons to satisfy curiosity about other cultures, lifestyles, and places. Studies
conducted among travelers abroad reveal that seeking a new cultural experience is a primary reason for
international travel.

North Americans are attracted to go to Europe because their ancestors came from there and their
history classes are full of stories about it. In Europe, they can 'earn about its culture by viewing its cities
and visiting its cathedrals and castles. Travelers may have the feeling of becoming part of the culture by
attending a London theater in England, by joining the bullfight crowd in Spain, or by drinking beer in
Munich.

I. Shopping and Bargain Hunting

To many people, the joys derived from buying certain goods may be the major reason for travel.
Millions of travelers go to Hong Kong, Singapore, and other tax-free ports to shop. Almost everybody
wants to buy and to bargain.

Bargain hunting or being able to get special merchandise at a low cost is a travel motivator. Tourists are
looking for places that are inexpensive. They shop not only on the trip but also for a particular trip.
Before World War Il, Austria was a cheap vacation area, but when prices increased, the budget-
conscious travelers went to Spain and Portugal. For persons living in high-cost areas, travel and

vacationing in low-cost countries can save money. For example, Americans find it more expensive to
rent a house in New York than in the Philippines.

J. Professional and Business Motives

A great number of people travel for professional and business motives. Conferences and conventions
about education, commerce, and industry increase annually. More than one-half of all airline travel is
done by business travelers. Approximately 60% to 70% of guests who check in at five-star hotels around
the world travel for business reasons. However, a great portion of business travel is mixed with
pleasure. For example, a tourist may be attending a convention in Las Vegas, but may spend half of his
time gambling in a casino.

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VI. The Learning Process of a Tourist
K. Search for Natural Beauty
Travel can satisfy one's search for beauty in the environment and in the scenery. Natural beauty such as
the sunset, trees, mountains, waterfalls, flowers, beaches, valleys, bays, rivers, and lakes is usually
pleasurable to the viewer. Most people are inspired by the beauty of nature. The trips of city dwellers to
the rural areas on weekends show man's need to see beautiful scenery—trees, grass, streams, and the
open sky.
An individual will buy a vacation package if he or she has learned that the purchase will satisfy an
important need. This process is shown in Figure 2. The tourist compares various alternatives with a list
of criteria to determine which alternatives will most likely satisfy a particular motive. The resulting
inclination will have an effect on the decision to buy. This inclination may be positive or negative
depending on how well a chosen alternative will meet the motivation. The number of alternatives will
vary according to the characteristics of travelers. Travelers who have previously visited many foreign
destinations have a larger number of alternatives to choose from than those who have not. A
destination will be included as an alternative if the destination has previously satisfied the traveler. The
level of satisfaction depends on one's expectation of a situation, as well as one's perception of an actual
situation. If the level of expectations is higher than the actual experience, the tourist will be dissatisfied.
For the traveler to be satisfied with a product, service, or situation, the level of actual experience must
be equal to or greater than the level of expectation. Hence, the level of service given to the vacationer
must be given great importance to assure a quality experience and a high level of satisfaction that will
bring the traveler back.
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VII. Effect of Consistency and Complexity on Leisure
Travel
Serving as bridge between the motives of an individual and the perceived alternatives are the criteria
used for making a decision among these alternatives. The criteria used are learned. They are the result
of past experiences, as well as information received from either the commercial or the social
environment.
An individual's learning input based on past experience is derived from having experienced the same
thing that is being considered or having experienced something similar. For example, if a person stayed
in a particular destination, the factors that accounted for his satisfaction such as good weather and
friendly service will be the criteria by which he determines where to take his next vacation. Thus,
decision criteria are developed or modified from actual experiences.
Figure 2. Tourist’s Learning Process
Source: Mill, R.C. and Alastair Morrison, The Tourism System Dubuque, IA: Kendal/Hunt, 1998
Edward J. Mayo and Lance Jervis, in The Psychology of Leisure Travel, believed that individuals differ in
the amount of psychological tension they can handle. Too much repetition or consistency results in
boredom and a corresponding amount of psychological tension greater that he could handle. To reduce
the tension, he will attempt to introduce some complexity in his life. This explains why a tourist, who for
many years spent his vacation in a particular vacation spot, will either change the destination or the
method of reaching it.
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 Similarly, too much complexity may result in more tension than a person can endure. To reduce the
level of tension, he will introduce consistency into that experience. For example, a Filipino tourist in
Europe may find the different language and culture (complexity) need to be balanced by staying in a
hotel chain with which he is familiar (consistency).

The traveler who experiences a great deal of consistency in everyday life may compensate by seeking
vacations which offer variety. The opposite is also true.

VIII. Classification of Travelers Based on Purpose of The two major classifications of travelers based on travel purpose are the business travelers and the
Travel pleasure/personal travelers.

