Developing the Travel Career Approach to Tourist Motivation

Motivation has been an important topic in the leisure and tourism literature since the inception of these fields of study (Crompton 1979; Dann 1981; Galloway 1998; Veal 1997).Wahab (1975) argued that the whole area of travel motivation is basic and indispensable in tourism studies and fundamental to tourism development itself. Crompton (1979) noted that it is possible to describe the who, when, where,and how of tourism but more difficult to answer the question Why?—a critical factor underlying all tourist behavior. Motivation is commonly seen as the driving force behind all actions (Crompton 1979; Iso-Ahola 1982; Fodness 1994). It is therefore a starting point for studying tourist behavior and,beyond that, for understanding systems of tourism (Gunn 1988; Mill and Morrison 1985). Although there is some agreement about the fundamental importance of motivation, in 1987 Jafari noted that no common theoretical understanding had emerged at that time (Jafari 1987). Although there has been substantial progress in this area of study, Jafari’s view still seems appropriate because, despite multiple efforts, no widely agreed-on theoretical or conceptual framework has emerged (World Tourism Organization 1999). Although the importance of this area has been acknowledged, the difficulties in studying the topic are considerable. Unlike the frequently measured purpose of travel (e.g., “for business” or “for pleasure”), which is considered to be overt, the motivations or underlying reasons for travel are covert in that they reflect an individual’s needs and wants (Gee, Choy, and Makens 1984). French, Craig-Smith, and Collier (1995) noted that travel motivation research is challenging because of both the wide range of human needs and methodological difficulties. Furthermore, the universality of the topic potentially poses problems in constructing theories that apply across cultures (Smith 1995). Despite the difficulties, the value of pursuing travel motivation studies can be described as extensive. It has been widely suggested that various tourist visitation patterns are the result of a destination choice process that, in turn, is influenced powerfully by tourists’ motives and backgrounds (Um and Crompton 1990; Lue,Crompton, and Fesenmaier 1993). Mansfeld (1992) suggested that both travel choice and travel behavior will be understood better if travel motivation theory and measurement are improved. Similarly, Moscardo et al. (1995) proposed that motivation could be linked to activities and, in turn, to destination choice. In this kind of scheme, travel motivation becomes a topic of central interest to tourism marketers and managers.