EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF THE DESTINATION CHOICE BEHAVIOUR A perspective of young Austrians going to London BACHELOR PAPER Ⅰ submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems (University of Applied Sciences) Bache[.]
EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF THE DESTINATION CHOICE BEHAVIOUR A perspective of young Austrians going to London BACHELOR PAPER Ⅰ submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems (University of Applied Sciences) Bachelor Programme “Tourism and Leisure Management” by Firstname Surname Coach: Firtsname Surname Submitted on: 29.11.2013 Statutory Declaration “I declare in lieu of an oath that I have written this bachelor paper Ⅰ 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 paper has not been submitted elsewhere for examination purposes.” Date: 29 11 2013 Julia Lotter I Table of Contents Statutory Declaration I Table of Contents II Introduction Background 2.1 Destination 2.2 The Tourist Decision Making Process 2.2.1 Destination Image 2.2.2 Tourist Characteristics 2.3 Emotions 2.4 Push and Pull Factors 3.1 Research Problem Objectives and Research Question Research Design 4.1 Data Collection 10 4.2 Data Analysis 11 Chapter Outline 12 Project Plan 15 List of References 16 II Introduction Introduction This proposal aims to provide an insight into the chosen research topic, “Emotional aspects of the destination choice behaviour A perspective of young Austrians going to London” This specific field of the tourist consumer behaviour represents the base of the conceptual framework for the bachelor paper II The overall purpose of the bachelor paper I is to support the reader with a general overview of the background of the study Therefore, various models of the tourism decision making process are outlined In addition to that, the theoretical framework described in the succeeding chapters provides an insight into the most important variables that influence young travellers in the decision making process Here, a special attention is drawn on the role of emotions Next, the research problem and the research questions will be explained in detail to evaluate the main objectives of the bachelor paper II The research design including the data collection process through literature review, collage techniques and focus group discussions will be presented in the following section Subsequently, the fulfilment of the data analysis will be precisely indicated Furthermore, a chapter outline representing the most crucial parts of the bachelor paper II will be given Finally, a detailed project plan indicating preliminary dates guiding the writing process of the bachelor paper II will be provided Background Background The aim of this chapter is to provide a conceptual framework for the bachelor paper II by giving definitions for the terms of destination, destination choice, emotions and by providing an explanation of the push and pull factors 2.1 Destination According to Cho (2000, p 144), a “destination […] refers to the place where tourists intend to spend their time away from home.” In comparison, Chris Cooper (2012, p 32) mentions the general controversy in defining a destination, but identifies four common features of destinations, namely amalgams (including attractions, amenities, access and ancillary services), cultural appraisal, inseparability and the fact that destinations are used not only by tourists According to Cooper, “destinations can be seen as loosely bounded networks of organisations that deliver a tourism experience” Cooper describes the destination as a focal point for the generation and delivery of tourism products to meet the tourists’ needs On the one hand, he sees a destination as a tangible, physical space, but on the other hand, destinations are intangible, as they create images, expectations and memories (ibid.) Hudson (1999, p 390) specifies the term more geographically and claims that destinations are “places that have some form of actual or perceived boundary” Similar to Hudson, Page and Connell (2006, p 312) mention that the concept of a destination represent geographically defined entities According to the authors, “tourist destinations are a mix of tourism products, experiences and other intangible items promoted to customers” Furthermore, destinations often involve an amalgam consisting of six components, namely available packages, accessibility, attractions, amenities, activities and ancillary services (ibid.) Swarbrooke and Horner (2007, p 145) view the term from a totally different perspective and suggest that destinations should not be seen as finished products, but rather as a choice of opportunities from which tourists can create their own combination The results obtained by Snepenger, Murphy, Snepenger and Anderson (2004, p 116) suggest a differentiation between high- and low- demand destinations Destinations with high tourism demand are generally