Family Decisions on the Tourist Market

Abstract

IntroductionIt is commonly known that the fundamental element of marketing is consumer-based thinking with the emphasis on consumer needs. This is the starting point for any actions of numerous enterprises and sellers on the market. It is the insight into consumer behaviour itself that is indispensable when developing marketing programs, and also in using marketing tools effectively, including on the tourist market. Their importance gets even higher if the consumer is a family - a set of different people making consensual decisions - agreed rationally and analytically or in a compromise - leading to mitigation of initially contrasting ideas (Dyck, Daly, 2006).Making decisions on tourism product purchase, which means choosing a destination in the first place and then organisation of the tourist trip, plays an exceptional role in family decision-making. The purpose of this article is to present the specificity of family decisions on the tourist market. Theoretical considerations were complemented by empirical research which is to verify the purpose of the work in the surveyed population composed of the residents of Krakow (Poland).1. Models of family decision-making - selected problemsIn their life time people make an enormous number of decisions. Among them one can find those relating to satisfying tourist needs. Reducing this number, especially in an environment of many people comprising a family, might be a very long and complicated process. There are four models of family decision making present in the literature (Loudon et al., 1993; Nichols, Snepenger, 1988; Fodness, 1992; Kirchler, 1993):- autonomic model, when decision about purchase is made by each member of family independently;- patriarchal model, when decision about purchase is made by a husband1;- matriarchal model, when decision about purchase is made by a wife2;- partner/friendly model (i.e. syncretic system) when decision about purchase is made either by some or all members of family3.There are a number of factors, both tourist-related and product and its purchase-related having impact on the manner of making decisions (either consensus decisions - a manifestation of partner model or individual - manifested in the autonomic model) (Howard, Madrigal, 1990).The first group of factors includes inter alia a tourist's education, financial situation (Schanzel et al., 2005), belonging to a particular social group (Crompton, 1981). Among the factors relating to the purchase of a tourism product one can find e.g. the importance of a decision or the pressure of time (more: Niemczyk, 1999, pp. 42-44), and regarding the product - its attractions. Changes of civilisation taking place around us suggest that the impact of specified features will be changing and so will the presence of the aforementioned models, in particular the patriarchal and matriarchal models which will be led towards the autonomic and partner ones.With regard to the group decision making, what is important and is selected is often the division of roles among the participants of a family decision making process. For instance one person (the initiator) might have an idea to spend holiday by the sea, whereas the other (the advisor) might suggest a holiday by the Mediterranean Sea, then another person (the decision-maker) might make a final decision to fund the journey and travel, subsequently another person (the buyer) might buy the tickets, accommodation, etc., finally another person (the user) might go on such holiday (Jedlinska, 2006, p. 179). Many of these roles, like initiator, advisor, user are played by children. However, according to the literature on the subject the final decision is made by the parents (Carr, 2005; Wang et al., 2004). It should be emphasized that currently a special role of children in a decision making process on a tourist trip is observed (Johns, Gyimothy, 2002; Cullingford, 1995; Gram, 2007; Martensen, Gronholdt, 2008; Assael, 1995; Howard, Madrigal, 1990; Gram, Therkelsen, 2003; Seweryn, 2015). …