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PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY
The motivations in choosing a specific ski resort
-Place Attachment and Destination Attachment-
Marina Plopeanu

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Abstract
The purpose of this research project is to discover the reasoning behind why people
choose the ski resorts that they do. The main theory that is being used in this research is
the theory of place attachment. The study focused on three ski resorts in in New Hampshire:
Waterville Valley, Loon Mountain Ski Area, and Cannon. A questionnaire was created on
Survey Monkey and was distributed both online and in person which asked about
preference of ski resorts. Participants stated that the main reasons they choose a certain ski
resort was because of the features of the mountain, price, proximity, the amenities in the
area and friends’ recommendations. Place attachment was not a main theory that was found
throughout this research. The results have shown that the level of education, age, income,
and family tradition are the factors that have the most influencing straight of place
attachment.

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Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………2
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..4
Literature Review……………………………………………………………………….....4
Research Methods……………………………………………………………………..…..7
Sampling…………………………………………………………………………………..8
Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………....8
Research Questions Results:
* Q1: What demographic variables are related to place attachment?........................8
* Q2: What are the motivations in choosing a certain ski resort in NH?...................9
* Q3: Is place attachment animportant factorin choosing a resort?........................11
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………....13
References…………………………………………………………………………..……14
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….16

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Introduction
The purpose of this research is to find out what are the motivations for choosing a
ski resort in New Hampshire, and if place attachment is one off the reasons. Place
attachment refers to the emotional and symbolic relationship that individuals form with
recreational resources. This paper aims to identify different types of visitors and explore
the demographic variables that are related to place attachment. As tourism resorts become
increasingly diverse, it is important to understand what factors influence the decision
making in choosing a certain tourist destination. The final goal is to examine if place
attachment is an important factor in choosing a ski resort in New Hampshire.
Studying the development of place attachment is important for resort marketers and
managers in their effort to develop customer’s behavior and attitudinal loyalty (Kyle,
Graefe, Manning & Bacon, 2003). In the ski industry “differing motivations and changes
in demand are evident” (Phillips & Brunt, 2013, p. 220) and that’s why a better
understanding of the factors that influence participation is necessary to secure the future of
the industry.
Literature Review
In recent leisure and tourism literature, the concept of place attachment has been used to
understand the ski tourist’s behavior. It has been shown that individual’s emotional and
functional attachment to a specific recreational place is related to a variety of behavioral
outcomes, such as satisfaction levels, recreation specialization, leisure participation
patterns, perceived crowding, and behavioral loyalty (Alexandris, Kouthouris & Melighis,
2006).

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Place attachment has been included in a variety of decision making models, and has been
linked with concepts, such as activity and tourism involvement, and destination attachment.
Leisure researchers have been using the theory of place attachment for over two
decades. They have tried to perfect our understanding of certain leisure behaviors and
conceptualize how people identify with a particular environmental setting (Kyle, Graefe,
Manning & Bacon, 2003). Bell talks about the culture of leisure: “Much of what tourists
travel for is the look of a place and the occasion (or excuse) that look provides for what we
must see as the culture of leisure” (Bell, 2009, p. 202)
People establish an emotional attachment to a particular landscape that constitutes
a unique “sense of place” (Eisenhauer, Krannich & Blahna, 2000). Studies of place
attachment often focus on one’s connection to a specific or special physical place. An
example of related research is Mitchell, Force, and McLaughlin’s (1993) study of
emotional attachments to places. The study identifies different types of visitors and tourists
that have different levels of place attachment. Facilities and activities available in resort
can influence the decision-making. In addition, Phillips and Brunt (2013) argued that there
is no single tourist type; therefore, it is mistaken to group them as a similar entity. To
successfully create a more accurate classification, typologies need to be specific and
classify the tourists of a particular destination, activity, or type of tourism.
For this research, Mitchell et al. (1993) explained best the emotional attachment
between recreation visitors and a specific ski resort. In order to describe the differentiation
between visitor’s relationships with their environment, it will helpful to develop a two-
level typology: use-orientated visitors and emotionally attached-oriented visitors. The use-
orientated visitors “expressed the importance of the environment in relation to the activities

