Miguel Moital

Consumer behaviour in tourism: Concepts, influences and opportunities

Although consumer behaviour (CB) is one of the most researched areas in the field of tourism, few extensive reviews of the body of knowledge in this area exist. This review article examines what we argue are the key concepts, external influences and opportune research contexts in contemporary tourism CB research. Using a narrative review, we examine the CB literature published in three major tourism journals from 2000 to 2012. Of 519 articles identified and reviewed, 191 are included in this article. We examine the development of and scope for future research on nine key concepts, including decision-making, values, motivations, self-concept and personality, expectations, attitudes, perceptions, satisfaction, trust and loyalty. We then examine three important external influences on tourism behaviour, technology, Generation Y and the rise in concern over ethical consumption. Finally, we identify and discuss five research contexts that represent major areas for future scholarship: group and joint decision-making, under-researched segments, cross-cultural issues in emerging markets, emotions and consumer misbehaviour. Our examination of key research gaps is concluded by arguing that the hedonic and affective aspects of CB research in tourism must be brought to bear on the wider CB and marketing literature.

Using involvement for segmenting the adoption of e-commerce in travel

While the adoption of e-commerce in the purchasing of leisure travel is gaining momentum, higher levels of adoption can be achieved if greater knowledge of the market for e-commerce is obtained. This research uses two variables, involvement with computers for leisure purposes and purchasing leisure travel over the Internet, as a means of segmenting the market with regard to the adoption of e-commerce in the purchasing of leisure travel. A sample of residents of a suburban borough of Lisbon (Portugal) was surveyed and hierarchical clustering was performed on 225 usable questionnaires. The four resulting clusters of residents that emerged were quite different from one another in relation to the adoption of e-commerce in the purchasing of leisure travel and in supporting the internal and external validity of the clustering procedure. One segment that has not been reported in the literature before was identified, comprising those who have moderate involvement with both innovations (the moderate enthusiasts). Moreover, the results suggest that individuals in this cluster may be stronger candidates for the adoption of e-commerce in the purchasing of leisure travel that computer fanatics.

Determinants of Intention to Purchase Over the Internet

ABSTRACT More than 10 years on since the launch of the Internet, there are clear differential levels of adoption of the Internet for purchasing leisure travel across countries. In some countries, such as Portugal, only a minority of travel purchasing is conducted over the Internet. This paper aims to contribute to a greater understanding of adoption of purchasing over the Internet by evaluating the determinants of intention to adopt the Internet for purchasing leisure travel. A number of variables are used to assess which factors influence intention, including the attributes of purchasing over the Internet (relative advantage and complexity), involvement, and the stage in the e-commerce adoption path. Kruskal-Wallis and logistic regression were employed and the results indicated that relative advantage, involvement and stage in the e-commerce adoption path were important predictors of the intention to purchase leisure travel over the Internet, while complexity was not.

Multidimensional segmentation of gastronomic tourists based on motivation and satisfaction

This paper evaluates whether motivation and satisfaction can be used as segmentation variables in gastronomy tourism. Based on a stratified random sample, the respondents were asked to rank the attributes when selecting a restaurant offering Portuguese gastronomy (motivation), as well as, their evaluation of those attributes (satisfaction). Factor analysis, categorical principal component analysis and non-hierarchical cluster analysis are employed to identify distinct groups of tourists. The findings point out three market segments which suggest that motivation is a much more powerful variable for segmenting gastronomic tourists than satisfaction. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for tourism policy and management.

Event sponsorship by alcoholic and non‐alcoholic drinks businesses in India

Purpose – This paper aims to examine event sponsorship decision making by the Indian drinks industry, comparing the non‐alcoholic and alcoholic drinks sectors.Design/methodology/approach – Data regarding event sponsorship activity, perceptions of event sponsorship, motives to sponsor, form of investment and structure of sponsorship was obtained from a sample of 61 drinks producers in India through a questionnaire. Mann‐Whitney and logistic regression were employed to compare the alcoholic and the non‐alcoholic sectors.Findings – The results suggest that the alcohol and non‐alcohol drinks sectors sponsored a similar level of events, but in investment volume terms, sponsorship from the non‐alcoholic sector is far greater than that of the alcoholic sector. While the two sectors are similar in many ways, the emphasis placed on certain motives for sponsoring events was different, with alcoholic drinks businesses placing greater importance on reaching niche audiences and increasing media coverage than non‐alcoh...

