Linking Travel Motivations with Perceptions of Destinations: The Case of Youth Travelers in Alpine Summer and Winter Tourism.

Transcription

1 Linking Travel Motivations with Perceptions of Destinations: The Case of Youth Travelers in Alpine Summer and Winter Tourism Kurt Matzler Institute of Business Administration, Management and Economics Department of Marketing and International Management University of Klagenfurt Universitätsstrasse A-9020 Klagenfurt Tel Fax Hubert J. Siller Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) MCI Tourismus Universitätsstrasse 15 A-6020 Innsbruck Tel

2 Linking Travel Motivations with Perceptions of Destinations: The Case of German Youth Travelers in Alpine Summer and Winter Tourism (Refereed section) Abstract. The youth travel market is an important market segment in terms of size and growth rates. Youth travelers, however, differ in their travel motivations from other market segments. Therefore, in order to attract and satisfy youth travelers it is necessary to match their travel motivations with their perceptions of destinations. Based on an empirical study (N=2.128) among German Youth Travelers a methodology is presented which enables tourism managers to link travel motivations with perceptions of the destination. A twodimensioned matrix assesses the degree to which motivations and perceptions correlate. This analytical tool then forms the basis for the formulation of marketing strategies. The results of the empirical study presented in this paper show clear differences between travel motivations in summer and winter tourism and between perceptions of the Alps as a summer and winter destination. Key words: Travel motivations, Perception of Destination, Alpine Summer and Winter Tourism, Youth Travel Market. Introduction The growing competition between tourism destinations has led to a growing importance of marketing strategies. Market segmentation, market targeting and positioning have become key issues; several destinations have started to design special products for specific market segments. Among these segments the youth travel market is an important and growing target market which is expected to have good future prospects [Kale et al. 1997; Reisinger and Mavondo 2002]. Statistics of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) show that in 2001 about 140 million of the total 700 million international travelers were young people. It is expected that by 2005 every fourth traveler will be a young person [Trendavilova 2002]. Travelers have a wide variety of travel motivations. These motivations generate needs that lead to actions to satisfy those [Fodness 1994]. Hence, the selection of a destination is 2

3 influenced by the traveler s motivation and needs on the one side and the expected ability of a destination to satisfy the needs on the other side. Different market segments have different motivations and expectations. Consequently, in order to attract and satisfy potential guests these differences need to be detected and marketers have to formulate their strategies accordingly. In the literature, a number of studies have dealt with the particularities of the youth market in different contexts [e.g. Bywater 1993; Chadee and Cutler 1996; Kale et al. 1997; Seekings 1998; Carr 1999; Reisinger and Mavondo 2002]. Reisinger and Mavondo [Reisinger and Mavondo 2002], for an instance, found that there is a significant association between the youth traveler s motivation and the perception of a tourism destination; the tourists choice of a destination depends on their perception of the destinations ability to fulfill the motivations. In order to design effective strategies, marketers therefore need to match travelers motivations with the perceived ability of the destination to fulfill them. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present an analytical tool which allows finding a match between motivations and perceptions. The interplay of these two dimensions yields prescriptions for market strategies. In the first part of the paper it is argued that travel motivations need to be linked to the guests perceptions of the destination. The empirical part of the paper presents the result of an extensive study among German youth travelers and their travel motivations. Furthermore, their perceptions of the Alps as a winter and summer destination were measured. Using a two-dimensional matrix, where travel motivation is depicted along the x- axis and destination perception along the y-axes, specific recommendations for market strategies can be derived. The results of the study show the German youth market s travel motivations and their perception of the Alps as a destination. Clear differences between winter and summer tourism are found. Travel Motivation and Destination Perceptions The understanding and measurement of travel motivations are of utmost importance to the marketing of tourism services. Travel motivations are key variables in explaining tourist behavior [Fodness 1994; Hirtenlehner et al. 2002]. They can be used to define homogeneous market segments [e.g. Cha et al. 1995; Bieger and Laesser 2002] and to understand choice behavior and consumption patterns [Horneman et al. 2002]. Although there exists a number of empirical studies that identify and measure tourists motivations [e.g. Crompton 1979; Dann 3

