ABSTRACT

Understanding why people choose to travel and to become tourists seems at first sight a very simple issue. In fact it is a very complex area and, whilst we can all think of simple reasons why people choose to go on holiday, the area has also been extensively studied by psychologists (who study how humans behave, interact and react to external and internal stimuli) trying to derive explanations that apply to groups and individuals to the perennial question: why do people go on holiday? Theoretical research has sought to classify travellers into groups in order to generalize the reasons for being involved in tourism. However, there needs to be a recognition that not all tourists are the same. They are diverse and have a wide range of motivations to travel which vary by wealth, age, stage in the life cycle, lifestyle and personal and group preferences. As the tourism industry relies upon travellers choosing to go on holiday, understanding what motivates them to visit specific places and resorts has major economic consequences.