The integration of health as a travel motive factor in the travel career pattern (TCP) model

The first aim of this paper is to locate the importance of health as a travel motive within the broader framework of all travel motivation. The contemporary travel motivation approach known as the travel career pattern (TCP) was selected as the broad based framework to guide the assessment of the importance of health motives compared to other factors. A second aim of the work lies in assessing the role of varied levels of travel experience in modifying the importance of health as a travel motive. The context for this work lies in a study of travellers selected for their participation in at least some form of health related tourist behaviours in South East Asia, most particularly India, Thailand and the Philippines. This sample of travellers enables the researchers to add to the literature on both motivational patterns and health tourism since there is limited work developing an understanding of select travellers from these communities in motivational analysis pertaining to health. The core findings of the study of 336 travellers consists of establishing health as motive of mid level importance in the travel career patterns and that like other middle level motives increasing travel experience tends to lessen the importance of this motive in travellers' overall tapestry of motivational drivers