Travel motivations of package tour travelers

Managers in the travel industry are keen to know what influences customer decision-making and how customers make their decisions. Travel motivation reflects one’s needs and wants and can be viewed as a critical variable in relation to their purchase decisions. Travel motives for joining group travel may be different from those of free independent travelers. This study examined travel motives as well as travel decision-making of Taiwanese travellers with a group package tour abroad. The qualitative approach – participant observation first and telephone interviews with tour participants later – was conducted for data collection. It was found that socio-psychological needs were an important motivation for travel, and socio-economic considerations were regarded as a crucial motivation for travel decision-making. Furthermore, their decision-makings are also strongly influenced by their social relationships - friends/relatives’ recommendations. The results also revealed that Taiwanese travelers’ travel motivations are considerably related to the price paid. The ‘push factor’ appeared to have much more impact than the ‘pull factor’ for impelling Taiwanese travelers in the pursuit of a holiday. Since the source of information for taking a vacation plays an important role for decision-making, this research suggested that the travel agency should put more efforts on nurturing a positive corporate image in order to gain consumers’ trust. Other recommendations were proposed for the travel service providers to enhance their marketing strategies, particularly for female travelers