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Introduction Tourism Behaviour
• The disciplinary perspective of psychology is an
important element in Tourism Industry.
• Some outline some of the fundamental components of
the study of tourism from a psychological standpoint.
• Focus two dimensions: an understanding of the
behaviour of the individual tourist, and understanding of
the social, the organisational and the community
contexts.
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Conceptualisations of tourism
Burkart and Medlik (1981) assert that four major characteristics of tourists
may be identified. They may be summarised thus:
They are people who undertake a journey to, and stay in, various destinations.
Their destinations are distinct from their normal place of residence and work,
so that their activities are not the same as those of the resident and working
populations of their destinations.
Their intention is to return within a few days or months, so the journey is of a
temporary and short-term nature.
Their purpose for undertaking the journey is other than to take up permanent
residence or employment remunerated from within the destinations.
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Tourism and Psychology
Pearce and Stringer (1991), commenting on the psychology-tourism
interface have used a 'levels of analysis' approach,
• describing psychological enquiry as focusing variously on biological
and physiological processes, cognitive and mental processes,
individual differences, inter-individual behaviour, and cross- cultural
or between-group behaviours.
• some studies of interest are said to be closely allied to medical and
biological processes, while at the most general 'level', they argue
that contemporary psychology is best conceived as the sum of
these levels of study.
• Each of these levels of analysis is seen as having its own special
methods, publication outlets, and scientific standing.
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Tourist Behaviour
Tourists are subject to certain behaviour before, during and after travelling.
This is conceptualised as travel behaviour.
This behaviour is the direct result of interaction between certain personal and
environmental variables on a continuous basis.
Notice is given to the influence of people and situations on both sides and the
reaction according to this influence.
Travel behaviour can therefore be defined as the way tourists behave
according to their attitudes towards a certain product and their response by
making use of the product (March & Woodside, 2005; George, 2004).
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Customer Behaviour
Consumer behaviour (CB) involves certain decisions,
activities, ideas or experiences that satisfy consumer
needs and wants
(Solomon, 1996).
It is ‘concerned with all activities directly involved in
obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and
services, including the decision processes that
precede and follow these actions’
(Engel, Blackwell, & Miniard,1995, p. 4)
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Conceptual Scheme Theories and
Tourism Study
• Conceptual schemes are more abstract and
organised than empirical generalisations. Even a
lengthy list of what is known about a specific topic
does not constitute a conceptual scheme.
• The format in which conceptual schemes can be
expressed is variable. They may simply be verbal
statements specifying relationships.
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Conceptual Scheme Theories and
Tourism Study
• Models are a particularly important subcategory of
conceptual schemes since diagrammatic and spatially-
portrayed links between variables and forces tend to
have considerable power as a mechanism for the
communication of ideas (Blalock, 1969).
• In addition, conceptual schemes can include stage or
sequence approaches that define steps in an ordered
process.