4 1981; Mansfeld 1992; Fodness 1994; Baloglu and M. 1996; Hirtenlehner et al. 2002] little agreement has been achieved on how the construct can be conceptualized. Researchers typically develop a list of reasons for travel and measure to what extent they are relevant to different market segments and situations. Examples of motivation factors derived in empirical studies are relax, knowledge, adventure, travel bagging, family, sports [Cha et al. 1995] and nightlife, comfort, partner, family nature, culture/sightseeing, liberty body sports and sun [Bieger and Laesser 2002]. The idea behind segmenting the market according to motivations is that groups of potential travelers differ in their travel motivations and that they choose destinations that fulfill their expectations. Motivation, need fulfillment and satisfaction are tightly related [Oliver 1997]. Models in consumer behavior consider consumer motives as antecedents of customer needs [Assael 1998]. Customer needs in turn are antecedents of customers expectations [Parasuraman et al. 1985] and customer satisfaction is according to the expectation-disconfirmation-paradigm [Oliver 1980] a function of the level of expectation fulfillment. Hence, to understand consumer decision making and the formation of customer satisfaction it is crucial to link the perception 1 of a destination to the travelers motivations. If a destination is perceived to meet the motivations it is more likely to be chosen by the potential guests and eventually it will satisfy them. A two-dimensioned grid can be used to analyze a destination s ability to meet the travelers motivations (Fig. 1). It analyses motivation factors on two dimensions: their importance to the traveler and the travelers perception of how strongly a destination is able to meet the motivations. Evaluations of motivation factors on these two dimensions then are combined into the matrix which allows a destination to identify areas of strength (Quadrant I), to formulate improvement priorities (Quadrant II), to find areas of possible overkill (Quadrant IV) and areas of acceptable disadvantages (Quadrant III). Four implications for marketing strategies can be derived: Quadrant I: A destination is perceived to meet the travelers motivations. Motivations in this quadrant, therefore, represent opportunities for gaining or 1 Alternatively satisfaction or perceived performance could be used. In that case only guests that have experience with holidays in the Alps can be included in the study. Our intention, however, was to measure perceptions of all guests. Therefore, perceptions have been used in this study. 4

5 sustaining competitive advantages. In this area a destination should keep up the good work, it is able to successfully compete in this market segment. Quadrant II: A destination is not able to meet the most important travelers motivations. In this case two implications emerge. Either efforts should be concentrated here to improve the destination s ability to fulfill the travelers needs or the destination should try to focus on other market segments as it is not able to compete successfully in this market segment. Quadrant III: If unimportant motives are not fulfilled low priority should be given to improve this situation. Quadrant IV: Motivations located in this quadrant are rated high in a destination s ability to satisfy them but low in importance. This situation implies that resources committed to these travel motivations would be better employed elsewhere. High performance on unimportant motivations indicates a possible overkill. positive Perception of Destination Quadrant IV Possible overkill in this market segment - look for market segments where these attributes are important motives! Quadrant III "Low priority in this market segment Quadrant I Keep up the good work and focus on this market segment! Quadrant II Concentrate efforts here to improve perception or target another market segment! negative low high Importance of motive Fig. 1. Importance-Perception Analysis 5

6 In the following section the authors report the findings of an empirical study on travel motivations of German youth travelers. Summer and winter tourism in the Alps were analyzed. It is shown how Importance-Perception Analysis can be used to evaluate a destinations offering and which strategic implications emerge. Method In summer 2002 a total of face-to-face interviews were conducted in Germany. The upper age limit for youth travel generally is 25. In this study, the age limit has been extended to 29 (beginning with the age of 14) for two reasons. First, a growing portion of young people continue their education beyond the age of 25 and do not settle down before their late 20s or early 30s [Reisinger and Mavondo 2002]. Second, those young people who settle down often continue their youthful life style [Seekings 1998]. Subjects were selected using a quota sample (based on the variables age, sex, federal state of residence and size of the city were they live) in order to reach a representative sample of the population. Table 1 provides a detailed description of the sample. Variable Percent of respondents Sex Female Male Size of the City of Origin (Number of inhabitants) < ,8% 52,8% 47,2% ,0% > ,2% Age ,6% 38,0% 17,4% Federal State of Origin Baden-Württemberg 12,3% Bavaria 13,1% Berlin 3,7% Brandenburg 0,9% Bremen 0,5% Hamburg 1,5% Hesse 7,3% Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 2,4% Lower Saxony 18,6% North Rhine-Westphalia 19,7% Rhineland-Palatinate 4,9% Saarland 0,2% Saxony 4,6% 6

