Motivation and involvement in international tourism

Using a sample of international tourists travelling in Portugal, Spain and Italy, this study identifies key issues related with tourist involvement. One of the main aspects in the consumer behavior and the decision processes’ understanding is the concept of involvement (Broderick & Mueller, 1999; Dimanche et al., 1993) because it influences the decision rules used by tourists to reach the final decision (Sirakaya & Woodside, 2005). An empirical study of 600 international tourists reveals that motivation to relax influences tourists’ involvement with the trip. A structural model reveals that when tourists are motivated to relax they get directly more involved with their trip (pleasure and information seeking). The motivation to relax also influences indirectly the tourist involvement with the evaluation and quality perception of the trip through its influence on involvement with the trip planning. Discussion centers on the implications of this model to theory and managerial development of tourism and services strategies. Directions for future research are also presented