Parents-to-be and future holiday planning: what is it all about?

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to understand how parents-to-be expect their future holidays with their first child to change accordingly, and most important the reasoning behind this. Design/methodology/approach – By the use of a qualitative-explorative research approach (Grounded Theory method), ten in-depth interviews were done with Dutch parents-to-be, expecting their first child. Findings – The results show that emotional response ranks high in terms of the occurred changes, which originate from a set of interrelated consequences. A strong link with a deep fundamental basis rooted in daily life values can be made. Research limitations/implications – To surmount the limitations of this study observational methods would have to be employed. The collection of information relating to decision making can only evoke faults if the research would take place after the couples transform into parents-to-be through a setting of a longitudinal study. In addition, generalization should be carefully taken into account in terms of cultural backgrounds, which can devise changes as well. Practical implications – This will oblige the tourism industry to consider product differentiation to serve this segment better and to capture a competitive position in the dynamic tourism industry. Originality/value – The holiday has been perceived as a part of daily life and should create a certain degree of added value which refers to a deeper fundamental basis. Therefore, it can be argued that this study contributed to the decision-making literature by going beyond the scope of family holidays.