Comprehensive Report on Tourism Consumer Behavior and Trends

This report delves into the multifaceted realm of tourism consumer behavior, exploring the various factors that influence tourists' decisions before, during, and after travel. It examines the impact of social, cultural, psychological, and personal factors, as well as the role of digital technology in shaping consumer trends. The report highlights the stages of the consumer decision-making journey, emphasizing the importance of mapping the path to purchase for marketers. It also differentiates between B2B and B2C tourism decision-making processes and incorporates relevant theories, models, and concepts. The report analyzes how marketers, including companies like TUI, respond to the decision-making process and identifies emerging trends in consumer behavior within the tourism sector. It offers insights into how businesses can adapt to meet the evolving needs and desires of modern tourists, ensuring effective marketing strategies and enhanced customer experiences.

Tourism Consumer
Behaviour and
Insight

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................................3
Part 1................................................................................................................................................3
Part 2................................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
The tourism consumer behaviour refers the tourists behaviour before, after and during the
travelling according to their attitude. Tourism is the biggest economic sector across the world. This
sector frequently expand their business. Nowadays, tourism development is the major factor for
enhancing the economic growth, conservation of cultural and natural resources and minimize
poverty in the country. TUI is a multinational tourism and travel company in the world. It has own s
hotels, travel agencies, airlines, retail stores and cruise ships. This report will include the various
cultural, social, psychological and personal factors that influence the tourism consumer behaviour
and the impact of digital technology on the consumer trends. This report will also highlight the
stages of consumer decision making journey map and many importance of map a path to purchase
for marketers. This report will state the several differences of the tourism decision making process
in the B2B and B2C context and include various theories, models and concepts that influence the
tourism decision making process.
MAIN BODY
Part 1
Investigation of the different social, cultural, psychological and personal factors that influence
consumer behaviour and attitudes
Social factors
Social factors includes social network of person. The individual's social network generate various
informations that can alter or influence the consumer behaviour of visiting or not visiting any
place.
Cultural factors
Cultural factors effectively influences tourists decisions. This factors includes tradition, customers,
moral values, race and religion. The cultural factors also includes Sub-culture and social class.
Tourist only prefers that location which are according to their beliefs and culture. So it can affect
the consumer decisions (Xiang, Magnini and Fesenmaier., 2015).
Personal factors
Personal factors includes age and life cycle stage, occupation, economic or financial situations,
personality and self concept and life style. This is a main factor that influences tourism consumer
behaviours.
Psychological factors
There are several psychological factors that strongly affect the tourism consumer behaviour and
attitudes like attitude and beliefs, experiences, perceptions and motivation. Motivation encourage
the tourism consumers requirements and desires. The past experiences of person can largely
influences the consumer on their decision of visiting particular place.
Changes in the Consumer trends due to the impact of digital technology
Consumers adopts various technologies in completing their tasks such as sharing opinions,
buying, information searches, entertainment purpose and huge experiences. The widespread use of
technology can gives their major impact on consumer trends (Xiang, Magnini and Fesenmaier.,
2015.). Nowadays the consumer trends are wholly dependent upon the different and attractive
technology. By the use of technologies, the tourism marketing is also increased and generate huge
tourism customer base. Through the different technologies, the tourists are able to find out the
various information regarding travel and also can share their travel experiences on social
networking sites, company's websites, sharing videos and blogging.