associated with high hedonic Background attributes such as delightful, amusing, fun, thrilling, playful, enjoyable, cheerful and are “characterised by intense pleasure, daydreaming and fantasy” (ibid., p 110) In contrast, destinations with low- tourism demand focus more on utility rather than on hedonism (ibid., p 115) Buhalis (2000, p 101) states that the creation of a destination typology is difficult as visitors use destinations for various reasons However, most destinations can be classified in categories according to their major attractiveness This paper will concentrate only on urban destinations as this research focuses on young Austrians travelling to London Urban destinations, as London for instance, generally attract business and MICE (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition) travellers as well as leisure visitors Leisure travellers in urban destinations prefer sightseeing, shopping and shows, whereas business and MICE tourists usually attend meetings, incentives, conference, or exhibitions during their stay at the urban destination (ibid., pp 101- 2) However, this research paper will only take leisure travellers in urban destinations, especially London, into consideration 2.2 The Tourist Decision Making Process The literature generally agrees on the fact that the tourist decision making process is highly complex as it includes a wide range of decisions which are influenced by numerous factors Various tourist decision making models have already been developed by different researchers to identify the most significant factors influencing this process According to Moutinho (1987, p 27), decision process models describe how information is gathered and used to make the final decision Preceding the decision, all relevant attributes of every destination alternative are considered Moutinho states that a decision is the process of choosing one action from a set of alternatives (ibid., p 30) Um and Crompton (1990, p 432) developed a two stage approach in order to test the influence of attitudes in the pleasure travel destination choice The destination choice was divided into two phases The first phase is a generic one which involves the overall decision whether to go on vacation or not Subsequently, the second phase addresses the question upon the destination choice As the latter phase was explored more in detail, Um and Crompton developed a framework Background involving external and internal inputs and cognitive constructs (ibid., p 434) Results suggest that attitude is definitely a significant indicator for the destination choice (ibid., p 445) Shih (1986, as cited in Hudson, 1999, p 15) developed the concept of Values and Lifestyles (VALS) and mainly focused on perceptions and image as determinants of destination choice This model was used to find out whether personal values influence the destination choice Destination choice can be seen as the most important field of the consumer decision making in tourism and aims at a better understanding of how tourists make their decisions (Murphy, 2000, p 145) Specifically concentrating on the factors influencing the tourist decision process, two main categories are detected As reported by Cooper (2012, p 274) the tourists themselves and their image on destinations are the most crucial aspects that need to be considered These two factors will be examined in detail 2.2.1 Destination Image Crompton (1979, p 18) claims that destination image is one of the key underlying factors of the destination site selection He defines the destination image as a “sum of beliefs, ideas an impressions that a person has of a destination” Similar to Crompton, Buhalis (2000, p 101) describes the destination image as a bundle of expectations and perceptions a potential traveller has of a destination Furthermore, Buhalis claims that a tourist’s image on a destination involves past experience as well as descriptions by friends and relatives At this point exists a contradiction between Buhalis and Page and Connell (2006, p 326), who claim that the destination image is not grounded in experience, but can rather be described as a key motivator in tourism Besides that, the authors emphasise that understanding the intrinsic attractiveness of a destination’s image is highly important for various destination marketing reasons (ibid.) Gartner (2000, p 295) agrees with Page and Connell and strongly highlights the enormous importance of destination image on the decision process for destination marketing Marketers spend vast effort, time and expense on the creation and presentation of particular destination images The outcome, a destination’s image, can therefore also be seen “as the mental picture promoters are trying to instil within a target group” (ibid., p 296) According to Gartner, destination images Background involve three hierarchically interrelated components The first component that is considered is the cognitive