How demographic factors affect tourism typology of a given destination

Question

How demographic factors affect tourism typology of a given destination

Answer

Demographic factors affecting tourism typology of a given destination include age, income, household size, nationality and gender. Income – Affects sources of information, loyalty to agencies, time spent browsing destinations etc. A study by Djeri et al. (2014) found that high income earners start collecting information about a destination prior to travel and they lean towards unplanned purchase behaviour. When estimating alternative destinations, this group is greatly influenced by social surroundings. Low income earners do not consider it important to gather information about the destination prior to travel. They are not keen on exploring new destinations. When the estimation of alternatives is concerned, the greatest attention is paid to all-inclusive arrangements, prices and, payment benefits. Age – One size does not fit-all when it comes to tourism destinations and different age groups. For example, the mature tourist is looking for quality, value and rewards for hard-work, whereas millennials are looking for brands that resonate with their peers. All of this affects destination choice. Gender – Females are likely to process all information comprehensively whereas males are likely to be influenced by selected attributes. Each gender assigns importance to individual characteristics differently. For example, majority of souvenir purchases are made by women (Ryan et al. 1998). Nationality - Tourists of different nationalities are likely to have different tourism motivations. For example, German tourists were found likely to have culture and nature oriented motivations. Whereas British tourists liked to have fun and mix with other fellow tourists (Kozak (2002). Household size – Children have a role in applying pressure to their parents to make particular purchasing decisions. Pester power usually means parents will cave in and choose a destination chosen by the child/ren.

References

Djeri, L., Armenski, T., Jovanovic, T., and Dragin, A. (2014) How income influences the choice of tourism destination? Acta Oeconomica, 64 (2) pp 219-237 Kozak, M. (2002) Comparative analysis of tourist motivations by nationality and destinations. Tourism Management, 23 (3) pp 221-232 Ryan, M., Henley, N., and Soutar, G. (1998) Gender Differences in Tourism Destination: Implications for Tourism Marketers. School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure. Aailable via: http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=smatl_pubs