TUI use various technologies for marketing their travel packages and schemes. By this
company will create user friendly websites and provides various facilities to the tourists. Social
media is the major elements that influences tourism. It is great platform to sharing the information
and also experience of tourist to the consumers. By this consumer will attract towards the visiting
places and tourism (Moutinho and Vargas-Sanchez., 2018). The online booking of hotels and hotel
review can influence the customer trends. it has both negative and positive impacts also such as
the positive reviews will attracts the consumers and the negative reviews can discourages the
tourists. It can differ the tourism consumers behaviour and choices. Through the online
information channels, consumers can gain the knowledge and experience about the particular
places and location for visiting.
The effective uses of mobile can immensely changes the consumer trends. By this consumer
collects many informations and data related to the tourism. With the more uses of digital
technologies, the more consumers are attracted towards the tourism sector. The digital technology
provides a effortless platform to the tourism consumers for booking their tours. Digital
technologies effectively changed the consumers trends towards the tourism.
The cultural, personal, social and psychological factors change the consumer attitudes and
behaviour and drives a trends in tourism
The past tour experience of family members, relatives and friends can create their major impacts
on the decision of tourist. The motivation provided by them also encourage the tourist for visiting.
Family members and friends can largely influences the decision of consumers. The likes, dislikes
and life style of the members can also change the behaviours and attitude of consumer. The culture
includes the human society and society plays a crucial role in influences the behaviours and
attitude of consumer. The different thoughts and opinion of society according to their different
religion and nation creates their huge impacts on the decision of tourism consumers. The social
class of consumers and status will influences their behaviour because customer takes necessary
efforts tom maintain their status as previous (Nguyen., 2016). Based on the different age and life
cycle stage, a people can choose a visiting place fr their comfort and desire. People will choose the
tour destinations according to their Economic and financial situation. If the person has low finance
than it can reduced the consumer behaviour and attitude. Some people will maintain their life style
based on their interest, activities and opinions and they take tourism decisions according to it. The
positive motivation can enlarge consumer attitude and behaviour and encourage them towards the
visiting a particular place. The perception of the people regarding the tour and travel will influence
the decision of consumer. If the people have positive attitude towards the particular tour, that is
good but if the people have negative attitude than if can diversely affect their decision making
process.
Emerging trends in consumer behaviour and attitudes in tourism sector
There are various new trends in consumers behaviour and attitudes related to tourism. Many new
trends that largely established in that sector. This includes road trip, solo trip, wellness tourism and
pocket friendly travelling. Now a days people are more aware about their desires and they take full
efforts to completing this. TUI should have to identify the several new trends of consumer to
attract them and keep yourself update. Company should have to adopt mobile friendly approach in
their technologies because it attracts consumer very much. It may generate many diverse impacts
because all the people are not aware about the trends and it can also decreased the process and
profitability of tour and travel company (Jackman and Naitram., 2015).
Consumer will attractive towards the comfortable and effective process. The consumer prefers
excellent accommodation facilities, superb quality of food and beverages services, full
entertainment, good travel services and comfortable transportation and their trends are changed
accordingly.

Part 2
Stages of consumer decision making journey
There are five stages in the consumer decision-making process and it includes problem recognition,
search process, evaluating alternatives, selection stage and than evaluation of decision.
Problem recognition
The consumer decision making starts from recognize the exact requirements or desires of
tour that they want to be fulfil. The consumer wants to fulfil the actual desire of them by address the
needs. For example, if a person is in stressful condition and then he/she realize that he should take a
break from this stressful environment and go to a trip (Prebensen and et.al., 2018). This is the best
example, in which a person will recognize his actual desire.
Search process
After recognition of problem, a person will search best option to satisfied their desires. They
research on the various options and select one of the best option from it. In the search process,
internet and search engine plays a crucial role because it provides quick and trustworthy results. For
example, in this process people will search the best place and hotel for a perfect trip.
Evaluating alternatives
After selection of best option, people will evaluate this with various alternatives. These
evaluations may be based on attractiveness of place and price or total cost of trip. In this process,
customers also evaluate the reviews and feedback of other customers.
Selection stage
In that stage, tourism consumer will decide the exact location where they want to go. They
also take the other's experience and review the services.
Evaluation of decision
After that, consumer will evaluate the selected option and analyse that the selected option is
best and suitable for fulfilling the actual desires and requirements (Higham and et.al., 2016).
A map illustrating the selection of TUI's services
Explore Itineraries Book a Tour Pre-Tour During Tour Post-Tour
Customers
experience
Touchpoints  Tour detail tour.
booking page
services. support
channel.
Tour booking
page
 TUI
apps
 Ticket
details
page
 Tour
detail
page
 Tour
guide
 Photo
albu
m
Feeling and
thinking
 Brochure/
templates not
printable
 lack real time
support channel
 Complex
booking
procedur
e
 not
capable
to book
with the
smart
devices
 Less
travellin
g
informati
on
 Unable to
connect
with local
people
 unsatisfy
due to
buy
expejnsiv
e
souvenir
 Pleas
ured
when
receiv
ing
albu
m

