This study examines the relationships between tourists’ purchase
decision involvement and their information search behaviours. The behaviours
include their information preferences as measured by perceived value of
different types of information contents, and their use of the internet as an
information channel. The relationships are presented in a proposed conceptual
framework of the tourist information search process, and tested through two
hypotheses using a survey sample. The findings reveal that tourist information
preferences significantly differed from one level of purchase decision
involvement to another in seven out of 13 instances. It is also found that there
are significant differences in using the internet as a destination information
channel from one level of purchase decision involvement to another. The findings
are discussed in the context of developing effective destination marketing strategies.
Fesenmaier, D. R.
(1994)
‘Traveller use of visitor information centers: Implication for
development in Illinois’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 33, No.
1, pp.
44-50
.
2.
World Tourism Organization
(1999) ‘Marketing tourism destinations online
— Strategies for the information age’, WTO Report, Chapter
1, available at http://www.world-tourism.org/.
3.
Laurent, G.
and
Kapferer, J.-N.
(1985)
‘Measuring consumer involvement profiles’
, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 12, No.
1, pp.
41-53
.
4.
Havitz, M. E.
and
Dimanche, F.
(1990)
‘Propositions for testing the involvement construct in recreation
and tourism contexts’
, Leisure Science, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.
179-197
.
5.
Fodness, D.
and
Murray, B.
(1997)
Tourist information search’
, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 24, No.
3, pp.
503-523
.
6.
Prideaux, B.
,
Wei, S.
and
Ruys, H.
(2001)
‘The senior drive tour market in Australia’
, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 7, No.
3, pp.
209-219
.
7.
Chen, J. S.
and
Gursoy, D.
(2000)
‘Cross-cultural comparison of the information sources used by
first-time and repeat travellers and its marketing implications’
, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol.
19, No. 2, pp.
191-203
.
8.
Chen, J. S.
(2000)
‘A comparison of information usage between business and leisure travellers’
, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, Vol.
7, No. 2, pp.
65-76
.
9.
Fall, L. T.
(2000)
‘An exploratory study of the relationship between human values
and information sources within a tourism framework’
, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, Vol.
7, No. 1, pp.
3-28
.
10.
Gursoy, D.
(2000)
‘The couple life cycle: An alternative approach and the empirical
evaluation of the couple life cycle’
, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, Vol.
6, No. 4, pp.
67-90
.
11.
Chen, J. S.
(2000)
‘Cross-cultural differences in travel information acquisition
among tourists from three Pacific-rim countries’
, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Vol.
24, No. 2, pp.
239-251
.
12.
Milner, L. M.
,
Collins, J. M.
,
Tachibana, R.
and
Hiser, R. F.
(2000)
‘The Japanese vacation visitor to Alaska: A preliminary
examination of peak and off season traveller demographics, information
source utilization, trip planning, and customer satisfaction’
, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 9,
Nos 1/2, pp.
43-56
.
13.
Gursoy, D.
and
Chen, J. S.
(2000)
‘Competitive analysis of cross cultural information search behaviour’
, Tourism Management, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp.
583-590
.
14.
Fesenmaier, ref. 1 above.
15.
Hanna, J. R. P.
and
Millar, R. J.
(1997)
‘Promoting tourism on the internet’
, Tourism Management, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp.
469-470
.
16.
Bonn, M. A.
,
Furr, H. L.
and
Susskind, A. M.
(1999)
‘Predicting a behavioural profile for pleasure travellers on the
basis of internet use segmentation’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 37, No.
4, pp.
333-340
.
17.
Marcussen, C. H.
(1997)
‘Marketing Europe tourism products via internet/WWW’
, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 6,
Nos 3/4, pp.
23-24
.
18.
Bonn, M. A.
,
Furr, H. L.
and
Susskind, A. M.
(1998)
‘Using the internet as a pleasure travel planning tool: An
examination of the sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics among
internet users and nonusers’
, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Vol.
22, No. 3, pp.
303-317
.
19.
Ibid.
20.
Bender, D. E.
(1997)
‘Using the web to market the hospitality, travel and tourism
product or service’
, HSMAI Marketing Review, Vol. 14, No. 3,
pp.
33-37
, 39.
21.
Bonn et al., ref. 16 above.
22.
Weber, K.
and
Roehl, W. S.
(1999)
‘Profiling people searching for and purchasing travel products on
the World Wide Web’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 37, No.
3, pp.
291-298
.
23.
Vogt, C. A.
,
Fesenmaier, D. R.
and
MacKay, K.
