Tourism

Identify and discuss the relative importance of the major influences on a tourist’s purchasing decision

There are many different forces that influence travelers’ decisions on whether or not to visit a certain destination. This essay will focus on discussing the relative importance of the major influences on a tourist’s purchasing decision and it will be divided into two parts. The first part will critically analyse two main journal articles: article A-“The impact of terrorism on tourism demand” and article B- “An exploratory study of factors of Japanese tourism demand in the UK”. The second part of the essay will include personal experience and further research on the topic.

According to Cooper (2008) travelers are influenced by many factors and have different reasons for visiting a certain destination. The author also states that the tourists’ motivations and needs are based on their personality therefore the purchasing decisions they make cannot be stereotyped and will differ with each individual.

Many of the tourists however are usually influenced by factors such as the safety and security they will be provided with when visiting a certain destination; the location of the place of interest; the restriction they might face for instance VISA requirements. Health and safety issues or if they need to have vaccinations, or take medicine before their visit is also an important factor in the purchasing decision making process. Many people are also influenced by the reputation of the destination and the information they might be provided with from friends and family members. Climate is also said to be one of the main deciding factors when tourists choose the destination they want to visit.

These details can be both encouraging and discouraging for tourists in their decision making process of visiting a certain destination. Also the unattractiveness of one destination can help another become more popular. An example of this statement can be paper A by Arana...