Recommen
dation
Ideas and
opinion for
improvemen
t
- support huge sharing
choices for tour details.
- support whatsapp.
- allows distinguish
between tours.
- enable advance
searching.
- simplify the
booking page.
- add hints.
- enable apps
booking (Cheng
and Edwards,.,
2015).
- Generate
planning
checklist.
- guideline for
travel to the
airport.
- support
physical print
for ticket.
- Ensure that the
tour guide will
able to
understand the
language of local
people.
- Provide a
training of
languages to tour
guide.
- Effortless
album
sharing.
To map a path for purchase and understanding a consumer decision making is very important
for marketers
It is very necessary for the marketers to map a path to purchase and identify the customer's
decision making. It helps the TUI to understand the consumer's requirements and desires. By which
marketers can also identify the various customer's problems and issues. It can assist the business
how they can remove the consumer's problems and improve their experiences.
By identified the customer decision making process, TUI company can able to understand
the actual process of customer's decision making and can know the reason or intention behind the
selection of service. It is very important for marketer to understand the consumer behaviours and
attitude towards the particular company (Penz, Hofmann and Hartl., 2017). It can help the marketer
to see where consumers or clients interact with their business. With the helps of purchase path,
marketer will identify the customers desires at different stages. It also give a whole outside
perspective for enhancing the tourism market of their commonalty. This can also assist the marketer
by providing the exact gap between the required customer experience and the actual one they
received. By which marketer can also recognize areas where company's needs to take various
actions for development.
Evaluation of how marketers are responding to the decision making process
Marketer plays a vital role in the decision making process. The decision making process
included the consumers to recognize their desires, collect information, evaluation of alternative and
take the decision of purchase. The consumer behaviour and attitude may be determined by personal,
psychological and economic factors and influenced by cultural and social values. Through the
decision making process, the marketers will able to know the consumer's trend and variables in it.
By this marketers will enhance their services according to the consumer's desires.
This process will assist the marketer to effectively understand the customers and their needs.
By identifying the consumer's requirements, the marketers takes necessary actions to improve the
business services and expand the quality of services. With the decision making process, marketers
can also know the effective and ineffective tour services of the company.
Visit Wales, Tourism Concern and TUI are the best tourism organisation in UK. The
marketers of these organisation takes necessary actions to understand the consumer's desires for
particular trips and tours and make a attractive trip packages accordingly.
The key differences of tourism decision-making process in the context of B2B and B2C
Tourism Decision making process in the B2C Tourism Decision making process in the B2B
B2C refers to the business to customer
relationship (Ingram, Caruana and McCabe.,
2017). In this, the customer will follow decision
B2B refers to the business to business
relationship. The tourism decision making
process will be conducted by the other business.

