Alteration of travel behaviour as a form of travel constraint negotiation

Rather than ceasing to travel when faced by travel barriers or risk factors, people change their travel behaviour (e.g. destination, timing) or attitude towards potential travel constraints. These so-called constraint negotiation strategies allow them to travel despite constraining factors. This study is part of a research project investigating constraint negotiation as part of travel decision-making and specifically focuses on alterations in travel behaviour as a form of behavioural travel constraint negotiation. Secondary data from a large representative survey of German residents’ travel behaviour is analysed to understand the influence of constraints on travel frequencies. The results reveal how different types of constraints, following the hierarchical concept from leisure theory, reduce the number of trips per year and which other determinants have to be considered. Implications from this study for the tourism industry include the importance of targeted communication to help tourists to overcome travel barriers