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pursued and the experiences delivered from their activities” (Mitchell et al., 1993, p. 33).
The attached-oriented visitors expressed an “emotional bond to the place” (Mitchell et al.,
1993, p. 33).
Place attachment has received less focus in the context of ski resorts. Studying the
development of place attachment is important for resort marketers and managers in their
effort to develop customer’s behavior and attitudinal loyalty (Kyle et al., 2003). In the ski
industry “differing motivations and changes in demand are evident” (Phillips & Brunt,
2013, p. 220) and that’s why a better understanding of the factors that influence
participation is necessary to secure the future of the industry.
The term attachment is used to denote the complex attitudes and behaviors that may
be associated with an affective bond with one’s neighborhood. Place attachment is defined
as an individual’s commitment to their neighborhoods and neighbors (Giuliani, 2003).
Attachment to place is considered a fundamental human need (Giuliani, 2003 apud
Relph, 1976). The notion of place attachment emerged in 1974 when Yi-Fu Tuan expressed
an interest in the affective aspect of the relationship with geographic space. He was the
first one that asserted that “place” has meaning. A human’s emotional attachment to a
geographic space is what makes it a significant place. The sense of place is the emotional
attachment based on an appreciation for the land that goes beyond its use value (Eisenhauer
el al, 2000). The purpose of this research is to find how place attachments are created in
ski tourists.
It has become increasingly popular to travel in order to participate in sports tourism.
Some important motivational concepts that influence destination choice might be related
to having fun, excitement, and sense of achievement. Scholars argue that the primary

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motivations for involvement in leisure recreational activities are needs based, with the
tourist achieving a sense of belonging, fulfillment or satisfaction by participating in such
activities (Philips and Brunt, 2013).
The participation of tourists in winter sports can be justified by Maslow’s paradigm
of Hierarchy of Needs (1970). Maslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain
needs. Being engaged in winter sports can be seen as the achievement of the fifth stage:
Self-Actualization, which is realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal
growth and peak experiences (Maslow, 1970).
Finally, when we talk about the motivations in choosing a certain ski resort, we also
talk about destination attachment. Destination attractiveness is significantly and positively
related to place attachment (Hou, Lin, and Morais, 2005). Tourists may develop attachment
to a destination because of its “ability in fulfilling specific goals or activity needs and/or
because of its symbolic meaning and thus, attachment could be an important measure of
tourist satisfaction and loyalty” (Yuksel, 2009, Abstract).
Studies have shown that it is possible to investigate the contribution of place
attachment to predict customer loyalty and also examine the influence of service quality in
the development of place attachment. The interaction and the physical environment
dimensions of service quality help predict place identity and place attachment.
Research methods
The study focused on three ski resorts in the White Mountains: Waterville Valley,
Loon Mountain Ski Area, and Cannon, but it was not limited to those. The data was

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collected over the course of three weeks. A total of 84 (n=84) recreational skiers and
snowboarders participated in the study. Using Survey Monkey a questionnaire was created
and it was distributed in person and online on different social media pages.
The survey primarily includes Likert scale items (strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree,
and strongly disagree) and multiple-choice questions. The analysis was conducted using
SPSS.
This study documents the reasons why these ski resorts are considered special, and
examines the connection between the activities done at special places and the reasons the
resorts are considered special places (Eisenhauer, Krannich & Blahna, 2000).
Sampling
The sampling method was not a strict probability method, it falls under the category
of an accidental, haphazard or convenience sampling and it is the best choice in order to
collect the data required to test the theoretical model (Alexandris, Kouthouris & Melighis,
2006).
* Q1: What demographic variables are related to place attachment?
In terms of the demographic characteristics of the sample, 46.4 % were women and
53.6% were men. More than half, 56.6 %, were skiers, 36.1 % were snowboarders, but
more demographic details can be seen in Table 1.