A. Business Travelers

Majority of travelers in most developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United
Kingdom are business travelers. They are divided into three categories, namely:
1. regular business travelers;
2. business travelers attending meetings, conventions, and congresses; and
3. incentive travelers.

Regular Business Travelers

Among business travelers, the cost of the trip is shouldered by a company; hence, travel is not
influenced by personal income. The volume and rate of growth of business travel is not greatly affected
by the cost of travel. This means that business travelers will continue even if the price of travel services
increases,

Many studies have been conducted to find out the characteristics of regular business travelers. The
results of these surveys revealed that business travelers are well-educated, rich, have high-level jobs,
and tend to fly often. More recent surveys have shown that ratio of women business travelers to men
business travelers have grown rapidly. These surveys show that there are major differences between
male and female business travelers. Some of these are:

1. Women business travelers are slightly younger;

2. They tend to stay longer at their destinations;
3. They are more apt to be unmarried than males;
4. They are more likely to attend a meeting or convention;
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 5. They are more likely to book through a travel agent;
6. They have a greater preference for downtown accommodation facilities closer to work; and
7. They are more concerned with security aspects of accommodation facilities.

Many airlines and hotels are exerting efforts to cater to the business executive travelers. Airlines have
been offering first-class seat service and first-class passenger lounges in airport terminals to these
travelers for many years. More recent innovations include special check-in arrangements, bigger seats,
and sleeper seats. Many hotel chains have begun to allocate whole floors or wings of their buildings for
business travelers seeking greater luxury in their accommodations. The rooms or suites are more
spacious, contain more personal "giveaways," and they provide their guests with complimentary drinks
and express check-in and checkout service. Normally, airline and hotel companies add a surcharge to
their regular prices for business executive travelers. They have achieved great marketing successes in
doing so. Airlines, particularly in the United States, have begun to search out and reward frequent flyers
by logging their air miles in airline computers. The rewards offered include discounts on future trips and
sometimes even free trips.

Business Travelers Attending Meetings, Conventions, Congresses

Travel Pulse surveys indicate that 20% of all business travel trips are for the purpose of attending
meetings, conventions, and congresses. A congress, convention, or conference is a regular formalized
meeting of associations or body or a meeting sponsored by an association or body on a regular or ad
hoc basis.

Conventions are classified into four kinds, namely: international, continental, national, and regional
conventions. International conventions usually involve members and nonmembers from more than two
foreign countries, and they take place in different countries every year. They are generally nonprofit and
attract persons with common fields of interest. Continental conventions have delegates coming from a
continent such as North America, Europe, or Asia. National conventions are meetings organized by
associations at the state, provincial, or regional level. Normally, these organizations hold their
conventions within their own regions.

Incentive Travelers

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Incentive travel is 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. Incentive

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trips have risen sharply according to the Society of Incentive Travel Executive (SITE). Salespeople are
given trips for reaching a set goal in overall sales of a particular item or in the number of new accounts.
Experts say that these incentive trips last for five days and usually include spouses. Prize trips are often
combined with business and sales meetings, especially those to foreign destinations in order to be
eligible for tax deduction.

The most popular overseas destinations are Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Europe. Within
the United States, the most popular incentive travel destinations are Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, California,
and New Orleans.

The increasing popularity of incentive travel has led to the establishment of incentive travel
organizations. They negotiate with suppliers such as hotels and airlines to determine the cost of
incentive travel trips. Thus, they act as specialized types of tour wholesalers. To their prices, they add a
markup of 15% to 20% for their services and costs in packaging the incentive travel trip.

Corporations usually have the following objectives in buying incentive travel trips:

1. Increase overall sales volumes;

2. Sell new accounts;
3. Improve morale and good will;
4. Introduce new products;
5. Offset competitive promotions;
6. Bolster slow seasons;
7. Help in sales training;
8. Sell slow items; and
9. Obtain more store displays and support consumer promotions.

Companies who buy incentive travel trips are usually those involved in insurance, sales,
electronics/radio/television manufacturing, automobile and truck manufacturing, farm equipment
manufacturing, auto parts/accessories/tires, heating/air-conditioning, electrical appliances
manufacturing, office equipment manufacturing, and building materials manufacturing.

B. Pleasure/Personal Travelers

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This group consists of people traveling for vacation or pleasure. They are also called nonbusiness
travelers. Experiences and research have shown that nonbusiness travelers have different spending
patterns from business travelers. In general, the demand for travel services by nonbusiness travelers is
elastic with respect to prices. This means that nonbusiness travelers are very much concerned with the
increase in the price of travel services since the cost of travel is usually shouldered by the traveler
himself. The traveler likewise chooses the vacation area.

Traveling for pleasure is the largest segment of the international market and the fastest growing. The
reasons for the growth are the rising income levels in developed countries, urbanization, higher
educational levels, increase in leisure time, and the length of paid holidays.

