Personality and Personal Values in Travel Destination

Abstract

Plog (1973) proposed the travel behavior inventory as an instrument for predicting travel destination choice on the basis of personality. Since that initial attempt to relate personality traits to travel preference, many studies have failed to confirm the relationship between the travel behavior inventory and destination choice. Smith (1990) suggested that the inventory was U.S. specific, and did not predict travel preference by citizens in several European and Asian countries. Other authors have argued that other instruments are better predictors of destination choice Madrigal (1995) found the List of Values (Kahle 1983) to be a better predictor of travel style than the travel behavior inventory, though Plog–s (1973) inventory was significantly related to the List of Values. Holland–s personality theory (Holland, Powell and Fritsche 1994) was used by Frew and Shaw (1998) to predict travel preference. The authors found a significant relationship between personality type and travel behaviors for some locations, but not others, leaving the relationship between personality and travel unclear.