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Table 1. Response distribution for selectedvariables
Demographic Values Valid percent
Skiers 56.6 %
Snowboarders 36.1%
Other activities like tubing and snowshoeing
Age:
7 .3%
20 year old and under 7 .4%
between 21 and 30 years old 46.9 %
between 31 and 40 years old 14.8 %
between 41 and 50 years old 19.8 %
between 51 and 60 years old 6.2 %
over 60 years old
Gender:
4.9 %
women 46.4 %
men
Income:
53.6%
$39.999 a year or less 43.9%
between $40.000 and $79.999 a year 25.6%
more than $80.000 a year 30.5%
* Q2: What are the motivations in choosing a certain ski resort in NH?
Based on my research, Waterville Valley was identified as the one where people
liked to go the most, followed by Loon Mountain and Cannon Mountain Ski Ares.

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The reasons identified by the respondents as being the most important for visiting
a ski resort in New Hampshire were (Table 2): the features of the mountain, followed by
price, proximity, the amenities in the area and friends’ recommendations. Other reasons
for choosing a ski resort were: friendliness of the staff, annual snowfall amount and the
learning progression options. Good Internet reviews were one of the least important reasons
in choosing a ski resort, and, surprisingly, family tradition since family tradition is often
an important indicator of place attachment as attachment happens in childhood, when the
family plans outdoor activities like skiing and snowboarding.

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Table 2. The motivations in choosing a certain ski resort in NH
* Q3: Is place attachment an important factor in choosing a resort?
Attachment was measured using six items combined into a summated index. Based
on factor loading and face validity, the six variables used to measure place attachment
included: “This place is very special to me”, “I can’t imagine a better place for
skiing/snowboarding”, “I identify strongly with this place”, “coming here is the most
satisfying thing I do”, “I find that a lot of my life is organized around this place”, and “I
have an emotional attachment to this place”. The attachment score ranges from 6 to 20,
6.00 meaning strongly attached, and 20.00, strongly detached (mean = 11.46, and std. dev.

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3.521). Because the attachment is a low value and detachment is a high value, all the
Pearson Correlation appear negative.
A reliability analysis of this index yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .66
(mean = 1.911), and a series of multivariate analysis was used to determine which variables
are statistically significant predictors of place attachment. The strongest relationship
analyzed, indicated that the level of education (p-val = .006), age (p-val = .025), income
(p-val =.068), and family tradition (p-val =.087) are the factors that have the most
influencing straight of place attachment (Table 3).
Table 3. Bivariate Correlation Table
Attachment
Score
Family tradition Pearson
Correlation
-.190
Sig. (2-tailed) .087
N 82
Proximity - Close to home Pearson
Correlation
.151
Sig. (2-tailed) .176
N 82
Features of the mountain Pearson
Correlation
-.181
Sig. (2-tailed) .107
N 81
What is the highestdegree or level of school you have
completed?
Pearson
Correlation
-.303**
Sig. (2-tailed) .006
N 82
What is your annual household income? Pearson
Correlation
-.205
Sig. (2-tailed) .068
N 80
Age category Pearson
Correlation
-.252*
Sig. (2-tailed) .025

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Because age is a variable that has a an influencing straight of place attachment, I
split the data into two categories, less than 30 years old and over 30 years old. The results
show that there was no significant relationship between age and place attachment. This
happened because the first category had more data than the second category.
Conclusions
As a final result, based on my data we can conclude that older, richer, mode educate
people are more attached to place. Given the small sample size relationship between family
and attachment is approaching statistical significance (p=.087), it is reasonable to assume
that future studies on a larger scale will produce better results. Overall, there is a
relationship between place attachment and the motivations in choosing a certain ski resort
in New Hampshire,
Studies have shown that it is possible to investigate the contribution of place
attachment to predict customer loyalty and also examine the influence of service quality in
the development of place attachment. The interaction and the physical environment
dimensions of service quality help predict place identity and place attachment. The best
approaches for future research are to focus on the classification of multiple tourist types
and try to identify the complex attitudes and behaviors that may be associated with place
attachment.
N 79
*. Correlation is significantatthe 0.05 level (2-tailed).
**. Correlation is significantatthe 0.01 level (2-tailed).