one, which represents all beliefs and attitudes towards a particular destination The second component, the effective one, values the destination based on personal feelings and motives The decision to choose a destination is made after the evaluation and valuation of the cognitive and the effective components As a result of this, the third component, the conative one, is the decision stage In general, the destination image is critical as it affects the tourist’s perception of a destination and their decision whether to visit The intangible nature of tourism lead to the fact that the destination image is the only evidence, the visitor has of the destination before the actual visit Secondly, the inseparable nature of the simultaneous production and consumption of tourism products result in the change of the tourist’s destination image by experience (Cooper, 2012, p 274) 2.2.2 Tourist Characteristics According to Cooper (2012, p 274), the second set of influential variables are the characteristics related to the tourists themselves Kotler, Bowen, & Makens (2002, pp 224-37) developed a classification of these variables and considered the social, cultural, personal and psychological variables as the most important ones The social variables influencing tourists are reference groups, family and social roles, whereas family is the most influential, social variable (Kotler, Keller, Brady, Goodman, & Hansen, 2009, p 227) Culture is a fundamental determinant of consumer behaviour and can be seen as a broad, impersonal reference group containing knowledge, behaviours, as well as customs and involves beliefs, values and norms (Decrop, 1999, p.110) Personal influences consist of age and stage in the life cycle, occupation and economic circumstance, personality, self- concept, lifestyle and values Lastly, the psychological variables include motivation, perception, memory and emotions (Kotler et al., 2009, p 230) 2.3 Emotions In order to reveal significant findings in the course of the elaboration of this research paper, the allegedly interchangeable terms affect, emotions and mood need to be clarified to eliminate any ambiguity Hosany and Gilbert (2010, p 515) recognised the major problem of the usage of the supposedly exchangeable terms and as no consistency of those terms could be found in the existing literature, Background clear definitions are of utmost importance before dealing with the emotional factors influencing the tourist destination choice behaviour In general, “affects” can be used as an umbrella term, including moods and emotions and sometimes attitudes What is more difficult to clarify is the difference between moods and emotions (Bagozzi, Gopinath, & Nyer, 1999, p 184) Emotions definitely need to be distinguished from moods, as they are considered to be more intense (Gardner, 1985, p 600) Besides that, Bagozzi et al (1999, p 184) perceive moods as longer- lasting than emotions and moods not provoke action tendencies whereas many emotions The authors indicate emotions as strong mental states of readiness Another way of distinguishing moods and emotions is the way they arise Emotions are connected with a specific referent, whereas moods are characterised by the lack of stimulus objects (ibid.) 2.4 Push and Pull Factors As the push and pull factors are fundamental for understanding tourist behaviour, this model will be presented in detail (Goodall, 1991, p 59) Research has shown that Dann (1977, p 186) first described the model of push and pull factors According to him, pull factors are those which attract a tourist to a certain destination, for instance sea, sand, sunshine On the contrary, push factors are those which induce the desire to travel It is said that push factors describe the feeling of isolation and the desire “to get away from it all” Simon Hudson (1999, p 9) sees push factors as those “that make you want to travel” and pull factors as “those that affect where you travel.” Crompton (1979, p 410) refers to the concept of pull and push factors by mentioning that push factors are socio- psychological motives, whereas pull factors are motives aroused by the destination and not the traveller him- or herself Crompton agrees with Dann stating that push factors explain the desire to go on vacation, and pull factors are useful for explaining the destination choice Compton (ibid., p 421) identified nine motives of which seven can be classified as sociopsychological, or push motives These are escape from a perceived mundane environment, exploration and evaluation of self, relaxation, prestige, regression, enhancement of kinship relationships and facilitation of social interaction The two remaining pull motives are novelty and education The results obtained by Background Compton (ibid., p 408) suggest that the tourist industry may usefully pay greater attention to socio-psychological motives in developing product and promotion strategies In