Preferences for travel and tourism activities: contributions of personal skills and perceived travel benefits and stresses

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous studies have carefully examined travellers’ preferences. However, they have largely neglected the contributions of travellers’ skills and their perceived travel benefits and stresses. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the impacts that intrapersonal, nonverbal interpersonal, and verbal interpersonal skills have on travellers’ perceived travel benefits and stresses, and the effects of these phenomena on travellers’ preferences for travel and tourism activities. Using data gathered from a structured survey of young respondents in Vietnam (n = 496), this study found that intrapersonal and nonverbal interpersonal skills had significant effects on perceived travel benefits and stresses. Verbal interpersonal skills only had a significant effect on perceived travel benefits. In addition, the study revealed that perceived travel benefits and verbal interpersonal skills were significant antecedents of the respondents’ preferences. These findings expand the existing literature by investigating the correlations among travellers’ skills, their perceived travel benefits and stresses, and their preferences. Practical implications for tour operators and travellers, especially under the COVID-19 circumstances, are then discussed based on these findings.