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References
Alexandris, K., Kouthouris, C., & Meligdis, A. (2006). Increasing customers' loyalty in
a skiing resort. The Contribution of Place Attachment and Service Quality.
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 18(5), 414-425.
Bell, M. (2009). The human nature of nature. In An invitation to environmental
sociology (3nd ed., pp. 202-204). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Pine Forge Press.
Brehm, J., Eisenhauer, B., & Stedman, R. (2012). Environmental concern: Examining
the role of place meaning and place attachment. Society & Natural Resources,
(0894-1920), 1-17.
Brehm, J., Eisenhauer, B., & Krannich, R. (2006). Community attachment as predictors
of local environmental concern. American Behavioral Scientist, 50(2), 1-24.
Eisenhauer, B., Krannich, R., & Blaha, D. (2000). Attachment to special places on public
lands: An analysis of activities, reason for attachments, and community
connections. Science & Natural Resources, 13(0894-1920/00), 421-441.
Giuliani, M. (2003). 5 Theory and place attachment. In Psychological theories for
environmental issues (pp. 137-170). Ashgate: Aldershot.
Hou, J., Lin, C., & Morais, D. (2005). Antecedents of attachment to a cultural tourism
destination: The case of Hakka and Non-Hakka Taiwanese visitors to Pei-Pu,
Taiwan. Journal of Travel Research, 44(10), 221-233.
Kyle, G., Graefe, A., Manning, R., & Bacon, J. (2003). An examination of the
relationship between leisure activity involvement and place attachment among
hikes along the Appalachian Trail. Journal of Leisure Research, 35(3), 249-273.

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Mitchell, M., Carroll, M., & McLaughlin, W. (1993). Forest places of the heart. Journal
of Forestry, 32-37.
Philips, J., & Brunt, P. (2013). Tourist differentiation: Developing a typology for the
winter sports market. Tourism, 61(3), 219-243.
Trentelman, C. (2009). Place attachment and community attachment: A primer
grounded in the lived experience of a community sociologist. Society and Natural
Resources, 22(0894-1920), 191-210.
Yüksel, A.(2010). Destination attachment: Effects on customer satisfaction and
cognitive, affective and cognitive loyalty. Tourism Management, 31, 274-
284.

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Appendices
1. Which of the following NH ski resort do you like to go to the most?
o Waterville Valley Resort
o Loon Mountain
o Cannon Mountain Ski Area
o Ragged Mountain
o Attitash
o Bretton Woods
o Other (please specify)
2. What type of winter sport do you practice the most?
o Ski
o Snowboard
o Tubing
o Other (please specify)
3. How often do you go to your favorite NH resort each year?
o once a year
o to 3 timesa year
o 4 to 5 timesa year
o more than 5 timesa year

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9. About how long does it take you to travel to your favorite resort in NH from home?
o 30 minutesor less
o 31 minutesto an hour
o one to two hours
o more than two hours
10. When visiting your favorite NH resort, are you usually at home, staying at a hotel, in a
second home or with friends in town?
o Travelingfrom home
o Staying in a hotel
o Staying in our second
home
o Staying with friends
o Other (please specify)
11. What is your annual household income?
o $20,000 or less
o 20,001 to $39,999
o 40,000 to $59,999
o $60,000 to $79,999
o $80,000 to $99,999
o $100,000 andup
12. What is your sex?
o Female
o Male
13. In what year were you born?

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