Does the travel career pattern model work for repeat tourists?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tourism researchers and practitioners have an interest in understanding tourists’ travel patterns, and one of the most used models applied to reach this goal is the seminal Travel Career Pattern (TCP) model. However, repeat tourism is underexplored and in the present research, the authors provide an initial investigation of repeat tourists using the TCP model. Based on survey data from 500 international tourists in India the present research found that the TCP model is valuable for exploring repeat tourists’ travel patterns and motives. Within the TCP model results show that middle level motives were found to be most important for tourists with more diverse travel experience which include nature, self-development and self-actualisation. Significant relationships were also found among the origin of tourists, their travel experiences and their motivational pattern.