7 Saxony-Anhalt 3,5% Schleswig-Holstein 3,6% Thuringia 3,1% Table 1. Description of the sample Travel motivations were derived from a list of seventeen motives identified by the Studienkreis für Tourismus, Starnberg/Germany [Studienkreis 1992]. These motives were adapted to the youth market; two items that were expected to be especially important to this segment were added (meeting people, action). A standardized questionnaire was developed and subjects were asked to rate the Alps on their ability to satisfy the single travel motives separately for winter and summer holidays with questions such as Please think now of summer holidays in the Alps. Below is a list of statements that describe the Alps. Please indicate to what extent you agree with the following statements. The Alps mean to me Adventure. Five-point Likert scales, from (1) strongly agree to (5) strongly disagree were used. Then, the importance of the motivations for summer and winter holidays was measured asking the subjects to name the most important five motives from the list with questions such as From this list please identify what you feel are the five most important travel motivations. Furthermore, those subjects who had already spent their summer or winter holidays in the Alps were asked to express their satisfaction on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = very satisfied; 5 = very dissatisfied). As an indicator for guest loyalty, their willingness to recommend holidays in the Alps to their friends was also measured on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = yes, for sure; 5 = not at all). Results Satisfaction and recommendation to others 80.1% of the Germans between 14 and 29 years have at least once spent their holidays in the Alps. They were asked to state their satisfaction and likelihood of recommendation to others. A regression analysis with recommendation as the dependent and satisfaction as the independent variable shows that satisfaction with a destination has a significant impact on loyalty, measured using likelihood of recommendation as an indicator. 7

8 Dependent Variable: Recommendation to others Regression Coefficient R² Winter 0,567*** 0,322 Summer 0,578*** 0,334 *** p=0,000 Tab. 2: Impact of guest satisfaction on likelihood of recommendation to others Figure 2 shows the youth travelers satisfaction separately for winter and summer holidays. A clear difference can be seen. Whereas only 37.7% are highly satisfied with their summer holiday in the Alps, 55.5% are highly satisfied with their winter holiday. These results confirm the widely held assumption that in general the Alps are more attractive as a winter destination than as a summer destination. The analysis of the likelihood of recommendation to others shows similar results; winter tourists are much more likely to recommend holidays in the Alps to others. Satisfaction 60,00% 55,50% 50,00% 47,70% Summer 40,00% 37,70% 33% Winter 30,00% 20,00% 10,00% 0,00% Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied 9,70% 8,60% Neither satisfied/nor dissatisfied 3,70% 1,90% 1,20% 1% Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Figure 2. Satisfaction of youth travelers with their holidays in the Alps 8

9 Likelihood of Recommendation to others 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 39.10% 57.60% Summer Winter 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 24.70% 24% 23.70% 13.90% 10.20% 2.90% 2.30% 2% Yes, for sure Probably I don't know Probably not Defintely not Figure 3. Likelihood of recommendation to others These differences in satisfaction and recommendation behavior indicate that in winter holidays the travelers motivations are better met than in summer holidays. Hence, it seems to be necessary to analyze the Alps separately for winter and summer tourism. Travel motivations and destination perceptions All subjects in our study were asked to indicate their travel motives and their perception of the Alps separately for winter and summer holidays. Table 3 reports the results. It can be clearly seen that the importance of motivations as well as the destination s ability to meet them differ clearly between winter and summer. In winter, the youth travelers obviously are highly active travelers. They seek a lot of stimulation. Main interests are sports and fun. They also want to enjoy landscape and nature and to meet people. 9

10 Summer youth travelers, in contrast, attach more importance to experiencing the nature and to relaxation. Sports and fun are slightly less important. Motives related to cultural activities, to experiencing the destination s tradition and to Luxury/comfort are unimportant to youth travelers in winter as well as in summer. Winter Summer Motivation Importance % Perception Motivation Importance % Perception Sports 71,5 1,34 Nature/Landscape 58,0 1,34 Fun 62,5 1,48 Relaxation 51,0 1,90 Nature/Landscape 45,5 1,64 Fun 49,0 2,13 Meeting people 42,0 1,93 Sports 42,0 1,94 Action 38,0 1,77 Freedom 41,5 1,71 Freedom 31,0 1,90 Silence 35,0 1,72 Adventure 30,5 1,97 Adventure 30,5 2,08 Relaxation 29,5 2,48 Meeting people 30,0 2,73 Romance 25,0 2,22 Romance 26,0 2,12 Fitness 23,5 1,79 Gemütlichkeit 24,0 2,13 Gemütlichkeit 20,5 2,25 Health 22,0 1,73 Silence 18,5 2,67 Action 20,5 2,60 Health 17,5 2,20 Fitness 15,5 2,17 Enjoyment/Pleasure 10,5 2,35 Culture 14,0 3,01 Luxury/Comfort 10,0 2,67 Enjoyment/Pleasure 12,0 2,41 Culture 8,5 3,41 Luxury/Comfort 10,5 2,97 Tradition 6,0 2,93 Tradition 10,0 2,30 Prestige/Image 5,0 2,96 Exotic Ambience 6,0 3,61 Exotic Ambience 4,5 3,59 Prestige/Image 3,5 3,43 Tab. 3. Travel motivations and perception of the Alps of the youth traveler market for summer and winter tourism From figure 4 it can also be seen that tourism perceptions of the Alps differ greatly between summer and winter. The values in the figure represent the differences of perception (winter minus summer). A positive value means that the relevant attribute is perceived stronger in summer and a negative value means that the attribute elicits stronger associations in winter. 10