making process to before selection of any
tourism services.
In this approach, the customer will adopt the
decision making process to identify their exact
desires and requirements.
They are professional buyers and take decisions
for provides services to their employees.
The tourism decision will be taken by the
customer yourself.
The business will take tourism decision to
provide their employees or staffs a tour packages
or corporate trip (Irfan and et.al., 2017).
For example if a airline company takes the bus service from the TUI(tour and travel company) that
is called B2B and if the customer booked the tour packages from the TUI company i.e. B2C.
Evaluation of different approaches to market research and methods of research used for
understanding the decision making process for an organisation at each of the different
customer touchpoints
There are various approaches to market research and method of research that helps to
understand the decision making process.
Survey is the best market research method to identify the decision making process. It is
technique to know the exact decision making process and their impacts on the company's
development. This method is provides a systematic approach to collect the information from the
market and also recognize the population's behaviour towards the TUI company. In this method the
questionnaire is designed by the company to gather the data and opinion of the customers. It is a
excellent method and the maximum information that are received is perfect.
Observation is also a effective market research method used for understanding the decision
making process for an organisation. This method implies notice and view the variopus occurances
or act of the customers. In this process no one question will asked by the observer but observe the
actions and preferences of the customers (Amaro and Duarte., 2017).
Various factors that will influence tourism decision making and buying behaviour
Many factors largely affect the tourism decision-making process and their buying behaviour.
Social factors such as people's social network like friends, relatives and family members. They
plays a major role in influence the decision of tourist. For example, if any family member have a
past experience of any tour and they give bad review for its than it influence the decision of person
or may be he can cancel that trip. The social network of people generate many informations that can
change the consumer buying behaviour.
Many people are very conscious about their religion and nation and they reject many
countries for travelling because of that reason. Cultural factors involves customer moral values,
tradition, race and religion. So that, it can affect the consumer buying decisions. Personal factors
involves occupation, personality, age and life cycle stage, economic or financial situations, self
concept and life style. According to the customer's different statues and their different life style,
customer decision will affected.
The main factor that influences tourism consumer behaviours is psychological factors that
includes experiences, motivation, attitude and beliefs and perceptions. The effective Motivation
will inspire the tourism consumers to adopt the services.
Marketers plays a effective role to influence the different stages of the tourism decision
making process
Marketer of the TUI company takes various actions to change the customers decision in the
favour of company. In the every stage of the tourism decision making process, marketers try to
attract the consumer towards their organisation and services. Marketers have major focus to catch
the customers at the beginning of stage.

The marketer will create various strategy programme and marketing programmes to attract
the customers and influence them in their decision making process. The marketer use best practices
to improve and enhance the business position in the market and create an effective brand of a
company. For example, TUI marketers will create effective post and blogging and advertise their
services in various websites.
The marketers of Visit Wales, Tourism Concern and Department of Digital, Culture Media &
Sport
The marketers of the three different tourism organisation influence each stage of decision
making process. The marketer of the Visit Wales tourism company create a effective survey to
identify the consumer's actual expectation from the tourism company. By this marketer will promote
their services accordingly and influence the consumer decision.
The marketer of the Tourism Concern company will adopt the best practices to promote
their business in tourism sector and encourages the consumers towards their organisation. The
marketer of that Tourism concern company adopt the Observation method to understand the actual
needs of consumers and takes necessary efforts tom satisfy them (Rovai., 2016).
The marketer of Department of Digital, Culture Media & Sport experiments and field
trial method. By this method, they will identified the exact position of company's product or
services. If any error occurs in it, the marketer will resolve them and takes many development
process.
Various theories and models that influence and impact upon the tourism the decision-making
process
Rational or Normative theory
This theory is adopted by the Visit Wales, Tourism Concern and Department of Digital,
Culture Media & Sport tourism organisations. This theory helps the organisation to encourages
managers of the company to take decision in a very effective and efficient way. This theory supports
the maximizing behaviour of consumers, computational sophistication, true and certain information
and agreement over values.
Behavioural theories
This theory gives their full concern on the behaviour of individual, general public and
groups (Lowry and Back., 2015). The tourism organisations such as Visit Wales, Tourism Concern
and Department of Digital, Culture Media & Sport will used this theory to promote the company's
performances by identifying the actual behaviour of customers. The behavioural theory supports the
organisational slack, achieve multiple goals and coalitions.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it is concluded that the TUI is a tour and travel company and
provides effective travels and accommodation services to the consumers. The tourism consumer
behaviour means the tourists behaviour during the travelling. The tourism sector frequently enlarge
their business in the market. By applying the various method and approaches, the TUI company will
encourage the consumers and their decision making process. Nowadays, tourism development is the
vital point for developing the economic growth in the country.

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