(1993)
‘Functional and aesthetic information needs underlying the
pleasure travel experience’
, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 2,
Nos 2/3, pp.
133-146
.
24.
Hanna and Millar, ref. 15 above.
25.
Weber and Roehl, ref. 22 above.
26.
Zaichkowsky, J. L.
(1986)
‘Conceptualizing involvement’
, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 15, No. 2,
pp.
4-14
, 34.
27.
Laurent and Kapferer, ref. 3 above.
28.
Havitz and Dimanche, ref. 4 above.
29.
Havitz, M. E.
and
Dimanche, F.
(1997)
‘Leisure involvement revisited: Conceptual conundrums and
measurement advances’
, Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 29, No.
3, pp.
245-278
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30.
McWilliams, E. G.
and
Crompton, J. L.
(1997)
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destination advertising’
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127-137
.
31.
Havitz, M. E.
and
Dimanche, F.
(1999)
‘Leisure involvement revisited: Drive properties and paradoxes’
, Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 31, No.
2, pp.
122-149
.
32.
Beatty, S. E.
,
Kahle, L. R.
and
Homer, P.
(1988)
‘The involvement-commitment model: Theory and implications’
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2, pp.
149-167
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33.
Laurent and Kapferer, ref. 3 above.
34.
Havitz and Dimanche, ref. 4 above.
35.
Havitz, M. E.
and
Howard, D. R.
(1995)
‘How enduring is enduring involvement in the context of tourist motivation?’
, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 4,
No. 3, pp.
95-99
.
36.
Beatty et al., ref. 32 above.
37.
Zaichkowsky, ref. 26 above.
38.
Engel, J. F.
and
Blackwell, R. D.
(1982) ‘Consumer Behaviour’,
4th edn,
Dryden Press, New York
.
39.
Stone, R. N.
(1984)
‘The marketing characteristics of involvement’
, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 11, No.
1, pp.
210-215
.
40.
Kim, S.-S.
,
Scott, D.
and
Crompton, J. L.
(1997)
‘An exploration of the relationships among social psychological
involvement, behavioural involvement, commitment, and future intentions in
the context of bird-watching’
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3, pp.
320-339
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41.
Havitz and Dimanche, ref. 29 above.
42.
Zaichkowsky, ref. 26 above.
43.
Engel and Blackwell, ref. 38 above.
44.
Beatty et al., ref. 32 above.
45.
Zaichkowsky, ref. 26 above.
46.
Zaichkowsky, J. L.
(1985)
‘Measuring the involvement construct’
, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 12, No.
3, pp.
341-352
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47.
Laurent, and Kapferer, ref. 3 above.
48.
Fesenmaier, D. R.
and
Johnson, B.
(1989)
‘Involvement-based segmentation: Implication for travel marketing
in Texas’
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293-300
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49.
Kim et al., ref. 40 above.
50.
Scott, D.
and
Godbey, G.
(1994)
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, Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 26, No.
3, pp.
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51.
Kim et al., ref. 40 above.
52.
Engel and Blackwell, ref. 38 above.
53.
Crompton, J.
(1992)
‘Structure of vacation destination choice sets’
, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 19, No.
3, pp.
420-434
.
54.
Ibid, p. 421.
55.
Dodd, T. H.
(1998)
‘Influences on search behaviour of industrial tourists’
, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, Vol.
5, Nos 2/3, pp.
77-94
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56.
Jamrozy, U.
,
Backman, S. J.
and
Backman, K. F.
(1996)
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, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 23, No.
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908-924
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57.
Berkman, H. W.
and
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Kent Publishing, Boston, MA
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58.
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and
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59.
Lennon, R.
,
Weber, J. M.
and
Henson, J.
(2001)
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German consumers’ perception of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination’
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60.
Chen and Gursoy, ref. 7 above.
61.
Fall, ref. 9 above.
62.
Gursoy, ref. 10 above.
63.
Gursoy and Chen, ref. 13 above.
64.
Baloglu, S.
(1999)
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65.
Dodd, ref. 55 above.
66.
Oh, I.
(1997)
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application to travel’
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67.
Prideaux et al., ref. 6 above.
68.
Bonn et al., ref. 16 above.
69.
Weber and Roehl, ref. 22 above.
70.
Woodside, A. G.
and
King, R. I.
(2001)
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71.
Murphy, L.
(2001)
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73.
Lennon et al., ref. 59 above.
74.
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76.
Lennon et al., ref, 59 above.
77.
Baloglu, ref. 64 above.
78.
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79.
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,
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