Planned or unplanned? Understanding the shopping behaviors and experiences of tourists

Abstract

As borders reopen after years of lockdown due to the pandemic, the tourism economy is recovering and creating a wave of consumer demand. Travelers are expected to be more conscious of planning a trip and embarking to a destination. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively understand tourist behaviors. This study proposes the concept of planned and unplanned tourist shoppers, based on whether shopping is a primary trip goal for travelers. The findings reveal that shopping and experiences vary by tourist shopper types. This study provides a novel insight into destination marketing for tourist shoppers.