11 Perception of the Alps in summer compared to winter Action Meeting people Fun Sports Prestige/Image Fitness Luxury/Comfort Adventure Enjoyment/Pleasure Exotic Ambience Romance Gemütlichkeit Freedom Nature/Landscape Culture Health Relaxation Tradition Silence Fig. 4: Perception of the Alps in summer compared to winter Action, meeting people, fun and sports are not strongly associated with the summer. The youth travelers associations with the Alps in summer are primarily silence, tradition and relaxation. However, before any strategies are formulated based on these results, it is necessary to relate perceptions to motivations. Figure 5 and Figure 6 display the relationship between perception of holidays in the Alps and travel motivations for winter tourism (Figure 6) and summer tourism (Figure 7). The 10 most important motives are shown; the means were used to split the axes. From table 3 it can be seen that the ability of the Alps to meet the travel motivations are perceived to be lower in summer. Therefore, in order to better compare winter and summer it was necessary 11

12 to use the same mean for the two matrixes. For this purpose, the mean of the perception of winter tourism was used. 1,00 Importance (%) 1,20 Perception (1=strongly agree) 1,40 1,60 1,80 2,00 2,20 Fitness Romance Freedom Adventure Action Nature/ Landscape Meeting people Fun Sports 2,40 Relaxation 2, Fig. 5: Importance-Perception-Analysis (winter, 10 most important motives) 12

13 Importance (%) 1,00 Perception (1=strongly agree) 1,50 2,00 2,50 Silence Adventure Romance "Gemütlichkeit" Meeting people Freedom Sports Fun Relaxation Nature/ Landscape 3, Fig. 6: Importance-Perception-Analysis (summer, 10 most important motives) In winter, importance of motivations and the youth travelers perception of the Alps ability to meet the motivations fit neatly together. This is a possible explanation for the higher satisfaction in winter. The three most important motivations are located in the upper right quadrant. These are the areas of strength which represent the sources of competitive advantage. Hence, Alpine destinations should try to maintain high performance on these attributes. Only meeting people is an attribute that needs to be concentrated on. It s relatively important to the youth traveler and it is low in perception. Relaxation and romance are motivations that are relatively unimportant, therefore, their low association with winter tourism in the Alps can be tolerated. Overall, it seems that the Alps are able to successfully compete in this market segment. The most important travel motivations are met. In contrast, summer tourism in the Alps suffers from serious disadvantages from the perspective of a youth traveler. From the most important travel motivations of young people, three attributes are found in the lower right quadrant; they represent a critical performance shortfall. If youth travelers are to be attracted and satisfied, efforts should be concentrated on the attributes in the lower right quadrant. Only nature/landscape and freedom seem to be 13

14 key drivers of guest satisfaction. Their importance corresponds with a high level of perception. Alpine destinations, therefore should try to offer more opportunities for relaxation, fun and sports in summer. If this cannot be achieved a destination should try to focus on other target markets as it will not be able to compete successfully in this segment. Conclusion Travel motivations and the perceived ability of a destination to satisfy these are key variables in destination marketing. In this study it has been shown that, based on market research data, a two-dimensioned grid can be used to assess the current situation and to derive strategies. First, from the perception-importance analysis it can be seen how a destination is positioned. Guests will only choose a destination if they are convinced that it will be able to satisfy the most important travel motives. Hence, this tool can be very helpful in the formulation of acquisition strategies (i.e. select those segments where perceptions match the motives) and communications strategies (i.e. create or correct perceptions). Second, as perceptions are tightly related to satisfaction, this analysis should also enable a manager to predict a destination s ability to satisfy potential guests. Indeed, the results of the empirical study clearly show that there is a great difference in guest satisfaction between summer and winter in the Alps. Youth travelers are much more satisfied with their holidays in winter. This difference strongly supports the assumption that in the Alpine summer tourism the youth traveler s motivations are not met. Travel motivations as well as the perceived ability of the Alps to satisfy the needs differ between summer and winter. However, one important limitation of this study should be acknowledged. Although much attention had been paid to reach a representative sample of the population there is one possible bias in our study. Data collection took place during summer months. Hence, a part of our target group probably was on holiday and thus not available for the interviews. As a consequence, youth travelers in our sample might not be fully representative for the entire population. Nevertheless, it could be shown that the application of the importance-perception analysis yields clear insights on how to improve the competitive position of a destination. 14

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