Young professionals’ conspicuous consumption of clothing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between conspicuous consumption and public self-consciousness, materialism and domain-specific self-esteem, demographics and shopping behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Focusing on clothing, public self-consciousness, materialism and domain-specific self-esteem are examined in relation to two characteristics of clothing: expensive and fashionable. Using a sample of 261 UK young professionals, the paper compares the five factors across three levels of clothing conspicuous consumption (low, medium and high). Findings – Findings indicate that while the five factors were associated to different levels of conspicuous consumption, the relationship was not always evident. Expensive clothing was more related to conspicuousness than fashionable clothing and differences between low- and medium/high-conspicuousness individuals appear to be larger than the difference between medium and high-conspicuousness groups. Practical implications – Price ...

Using scenarios to investigate stakeholders' views on the future of a sporting event.

The aim of this research was to identify if the continuation of a sporting event was supported by its stakeholders and what their objectives were for its future. Using a methodology adapted from scenario planning [Shoemaker, P.J.H. (1995). Scenario planning: a tool for strategic thinking. Sloan Management Review, 6(2), 25-40], the research investigated if the stakeholders desired the event to grow, and if so, in which areas and to what level. The finding was that the stakeholders supported its growth. They viewed the sporting event as being a small scale to medium scale event and saw it growing to become a medium to large scale event. A key finding was that the stakeholders had conflicting views about its future features and this was due to their varying backgrounds and objectives set for the event. The results of this research emphasise the need for both researchers and practitioners to be more fully aware of the similarities and differences in stakeholder objectives in a dynamic rather than static environment.

Techniques employed to create event prestige value for corporate VIPs: the V.I.P. Framework

Abstract This research explored the techniques employed by event managers to create event prestige value for VIPs in a corporate events context. Research on prestige has mainly focused on the attributes that deliver prestige value (the prestige values). However, by focusing on those delivering prestige (as opposed to the recipients of prestige), this research identified two deeper, less explicit mechanisms required to deliver prestigious experiences, labelled Interaction and Principles. By identifying a more comprehensive set of techniques, those designing VIP experiences will be better equipped to satisfy the prestige needs of VIPs.

Peer influence strategies in collectively consumed products (events and festivals): an exploratory study among university students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine peer influence in the context of purchasing collectively consumed products. The particular focus of the paper is on strategies used by university students for persuasion and resistance when attending events and festivals. Design/methodology/approach Five females and three males studying for a degree in the UK were interviewed. Independent analysis of the interview transcripts was undertaken to identify persuasion and resistance strategies, as well as the factors influencing a strategy’s success. Findings A number of persuasion and resistance strategies are used and certain strategies use specific language techniques. Some of these strategies are only applicable to reference groups who have a history of consuming products together, as they resort to past experiences as a means of producing a persuasion or resistance argument. The extent to which the influence is successful is also discussed as being very subjective and dependent on the particular context of the persuasion exercise. Originality/value This is the first paper to exclusively examine peer influence in the context of collectively consumed products, notably influence and resistance strategies and the conditions which can make these effective. The paper illustrates the types of strategies peers use when attending events, in particular those used by people who live in a fairly close social system (university study) and where there is no formal hierarchy (in contrast with parent–children influence). The context can influence the types of strategies used, for example, the nature of the relationship between students, which is based on high levels of trust, makes it inappropriate to use certain strategies.

İnternet üzerinden satın alma niyetinin belirleyicileri

Internetin kullanilmaya baslamasindan beri 10 yildan uzun bir sure gecmis olmasina karsin, seyahat urunu satin almalarinda internetin kullanimi acisindan ulkeler arasinda belirgin farkliliklar oldugu goze carpmaktadir. Portekiz gibi bazi ulkelerde, seyahat urunu satin almalarinin sadece kucuk bir orani internet uzerinden yapilmaktadir. Bu calisma, seyahat urununu internet uzerinden satin alma niyetinin belirleyicilerini degerlendirerek, satin almalarda internet kullaniminin daha iyi anlasilmasina katkida bulunmayi amaclamaktadir. Bu niyeti hangi faktorlerin etkiledigine iliskin goreceli avantaj, karmasiklik, kapsam (involvement) ve e-ticaret uyum surecindeki asama gibi bircok faktor degerlendirmeye alinmistir. Kruskal Wallis ve lojistik regresyon analizleri sonucunda goreceli avantaj, kapsam ve e-ticarete uyum surecindeki asamanin internet uzerinden seyahat satin alma niyetinin onemli belirleyicileri oldugu, karmasikligin ise belirleyici etkisinin olmadigi ortaya cikmistir.