Project Description
The destination choice process is a complex and holistic process where many factors come together at the same time or at different times. It is also a process where many factors are related to each other. For this thesis, the aim was to look if there are clusters of people who make their destination choice in the same way. These clusters can be characterized as: ‘everything-is-planned’ seekers, ‘rest and security’ seekers and ‘distance-is-important’ seekers. These groups were found by using Q-sort, a method that represents the subjective opinion of different participants for a particular subject. It became clear that these groups had different significant motives that were of importance when choosing a final destination. For every cluster, the awareness set differed in size. Meaning the number of destinations where they choose from varied. Also, the potential of reducing the carbon emissions that are caused by tourism varied between the clusters, as some clusters are very attached to the same kind of holiday. Furthermore, it is shown in this study that the destination choice involves a number of sub choices, including transport mode, companions, activities, residence etc. This means that the destination is not the only choice that has to be made by potential tourists.
Author: S. Mols (2014)
