THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOWNAGING EFFECT ON PRESENT AND FUTURE TOURISM PRODUCTS BACHELOR PAPER II submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems (University of Applied Sciences) Bachelor Programme “Tourism an[.]
THE INFLUENCE OF THE DOWNAGING EFFECT ON PRESENT AND FUTURE TOURISM PRODUCTS BACHELOR PAPER II submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems (University of Applied Sciences) Bachelor Programme “Tourism and Leisure Management“ by Firstname Surname Area of emphasis/focus/special field: Consumer Behaviour Coach: Firstname Surname Submitted on: 02.05.2014 Statutory Declaration “I declare in lieu of an oath that I have written this bachelor thesis myself and that I have not used any sources or resources other than stated for its preparation I further declare that I have clearly indicated all direct and indirect quotations This bachelor thesis has not been submitted elsewhere for examination purposes.” Date: 02.05.2014 Judith OBERMAIR I This paper is devoted to everybody I love, who accompanied me on my path of life and to whom I owe everything I have achieved so far II Of course it is not possible to thank each and every one, but I would like to thank in particular the following persons: Mag (FH) Walter Grassl and Mag Claudia Bauer-Krösbacher, PhD for coaching Bachelor Papers I and II Wolfgang and Christa Gruber for their networking and for placing their apartment at my disposal The Focus Group Participants for their enthusiastic and lively participation Dr Maria Neuhauser for proof-reading Wolfgang Lutzer for his never-ending patience and support III English Abstract So far, only little research has been carried out concerning the impacts of the Downaging effect on the tourism industry This phenomenon describes the rejuvenating behaviour of older people as they act and feel 10 to 15 years younger than their actual age would suggest The focus of this paper is the investigation into the motivators and needs of Downagers and the ways, how those characteristics influence current and future tourism products To answer these research questions, a focus group discussion has been conducted The key aspects of this paper firstly include that Downagers mainly look for novel experiences and education during their holiday trips Generally, they tend to refuse group travel and tour guides, as they are experienced travellers Lastly, Downagers highlight the necessity of adapting existing offers to changing demographics and future challenges In particular, they emphasize the need for medical care on holiday, for specific products aimed at singles, for sustainable development of destinations and for adapted marketing wordings The results of this paper should assist tourism entities during the marketing research process in order to profit from this upcoming phenomena in the future IV Deutscher Abstrakt Bisher haben sich nur wenige wissenschaftliche Studien mit den Auswirkungen des Downaging Effekts auf die Tourismusbranche befasst Dieses Phänomen beschreibt das verjüngende Verhalten älterer Menschen, die sich 10 bis 15 Jahre jünger fühlen und benehmen, als es ihr chronologisches Alter vermuten lassen würde Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt auf der Erforschung der Motivatoren und Bedürfnisse von Downagern und der Art und Weise, wie diese charakteristischen Merkmale gegenwärtige und zukünftige Tourismusprodukte beeinflussen Um diese Forschungsfragen zu beantworten, wurde eine Fokusgruppe durchgeführt Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse zeigen unter anderem, dass Downager im Urlaub hauptsächlich nach neuen Erfahrungen und Weiterbildung streben Generell neigen sie dazu, Gruppenreisen und Reiseführer abzulehnen, da sie über ausreichend Reiseerfahrung verfügen Des Weiteren betonen Downager die Notwendigkeit, bestehende Angebote auf den demografischen Wandel und zukünftige Herausforderungen anzupassen Im Speziellen unterstreichen sie das Bedürfnis nach medizinischer Betreuung im Urlaub und nach spezifischen Produkten für Singles Außerdem legen sie auf eine nachhaltige Entwicklung Zielgruppenbezeichnung der in der Urlaubsorte, Werbung sowie Wert eine Diese angepasste Arbeit soll tourismusbezogene Firmen im Rahmen der Marktforschung unterstützen, um von diesem in Zukunft immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnenden Phänomen profitieren zu können V Table of Contents Statutory Declaration I English Abstract IV Deutscher Abstrakt V Table of Contents VI List of figures VIII Introduction 1.1 State of the Art of Research in this Area 1.2 Problem Definition 1.3 