Tourists: The Traveling
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
In
the first chapter, we talk about model highlighting the scope and complexity of
the tourism industry and that you actually realize that the center is the focal
point and primary season for all tourism is travelers. Here we will learn more
about these travelers and how we can plan to meet their wants and needs successfully.
To know that we need to find out who they are, why they travel, and what they
expect during the travels.
Nowadays,
the travels have a lot of needs and these needs bring us to a lot of activity
too. In respond to the task of understanding consumers, their needs, and the
actions they take to satisfy these needs, a whole branch of marketing and
consumer behavior has developed.
Consumer
behavior is the study of consumer characteristic and the processes involved
when individuals or groups select, purchase, and use goods and services to
satisfy wants and needs.
So
here we will learn about: Foundation for Understanding Tourist, Segmenting the
tourism market, and specialized tourist segments.
FOUNDATION FOR UNDERSTANDING TOURIST
In this section we will learn to consider what
psychological reasons compel individual travel. Psychologists have long studied
motivations for a variety of human behaviors including the drive to travel.
Here we will discuss 3 of the most accepted theory for tourist motivations:
a.Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs:
This theory made by Abraham Maslow that
provided a good general framework for describe human needs in his classic model depicting the hierarchy of
needs. Maslow further grouped these needs into two broader categories : lower
order and higher order needs. Lower order
need to be full fill first before we can jump to the next higher order needs,
this is the model of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs :
b. The Leisure
Ladder Model:
This model developed by Pearce and this model is similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but it further by providing more detailed insights into specific tourist behavior.
This model developed by Pearce and this model is similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but it further by providing more detailed insights into specific tourist behavior.
c. The
Pyschocentric-Allocentric Model:
Theory that divide, people
into 2 type in general that are:
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Psychocentrics
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Allocentrics
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Prefer
familiar travel destinations
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Prefer non
“Touristy” destinations
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Like
commonplace activities at destinations
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Enjoy
discovering new destinations before others have visited them
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Prefer
relaxing sun-and-fun spots
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Prefer unusual
destinations
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Prefer low
activity levels
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Prefer high
activity level
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Prefer driving
to destinations
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Prefer flying
to destinations
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Prefer heavy
tourist accommodations, such as hotel development, family-style restaurants,
and souvenir shops.
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Prefer
services such as adequate to good accommodations and food and few developed
tourist attractions
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Prefer
familiar rather than foreign atmospheres
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Enjoy
interacting with people from different cultures
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Prefer Purchasing
complete tour packages featuring a full schedule of activities
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Prefer tour
arrangement that include basics (transportation and accommodations) and allow
for considerable flexibility.
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SEGMENTING
THE TOURISM MARKET
Common approaches (called “bases”) to segmenting
market can be achieved by grouping customers according to the following
variables:
Geographic Segmentation
Geographic segmentation is the oldest and the simplest basis for market segmentation. Even though people in the same geographic location do not usually have similar wants and needs, their location sometimes has an important impact on their selection of tourism goods and services. Commonly used geographic segmentation variables include nations, regions, state/provinces, cities, and even neighborhoods.
Geographic segmentation is the oldest and the simplest basis for market segmentation. Even though people in the same geographic location do not usually have similar wants and needs, their location sometimes has an important impact on their selection of tourism goods and services. Commonly used geographic segmentation variables include nations, regions, state/provinces, cities, and even neighborhoods.
Demographic
Segmentation
Demographic segmentation is the basis most commonly
used for market segmentation. Using this approach, consumer are grouped
according to variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, education
level, income, household size, and family situation.
Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographic Segmentation involves
grouping people on how they live, their priorities and their interest. Put all
this together and we will have description of a person’s lifestyle and
personality. Psychographic segmentations had been used by cruise lines and
resorts to target individuals with similar hobbies, sports, and musical
interest.
Product-Related Segmentation
On the 3 segmentation before, the marketers make group
them base on their characteristic. The marketers assume all of that is related
to their needs and wants. Since assumptions can sometimes get us into trouble
the marketers often try to segment less indirectly and more directly, they segment
their target from 3 parts:
1. The benefits people seek in the good or services (for
example, the ability to guarantee the availability of a room at a hotel)
2. The amount of good or services used (light users such
as occasional leisure travelers versus heavy users such as business travelers)
3. The degree of company loyalty shown by the consumer in
relation to the specific good or service (participation in frequent-user
programs)
SPECIALIZED TOURIST SEGMENTS
There
are five large and specific segments of tourism consumer that are business and
professional travelers, incentive travelers, mature travelers, international
travelers, and single travelers.
Business and Professional Travelers
Business travel is considered to be
one of the most important in the tourism industry because business people are
often required to travel as part of their day-to-day activities. Since travel
is part of their job, the amount of money they spend on tourism services tends
to stay fairly constant and they are not as price-sensitive as vacation and
leisure travelers. Professional travelers are similar to business travelers,
they are more satisfied by meeting and convention facilities.
The Marriott Company provides good
example of how to further segment the business and professional travel market
successfully. The first is the full service Marriott Hotel that is targeted to
the business traveler who wants all the facilities needed while on business
trip. The second, Courtyard by Marriott, targeted to the business traveler who
wants the basics of a business hotel but does not have the budget to pay the
extras not used. The third concept is Fairfield Inn that is targeted for the
traveler who is simply looking for a clean, comfortable room for the nights
without the extras.
Incentive Travelers
One of the faster-growing segments of
the tourism industry is incentive travelers which generates over 11 million
trips annually worldwide. Incentive programs are designed to create competition
with the winner receiving many different type awards including complete holiday
get-away packages. All aspects of incentive travel are structured so that
everything is first class filled with pleasant surprises, and arranged so that
participants never have to pay for anything.
Mature Travelers
Another large and growing segment of
tourism consumers is mature travelers. The United Nations estimates that the
number of senior citizens in the year 2025 will be 1.1 billion worldwide,
almost double the number in 2000. The mature traveler market segment is
especially important since they spend 30% more than younger travelers and
account for 80% of all commercial vacation travel. Mature travelers most likely
take cruise vacation, long trip vacation usually more than 5 nights and most
likely to purchase package tours.
International Travelers
International travelers are a large
and growing segment of tourism consumer. There are 4.52 million international
travelers that come to Bali during January-July 2017. The largest number of
visitors to Bali come from China and Australia. There are 896.000 Chinese
travelers that visit Bali during January-July 2017, they are interested by the
cultural of Bali. The second majority of international travelers that visit
Bali come from Australia. There are 632.000 Australian travelers that visit
Bali during January-July 2017, one of the reasons is probably the flight ticked
to Bali is cheaper than the flight tickets from one city to another city in
Australia.
Single Travelers
A single traveler is defined by the Travel
Industry Association of America by person who lives alone and travels with or
without companions. This represents 22% of all travelers. A number of social
trends has led to an increase of the single traveler segment. Traveling alone
can be extra costly. Most tours, all-inclusive resorts and cruise lines charge
a single supplement that ranges from additional 25% to 100% more than the per
person price a couple would pay. The internet is now making it possible to for
a single traveler to find a roommates so they can avoid the single supplement
premium and meet new friends.
DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE
Simply identifying and attracting
targeted customers is not enough. Tourism or organization must then meet customer
expectations by satisfying their wants and needs. Providing consistently high
quality service is the key to establishing and maintaining a successful
operation. Travelers now expect superior service, and delivering superior
service requires understanding travelers’ wants and needs.
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