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Going where the Joneses go: understanding how others influence travel decision‐making

Going where the Joneses go: understanding how others influence travel decision‐making Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine if an evoke set exists for pleasure travelers based on the past and future travel destinations of their peer groups. Design/methodology/approach – Researchers distributed a questionnaire to university students enrolled in the same program. The literature review suggests four ways in which peers can influence individuals: not to travel influence, direct influence, indirect influence, and shared goal of future destination influence. Results from the respondents provide data for correlation analysis based on these four types of peer influence. Findings – The findings support previous researchers demonstrating a strong influence of peer reference groups on service purchase decisions, specifically tourism destination choice. Given a relatively small sample population, all four types of peer reference found support in the data. Research limitations/implications – Limitations are related to sample size and the homogeneity of the sample. Because, the respondents were in the same life stage, their peer groups were similar to all. Consequently, no comparative analysis specifically identifying peers and the degree of proximity at different stages of life was possible. Originality/value – Very few studies focus specifically on the nature of peer group influence on service purchase behavior, related specifically with travel destination decision‐making. By recognizing travel patterns of individuals and understanding the influences causing these patterns, tourism marketers and planners have a greater understanding of the mechanisms of peer influence in pleasure travel destination choice. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research Emerald Publishing

Going where the Joneses go: understanding how others influence travel decision‐making

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References (48)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1750-6182
DOI
10.1108/17506180810856112
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine if an evoke set exists for pleasure travelers based on the past and future travel destinations of their peer groups. Design/methodology/approach – Researchers distributed a questionnaire to university students enrolled in the same program. The literature review suggests four ways in which peers can influence individuals: not to travel influence, direct influence, indirect influence, and shared goal of future destination influence. Results from the respondents provide data for correlation analysis based on these four types of peer influence. Findings – The findings support previous researchers demonstrating a strong influence of peer reference groups on service purchase decisions, specifically tourism destination choice. Given a relatively small sample population, all four types of peer reference found support in the data. Research limitations/implications – Limitations are related to sample size and the homogeneity of the sample. Because, the respondents were in the same life stage, their peer groups were similar to all. Consequently, no comparative analysis specifically identifying peers and the degree of proximity at different stages of life was possible. Originality/value – Very few studies focus specifically on the nature of peer group influence on service purchase behavior, related specifically with travel destination decision‐making. By recognizing travel patterns of individuals and understanding the influences causing these patterns, tourism marketers and planners have a greater understanding of the mechanisms of peer influence in pleasure travel destination choice.

Journal

International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 28, 2008

Keywords: Tourism; International travel; Consumer behaviour; Leisure activities

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