Aim of the Research and Research Questions 1.4 Method of Investigation 1.5 Chapter Outline Theoretical Framework of the Study 2.1 Demographic Change 2.2 Definition of Downaging 2.3 Definition of Tourism Product 2.4 Status Quo of the Tourism Industry 2.5 Motivation Theories 2.5.1 Motivation and Motives 2.5.2 Purchase Decision Process 2.5.3 Vacation Decision Criteria 2.5.4 Hierarchy of Needs 10 2.5.5 Travel-Needs Model 10 2.5.6 Push and Pull Factors 10 2.5.7 Typologies of Tourists 11 Research Methodology 12 3.1 Sampling and Recruiting Strategy 12 3.2 Strengths and Limitations of Focus Groups 13 3.3 Justification for the Selection of the Research Method 13 3.4 Data Collection 14 3.5 Data Analysis 14 4.1 Findings and Discussion 16 Downagers in Today’s Society 16 4.1.1 Circumstances 16 4.1.2 Attitudes 17 VI 4.2 Comparison between the Present and the Past 18 4.2.1 Leisure Activities 18 4.2.2 Travel Behaviour 19 4.2.3 Consumer Spending 20 4.3 Travel Motivation 21 4.3.1 Needs 22 4.3.2 Motivators 25 4.3.3 Typology of Tourists 29 4.4 Present Tourism Products 30 4.4.1 Group Travel 30 4.4.2 Tour Guides 31 4.5 Challenges and Opportunities for Future Tourism Products 33 4.5.1 Health Status and Medical Care 33 4.5.2 Social Status and Offers for Singles 34 4.5.3 Overexploitation of Tourism Destinations and Sustainable Tourism 36 4.5.4 Promotional Material and Adapted Marketing Wording 37 Conclusions and Recommendations 39 5.1 Main Findings 39 5.2 Recommendations 40 5.3 Limitations 42 5.4 Fields for Further Research 43 List of references 44 VII List of figures Table 1: Focus Group Participants 13 Table 2: Ranking of Needs 22 Table 3: Ranking of Needs by Codes 23 Table 4: Ranking of Motivators 25 Table 5: Ranking of Motivators by Codes 26 Table 6: Push and Pull Factors 28 VIII Introduction Introduction This paper is set out to examine the influence of the Downaging effect on present and future tourism products It aims to give an insight into this fast developing phenomenon in today’s society 1.1 State of the Art of Research in this Area At the beginning of the last century, the majority of the population could expect to reach a life span of 46.4 years for men and 52.5 years for women 100 years later these numbers have encountered a fundamental increase and have been nearly duplicated In 2050, the number of people aged over 100 years will have increased 16 times, for instance from 7,200 in the year 2000 to 114,700 in 2050 solely in Germany (Lehr, 2007, pp 1-2) This demographic change is often seen as a negative process by society, indeed the subjective age of old people is simultaneously decreasing (Horx, 2007a) This observed phenomenon of rejuvenating behaviour is called Downaging effect The Downaging process implies the development of new value systems, life patterns and inner attitudes (Horx, 2007b) Even if older people progressively face physical discomfort, they are generally as satisfied as the younger generation This observation is a result of the particular ability of humans to adapt step by step to changing realities and to protect their own self-respect in old age (Baltes, 1996, p 40) For the tourism industry the continuous growth of life expectancy is a major challenge As a result of the increasing importance of the older generation, their presence on the tourism market will augment and there will be drastic consequences for the product offerings (Smeral, 2003, p 154) 1.2 Problem Definition In the future, the older generation will gain further significance due to the Downaging effect Indeed tourism entities still fight for target groups with less purchasing power such as families or teenagers and miss the profit making business with mature travellers (Smeral, 2003, p 153) As elderly consumers tend to be conscious about the end of life and the preciousness of time, they carefully consider how they spend their time (Szmigin, & Carrigan, 2001b, p 1094) Therefore, especially in developed countries the population aging leads to the need for suppliers to react to this demographic change and the increasingly important market of elderly people (Weijters, & Geuens, 2006, p 783) This new ... 12 3. 1 Sampling and Recruiting Strategy 12 3. 2 Strengths and Limitations of Focus Groups 13 3 .3 Justification for the Selection of the Research Method 13 3.4 Data Collection... 30 4.4.1 Group Travel 30 4.4.2 Tour Guides 31 4.5 Challenges and Opportunities for Future Tourism Products 33 4.5.1 Health Status and Medical Care 33 4.5.2... Travel Behaviour 19 4.2 .3 Consumer Spending 20 4 .3 Travel Motivation 21 4 .3. 1 Needs 22 4 .3. 2 Motivators 25 4 .3. 3 Typology of Tourists