Determined Sun-Seekers and Others–Travel Motives, Holiday Type, and Holiday Behavior Among Norwegian Charter Tourists

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a comprehensive survey (N = 1,222) of Norwegian charter tourists, the relationships between tourists' motives for traveling, their definition of holiday type, and their behavior are examined among two different groups of tourists. The first group, the “Decision Makers,” actually made the travel decisions themselves (71%), while the second group (“Non-Decision Makers”) were subject to random factors or to other people's decisions (29%). A majority (80%) identify themselves as going on a “Sun-beach” trip, while the rest (20%) identify themselves as going on a “Round-trip,” “Big city visit,” “Alpine-tour,” or “Cruise,” all of which are subsumed under the name “Other tourists.” Some differences are found between “decision makers” and “non-decision makers”; most path coefficients are slightly larger and more variance is explained for the “decision makers.” Results indicate that relatively simple motive scales are useful for understanding central distinctions in the demand structure of the Norwegian holiday charter market.