comparison, Mannel and Iso- Ahola (1987, p 323) specified the push and pull model and defined two different main types of push and pull factors, namely personal and interpersonal ones As can be seen from figure 1, this twodimensional theory involves two forces which simultaneously influence the individual’s behaviour Mannel and Iso- Ahola claim that people are motivated to travel to leave behind their personal and/or interpersonal world The second motivational force is to seek personal and/or interpersonal rewards through leisure participation The personal rewards are mainly self- determination, sense of competence, challenge, learning, exploration and relaxation, whereas the interpersonal rewards include social interaction (ibid., pp 323-4) Figure 1: Escaping and Seeking Dimensions of Leisure Motivation Seeking personal rewards Escaping Seeking interpersonal interoersonal environments rewards Escaping personal environments Source: Referring to Mannel, & Iso- Ahola (1987), p 323 Goossens draws the attention to the relationship between pull and push factors of tourist behaviour She sees both factors arising from the same motivational source, namely emotions From her point of view, tourists are pushed by their emotional needs and pulled by their emotional benefits (2000, p 301) Research Problem Research Problem Although as early as in 1982 Hirschman and Holbrook (1982, p 137) realised the strong influence of emotions on consumer behaviour, only few researchers have already used this potential field for meaningful investigation In fact, there is a huge body of literature available on consumer behaviour in tourism dealing with the decision making process The existing body of literature has proven that a large number of diversified factors have an impact on the decision Nevertheless, a key limitation of this research is that studies about emotional aspects in the context of destination choice scarcely exist 3.1 Objectives and Research Question The objective of the bachelor paper II is to identify the most important factors influencing tourists in the destination choice decision A special focus is put on the role emotions play throughout this process Furthermore, the push and pull model will be precisely analysed in order to find out whether emotions are involved in both factors of the model Without any doubt, marketing approaches and decisions require knowledge of all variables affecting the tourist destination choice Consequently, understanding how tourists select their destination is of utmost importance in order to modify marketing strategies accordingly (Seddighi, & Theocharous, 2002, p 475) As a result of this, the overall objective of this research is to answer the following research questions: What are the most important factors influencing the destination choice behaviour of young Austrians going to London? • Do emotions affect this behaviour? • What is the relationship between emotions and the pull and push model? Research Design Research Design Since the field of emotions is difficult to express verbally, a non-verbal research method will be used as the main method of investigation for this paper Assuming that individuals are thinking in words but feeling in images, a projective research method, namely the collage technique and subsequent focus group interviews were identified to be the most suitable methods for this research The collage technique visualises internal images without any verbal guidance and consequently, lead to a better understanding of the emotional aspects of the consumer behaviour (Salcher, 1995, pp 63-4) Moisander and Valtonen (2006, p 96) describe the collage technique as a research method in which participants are asked to represent a specific topic visually by putting together images from a broad range of different magazines Subsequently, the collage is used in a projective way as a stimulus for a focus group interview Kamberelis and Dimitriadis (2011, p 545) simply define focus groups as “collective conversations, or group interviews” Using a focus group method rather than interviewing the participants individually lead to the fact that participants can easily interact with each other In this research paper the interaction and discussion process of the focus group itself is of high interest and all elements of group dynamics are highly appreciated (Flick, 2009; Veal, 2011) Generally, the participants can also be called members of the focus group and may or may not know each other The interviewer of a focus group should be seen as a “facilitator, convenor, or discussion leader rather than as an interviewer as such” (Veal, 2011, p 245) The leader of a focus group needs to make sure that all participants can freely state their opinions and that the discussion is not dominated by one or two members Furthermore, the interviewer guides the discussion to ensure that all relevant aspects of the collages are mentioned (Veal, 2011, pp 245- 