Pleasure/personal travelers are classified into the following categories:

1. resort travelers;
2. family pleasure travelers;
3. the elderly; and 4. singles and couples.

Resort Travelers

Surveys have shown that resort travelers are better educated, have higher household incomes, and are
more likely to have professional and managerial positions. It is also notable that majority of resort
travelers have families with children.

Family Pleasure Travelers

The family pleasure travelers can be divided into three groups, namely: junior families, midrange
families, and mature families. These are defined according to the ages of the husband and wife and the
educational stages of their children as follows:

1. Junior families. With parents aged 20—34 having preschool and/ or grade school children
only;
2. Midrange families. With parents aged 35—44 with grade school and/or high school children
only; and
3. Mature families. With parents aged 45 or over with children who are of high school age and
older.

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Family pleasure travel trips are motivated by three objectives. The first objective is to use travel as an
educational experience for their children. The second objective is to do something different. The third
objective is to use travel to bring the family closer together. The major hindrances to family pleasure
travel are the cost of travel, particularly the cost of transportation, accommodation, food, the ability of
the parents to have privacy from their children, and the problems of organizing and coordinating family
pleasure plans.

The Elderly

An examination of population trends in developed countries particularly in North America clearly

indicates that the population is aging. At present, there are many people who are fifty years of age and
over, including a greater number of people in the retirement age category. These population shifts have
made the elderly persons a lucrative target for tourism destination areas. Persons in the "50 plus" age
bracket are called active affluents or people with the money and the desire to travel extensively. Active
affluents generally search for learning experiences, cultural enrichment, socialization, and activities
which lead to self-fulfillment.

Singles and Couples

Another important segment of pleasure travel consists of 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. A resort chain that targets singles and couples is the Club Mediterranee. Club Med is not the
only organization which taps the singles and couples pleasure travel segment; other resorts and
destinations particularly in the Caribbean region have also targeted this market segment.

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IX. Travel Constraints The main constraints to travel are:

1. lack of money;
2. lack of time;
3. lack of safety and security;
4. physical disability;
5. family commitments;
6. lack of interest in travel; and

7. fears of travel.

A. Lack of Money

Lack of money is the major travel constraint. Less money means less travel. The wealthy members of
society are the ones who travel most. People with more disposable income will be able to travel more
than those who just earn enough to live on.

B. Lack of Time

Lack of available time is another inhibiting factor to tourist travel. The desire to travel and the financial
ability to travel are insufficient if one does not have the time to travel. A senior company executive may
have plenty of money to spend but very little time available. A combination of time and money must be
present for travel and tourism to take place.

C. Lack of Safety and Security

Lack of security in public places, hotels, and travel centers cause people to prefer to remain in the
security of their neighborhood and home. Areas may acquire the reputation of being dangerous and
thus become less desirable travel destinations as what has happened in the Philippines, the Caribbean,
and parts of Mexico, Spain, and Italy, where there has been a sharp increase in the number of thefts,
robberies, shootings, and assaults among the local people. Tourists will not go to destinations that they
consider unsafe.

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D. Physical Disability

Physical disability in the form of bad health or physical handicap may keep people at home. Elderly who
are more susceptible to illnesses such as heart trouble, hypertension, arthritis, and bronchitis travel less.
After the age of 70, very few travels because for most of them, long trips are tiring, changes in food are
upsetting, and a strange bed may cause sleeplessness.

E. Family Commitments

Family commitments inhibit travel. Parents with young children find it inconvenient and expensive to
go on holiday. During the child-rearing period, family obligations increase significantly for women and to
a

similar but lesser degree, for men. Travel is curtailed and more time is spent at home. Indeed, family
commitments of any kind, whether it be young children, taking care of the sick, or looking after older
people really affects travel.

F. Lack of Interest in Travel

This is mainly due to a preference to simply stay at home. This condition may be due to a variety of
factors, such as dislike of travel, shyness in meeting people, dislike of changing routine, and many more.

G. Fears

Some people do not want to travel because of fears of travel. Fear of flying is quite common and
accounts for many people who insist on driving to a vacation area instead of boarding a plane. Fear of
the unknown keeps many people from leaving their own country or even their own city. Many travelers
are afraid to go to countries where they cannot understand the language. Some potential travelers are
afraid of the unfamiliar decisions they will have to make in a strange place such as how much to tip and
how to get around a strange city. All these fears are deterrents to travel.

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Chapter Activities 1. Design a tour that would appeal to young singles.
2. Decide whether you are a psychocentric or allocentric tourist. Choose a destination with an
image that matches your personality type and explain how this image pulls you to go to the destination.
3. Pleasure travel motivation is often added to a business trip such as attending a convention. How
would you sell this idea to the convention planning committee?

REFERENCES Romeo D. Lim, Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, Mindshapers Company, Inc., 2019

Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, 3G E-Learning LLC, 2019

Zenaida Lansangan-Cruz, Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, REX Bookstore, 2019

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