6) However, the focus group leader should be objective and personal values should not influence the research process (Silverman, 2001, p 282) Literature review was used as the entire basis for the research to gather relevant information for this proposal and to demonstrate familiarity with the existing body of knowledge The purpose of a literature review is to identify and summarise what Research Design is already known and to show paths of previously conducted research (Neuman, 1997, p 89) The existing literature is read critically and creatively and investigated as thoroughly as possible by using books, journals as well as the internet (Veal, 2011, pp 55- 60) Collins (2010, p 108) states the most important reasons for a literature review and emphasised the delivery of background information for a better understanding of the research project Further, literature review increases the author’s knowledge about other researchers dealing with the same topic and additionally, as much information as available can be investigated to recognise opposing views 4.1 Data Collection In order to identify the key factors influencing young travellers to make a pleasure destination choice, a projective research method, namely the collage technique will serve as the main method of investigation As projective techniques reveal subjective thoughts, feelings, values and emotions of participants, the author seeks to gain a better understanding of all variables influencing young travellers in the decision making process (Donoghue, 2000, p 52) First, individual collages will be composed by a relatively small group of approximately five participants that have already been to London and five other participants that have never been to London before The selection of images is entirely open, so that participants can select whatever is in their mind This process is finished as soon as all participants think that their paper is sufficiently filled (Hofstede, Van Hoof, Walenberg, & De Jong, 2007, p 304) Due to the fact, that the usage of visual as well as verbal techniques represents an advantageous approach, the collage technique should be used in combination with group discussions Therefore, all important issues raised by the production of the collages will be discussed within the group in a second stage In the course of a focus group interview all collages will be examined in detail In order to avoid any distortion of the investigation, the author will keep the group consisting of people that are familiar with London and those, consisting of young Austrians that have not been to this city before, always separated Consequently, results and findings of both groups will be compared and similarities as well as striking differences will be highlighted by the author The final level of the data collection consists of a profound literature review to strengthen and support the findings resulting from the collages and the focus group interviews In order to ensure high ethical conditions during the entire 10 Research Design research process, several principles will be taken into consideration First, “no one should be forced to participate” (Babbie, 2010, p 64) Secondly, in order to avoid any ethical issues, all collages will be photographed and the focus group discussion will be recorded and transcribed by the author The subsequent resulting data will be treated honestly and will be carefully analysed and interpreted (Veal, 2011, p 103) 4.2 Data Analysis In order to reduce any bias resulting from the researcher’s interpretation, all participants are asked to describe and interpret every element of their collages individually Richards and Munsters (2010, p 160-1) suggest that in order to analyse the collages produced, a qualitative analysis should be performed in two stages The first phase addresses all tangible components placed on the collage, namely human, historical, artistic and infrastructure elements As a second step, a focus should be put on subjective valuations The information gathered from the second level facilitates the production of a perceptual map Perceptual maps visually represent the consumer’s current perception of a destination, or product, consisting of vast information which can be easily interpreted Perceptual maps are, especially for marketers, extremely useful as they enable them to determine how consumers perceive their products or destinations This allows destinations or companies to detect whether their positioning and marketing strategies are successful, or not (Lucket, Ganesh, & Gillet, 1999, p 313) In addition to that, all findings will be supported by trustworthy literature and the content of reliable journal articles For ethical concerns, results must not be falsified or manipulated by the author Furthermore, positive as well as negative results and limits of the research need to be stated by the author This information can be highly useful for further research (Veal, 2011, p 117) 11 Chapter Outline Chapter Outline This section of the paper deals with the structure of the bachelor paper II and provides an overview of the potential outline of the chapters For a better understanding, a brief discussion of the main chapters is provided Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures & Tables Introduction 1.1 Purpose & Scope of the Paper 1.1.1 Organisation of the Paper 1.1.2 Research Problem 1.1.3 Objectives & Research Question 1.2 Research Design 1.2.1 Data Collection 1.2.2 Data Analysis Theoretical Framework of the Study 2.1 Destination 2.2 Decision Making Process 2.3 Vacation Tourist Decision Process 2.4 Variables influencing the Tourist Decision Process 2.4.1 Destination Image 2.4.2 Characteristics of Tourists 2.4.2.1 Cultural Characteristics 2.4.2.2 Social Characteristics 2.4.2.3 Personal Characteristics 2.4.2.4 Psychological Characteristics 2.4.2.5 Emotions 2.4.2.6 Motivation 2.4.3 Perceived Risk 2.5 Push and Pull Model 12 Chapter Outline Methodology 3.1 Collage Technique 3.2 Focus Group 3.3 Ethics in Research 3.4 Focus Group Guideline Findings and Analysis Conclusions Recommendation List of References (Bibliography) Annex Introduction In the first chapter, the reader’s attention should be caught and sufficient information about the topic of the paper will be mentioned to give the reader an overview of what will be discussed in detail Consequently, the purpose and the scope of the paper are precisely defined The research problem is identified and discussed and successively, objectives are set Furthermore, the research design including more information on the data collection and the following analysis are provided Theoretical Framework of the Study Section will focus on the theoretical framework of the study First the term of a destination is clearly defined Furthermore, this chapter looks into the decision making process in general, before concentrating mainly on the vacation tourist decision process In addition to that, various factors influencing the tourist’s decisions are analysed These variables are the destination image and the tourist’s characteristics, including cultural, social, personal and psychological characteristics, emotions, motivation and perceived risk With regard to the research question and the purpose of the bachelor paper Ⅱ, a special focus is put 13 Chapter Outline on the role of emotions in the tourist decision process Equally important is the definition and explanation of the push and pull model and its relationship with emotions Methodology Chapter is concerned with the methodology used by the author to gain relevant data for the investigation The chosen projective research method, namely the collage technique, is examined in detail This chapter provides an insight into the advantages and limitations of projective research methods As the outcomes of the collage techniques will be discussed in a focus group, more information on this research method is provided additionally Finally, the important issue of ethics in research will be outlined Findings and Analysis Section consists of the analysis of all information gathered in the course of the collage technique and the following focus group interviews Issues addressed in this part of the paper are the identification and the objective presentation of the key findings The evidence that is needed to answer the research questions is highlighted and brought into focus of section At the moment, no reliable and profound results can be predicted However, this research paper intends to discover the importance of emotions and all other key factors influencing the tourist destination choice as well as the role of emotions in the push and pull model Conclusions In this chapter, the most important points which have been discovered are presented and the meanings of the findings are interpreted Section deals with the explanation of the results and discuss whether the findings fit in the current body of literature, or not Besides that, research gaps are pointed out and attention is drawn to problems that still exist Recommendation Chapter is dedicated to the limitations of the bachelor paper II and will highlight all areas beyond the scope of the paper Specific recommendations for further research will be outlined by the author 14 Project Plan Project Plan The following project plan can be used as an indication of the writing process of the bachelor paper II Due to the fact that the some chapters may require more effort than originally planned, the project plan possibly will be amended Table 1: Project Plan Bachelor Paper II Task Expected Planned/Due Date Time 29th November 2013 Hand in Bachelor Paper II Actual Date 29th November 2013 rd Collecting diverse magazines weeks 23 December 2013 Contact Participants weeks 23rd December 2013 Preparing Focus Group Questions weeks 23rd December 2013 Writing Introduction week 30th December 2013 Writing Methodology week 30th December 2013 Hand in Exposé and Application for Bachelor Paper II Writing Literature Review 17th January 2014 17th January 2014 weeks th 20 January 2014 27th January 2014 Confirmation of Bachelor Paper II topic 27th January 2014 Conducting Collage Technique and Focus Group with group 1+2 Transcribing Focus Group Discussion 1+2 week 3rd February 2014 weeks 24th February 2014 Writing Data Analysis and Findings weeks 7th April 2014 Writing Conclusion weeks 14th April2014 Writing Recommendation week 14th April 2014 Writing Abstract week 21st April 2014 Controlling References and Formatting week 21st April 2014 Proof reading week 28th April 2014 Printing Bachelor Paper II 30th April 2014 Hand in Bachelor Paper Ⅱ printed version Upload Bachelor Paper Ⅱ 2nd May 2014 2nd May 2014 28th May 2014 28th May 2014 Source: Author’s Table 15 List of References List of References Babbie, E (2010) The Practice of Social Research 12th ed., Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Bagozzi, R P., Gopinath, M., & Nyer, P U (1999) The Role of Emotions in Marketing Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27 (2), 184-206 Buhalis, D (2000) Marketing the competitive destination of the future Tourism Management, 21 (1), 97-116 Cho, B H (2000) Destination In J Jafari (Ed.) (2000), Encyclopedia of Tourism (144-5) London: Routledge Collins, H (2010) Creative Research Lausanne: AVA Publishing Cooper, C (2012) Essentials of Tourism Harlow: Prentice Hall Crompton, J L (1979) An assessment of the image of Mexico as a vacation destination and the influence of geographical location upon that image Journal of Travel Research, 17 (4), 18-23 Dann, G (1977) Anomie to ego-enhancement and tourism Annals of Tourism Research, (4), 184-94 Decrop A (1999) Tourist’s Decision- Making and Behaviour Processes In A Pizam, & Y Mansfield (Eds.) (1999), Consumer Behaviour in Travel and Tourism (103- 130) Binghamton: The Haworth Hospitality Press Donoghue, S (2000) Projective techniques in consumer research Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences, 28, 47- 53 Flick, U (2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research 4th ed., London: SAGE Gardner, M P (1985) Mood States and Consumer Behaviour: A Critical Review Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (3), 281-300 Gartner, W C (2000) Image In J Jafari (Ed.) (2000), Encyclopedia of Tourism (295-6) London: Routledge 16 List of References Goodall, B (1991) Understanding holiday choice In C P Cooper (Ed.) (1991), Progress in Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Management (10330) London: Belhaven Press Goossens, C (2000) Tourism Information and Pleasure Motivation Annals of Tourism Research, 27 (2), 301-21 Hirschman, E., & Holbrook, M B (1982) Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods and Propositions Journal of Marketing, 46 (3), 92-101 Hofstede, A., Van Hoof, J., Walenberg, N., & De Jong, M (2007) Projective techniques for brand image research: Two personification based methods explored Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 10 (3), 300-9 Hosany, S., & Gilbert, D (2010) Measuring Tourists' Emotional Experiences toward Hedonic Holiday Destinations Journal of Travel Research, 49 (4), 51326 Hudson, S (1999) Consumer Behaviour related to Tourism In A Pizam & Y Mansfield (Eds.) (1999), Consumer Behaviour in Travel and Tourism (7-34) Binghamton: The Haworth Hospitality Press Kamberelis, G., & Dimitriadis, G (2011) Focus Groups In N K Denzin, & Y S Lincoln, (Eds.) (2011), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (54563) London: SAGE Kotler, P., Bowen, J., & Makens, J (2002) Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism 3rd ed., Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Kotler, P., Keller, K L., Brady, M., Goodman, M., Hansen, T (2009) Marketing Management Harlow: Prentice Hall Lucket, M., Ganesh, J., & Gillet, P (1999) Quantitative Tools in Tourism research: An Application of Perceptual Maps In A Pizam & Y Mansfeld, (Eds.) (1999), Consumer Behaviour in Travel and Tourism (307-32)- New York: The Haworth Press Mannel, R C., & Iso- Ahola, S E (1987) Psychological Nature of Leisure and Tourism Experience Annals of Tourism Research, 14 (3), 314 - 31 Moisander, J., & Valtonen, A (2006) Qualitative marketing research: a cultural approach London: SAGE 17 ... 3rd February 20 14 weeks 24th February 20 14 Writing Data Analysis and Findings weeks 7th April 20 14 Writing Conclusion weeks 14th April20 14 Writing Recommendation week 14th April 20 14 Writing Abstract... Process 2 .4 Variables influencing the Tourist Decision Process 2 .4. 1 Destination Image 2 .4. 2 Characteristics of Tourists 2 .4. 2.1 Cultural Characteristics 2 .4. 2.2 Social Characteristics 2 .4. 2.3 Personal... 2 .4 Push and Pull Factors 3.1 Research Problem Objectives and Research Question Research Design 4. 1 Data Collection 10 4. 2 Data Analysis